More design projects

Design, to me, forms part of our everyday lives. It cannot be bound by guidelines or rules, as a matter of fact, if one places too many constraints on a design project or brief, the outcome will most probably be extraordinary. 

At University, it becomes easy to create one's own constraints and guidelines and change it along the way to suit the design development process but this makes for interesting and creative design solutions. If only the world could be altered to suit design instead of the other way around.

Here are more University Design Projects. Each project focused on different design goals; branding, retail design, temporary installation or product design, which lead to completely different creative solutions for everyday problems.

Project: Temporary Installation

Theme: Movement created for Movement 

Brief: Create a stage for a fashion show

Outcome: Modular system, which locks into one another to form a sculptural display and backdrop for Haute Couture. Light and colour becomes an integral part of the design experience. 

Project: Awfully Chocolate Chocolaterie

Theme: Harvesting the cocoa pod

Brief: To create a decadent chocolaterie in  the cultural Heritage site, Botshabelo. The store's theme is based on how a person would harvest a cocoa pod and the process of turning the cocoa into chocolate.

Outcome: The store's entrance is lined with sculptural cocoa trees. Golden pods dangle down from these trees and each person is encouraged to 'pick' one of these pods. This pods is then broken open to reveal a mould, which is then used to cast an unique      chocolate pod in either dark, milk or white chocolate. Both the branding and physical experience were vital ingredients to make this design memorable. The design is also educational in nature.

Project: Educational and functional toy/furniture for underprivileged children in Mamelodi.

Theme: Should function as both a toy and piece of furniture

Brief: The brief was to design a product that would be relevant in Mamelodi. The idea was to create a product that would function as an educational toy as well as a desk, chair or storage device for each child. The final product was called the Cube.

Outcome: The Cube serves as both a desk, storage boxes, writing surface and toy for each toddler. It is moulded out of a polycarbonate, which is fully recycled and recyclable. The materials is child-friendly and stable enough to endure the weight of a child or books.

Project: This project was part of the annual PG Bison Student Designer Competition in 2006.

Theme: FIFA World Cup and Proudly South-African

Brief: To design a lockable stand for the FIFA World Cup. It should fit into an area of 5mx5m.

Outcome: The design was based on the national flower, the Protea and the manner in which a flower opens and closes. When open, the stand represents the image of a protea flower, with its sharp petals and light pink colour. When a few of these stands are placed alongside each other, it looks like a garden of Proteas. When the unit is closed, all the petals fold over one another and it becomes a silhouette of a petal. Storage space has been provided in the base of the unit and multiple, interchangeable shelves have been provided for all the merchandise.