– Design Exchange and Upliftment in the Third World –

A small sea of like minded, creative individuals gathered at Rondebosch Boys High School on the weekend to hear from some of the most forward thinking and highly respected illustrators in the global, creative industry.

The talks were informative and inspiring and judging by the vast amount of questions posed after every speech, it would seem that local creative’s are eager to breakthrough international boundaries.  As with many things in South Africa, the creative industry is incorrectly perceived to be in a transition period. It’s a natural development for creatives to aspire to be on an international level and an event like “Toffie” helps local designers to get in touch with like-minded individuals and one step closer to achieving this. Individuals who have emerged in the international scene shed light on journeys through various circumstances and really provided accountable answers as to how the industry should be thinking and working. Many South African artists are quite capable of producing some of the best work in the world.

Wynand from Fokofpoliesiekar, gave any aspiring musician insight into the state of the SA music industry. He highlighted all the processes involved; from recording to distribution to marketing and ultimately to getting a CD into retail stores. He mentioned some of the pitfalls of the industry as it exists and also some of the creative opportunities that come with the ‘rock-star’ lifestyle.

He was followed by Jorge Alderete, a Mexican illustrator hugely involved in the music industry.  With the help of a translator, he revealed some of his processes and inspirations, which I’m sure any illustrator could identify with. His inspiration included the people around him and he shared how his life shaped his design offerings allowing for limitless creative opportunities.

Kim Jones, the creative director of Dunhill, spoke about his history in the fashion industry and some of the world-renowned names he has worked with. The interesting thing about Kim is that he has crafted a position in the industry for himself based on skills developed through collaborations and focusing on personal passions, something many aspire towards.

Siggi Eggertsson spoke humorously of his personal process, work and collaborators, all through the voice generator on his Mac.

MTV’s Juan Frontini went through some of the art direction of his TV spots and discussed how he has strategically positioned them to reach different markets and bring the focus ultimately back to the music.

The exhibition was small, but jam-packed with quality artwork throughout. It was great to see local artists, such as Kronk, displaying their work side by side the top international graphic artists, including  Siggi Eggertsson and Jorge Alderete to name a few. Incidentally one of Kronk’s amazing prints has found its way into our HelloComputer studio!

Hats off to The President, for an amazing and insightful event that is providing a sustainable platform for designers. Events like these are powerful tools in boosting communication and collaboration with like minded South African’s and South American’s.  I would love to see more events like this on an ever growing scale. I expect there to be many more inspired creative’s sitting at their desks this morning!