Our new intern – Barbara Darchinger

Short intro about me
I love the sun and happy people. I’m very easy going and open to new things and adventures. If an exiting part of my life comes to an end, I start searching for a new adventure. I haven’t found my passion in design yet, but I´m on a good path finding out. The most important part of my life is my family and friends, who support me and bring joy into my life. Without them I wouldn’t be Barbra.

Continue reading »

Beautiful laptop bag

IsabeauPeep has once again made something that is both beautiful and functional! We commissioned her to make this beautiful laptop bag for us. She designed and made it using cotton rope, lined it with purple felt and finished it off with fun turquoise trimming! The clasp is a wooden button.

‘Laptop bag’ is the last thing that comes to mind when you see it, which is a great security feature. But someone might steal the bag, its so pretty! Continue reading »

Barbara´s thoughts

Andrea from CPUT, Faculty of Informatics and Design facilitated the arrival of a 4^th year student to work with us at Design for development. We decided that she would immediately start work on a real project rather than ‘assisting’ or ‘shadowing’ someone in the office. The aim is to get the most benefit out of the experience for both Barbara (the intern), and Design for development. We asked her to write a reflective article describing her arrival and we will ask her to do the same at the end of her stay here. We also hope to showpiece the work she will be working on!

I arrived with my Mum in South Africa – Cape Town on the 1^st January. New year, new continent, new life. I was so glad that my mother came with me, because I wont be seeing her for eleven months – Christmas I will fly back home to Munich again.

The first week was spending time with my uncle and aunt who live near Cape Town and my Mum of course, getting a cellphone, organising a flat, making day trips to nice towns and spending some time at the beach.

The second week I did a small Garden Route Tour with my mother and showed her my favourite spots in South Africa. We had a lovely holiday and than I had to say good-bye to my Mum and moved into a backpackers close to D4D to start my new life in Cape Town.

I knew what D4D was doing and I also informed myself pretty well, but it is always exiting to start in a new place. Will they like your ideas, your work? Do they think differently? Is the team nice? How is the working atmosphere? Will I enjoy my time? Will I get proper projects to work on? All those things go through your head – that is why I also couldn’t sleep the first night…

My first week is already over and I must say I had a great time so far. I definitely worried too much. They like my ideas and work so far. They think differently but that is inspiring, the team is so great, the working atmosphere is lovely and I do enjoy my time and especially my project!

Now that work is great I have started wondering how will the 4^th year University be here in Cape Town? Do they have the same standards as in Germany?  Will I make friends, what will the course and projects be like? How will my research go?

I can only add now: I am exited.

Robben Island

We visited Robben Island for our year-end function last year. None of us, except for Roulé has been there before. So we braved the rough seas and seasickness to go see this historical landmark. It was much bigger than I imagined. Apparently Robben Island has been used as a prison since the time of  Jan van Riebeeck. Then as a leper colony, and mental hospital and finally as a high security prison. There is even a small community of permanent residents on the island. Continue reading »

Happy 2012 everyone

May this new year be filled with energy, inspiration and creativity. Hope you all had a good rest, this is going to be a very busy year.

Here are some photos from our holidays. Enjoy!

Melissa: My friends Vengy and Marvin got married over December in Polokwane. I had the pleasure of taking photos of the intimate moments between her and her sister before the wedding.

Continue reading »

Emily Booth’s BreathEasy project

Design for development visited the CPUT Faculty of Informatics and Design Exhibition: GENERATING DESIGN 2011 last Friday. We had the privilege of hosting Emily Booth, fourth year graphic design student, for her two week internship earlier this year. It was a pleasure working with her, learning about her project and giving advice along the way. So we were very excited to go and see the completed project.

The fourth year students get to choose one project that they work on for the whole year. Emily chose to create material for the BreathEasy programme who support families with children who have tracheostomies. She has been closely involved with the BreathEasy Foundation as it was her mother who helped established it. It has clearly been a labour of love.

Presents from IsaBeauPeep

Thank you IsaBeauPeep for the wonderful presents we received today! Beautifully crocheted clutch bags with soft inner lining in wonderful colours!

For those who don’t know, IsaBeauPeep has emerged this year as an avid yarn bomber, leaving her mark in public paces all over Cape Town, from street poles to beacons on the top of Table Mountain.

IsaBeau’s crafts give hand-made craft and crochet a modern twist. She has taken the art of crochet out of the typical realms of ‘grannie’s rocking in their chairs in front of the fire’ to current day street art and products. Visit her blog, for inspiration on beautifully hand-made objects from all around the world.

We look forward to seeing the new project she is working on at the moment which will take her craft to more people!

World Aids Day 2011

Today is World Aids Day! All over the world people are assessing and strategising responses to the HIV pandemic. In South Africa we can celebrate with many HIV positive people who have access to antiretroviral therapy through our health system. But there is still lots of work to do… Today is also the launch of  South Africa’s new five year National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, STIs and TB. Continue reading »

Key populations, Key solutions.

We recently designed a very important report for the Desmond Tutu HIV foundation called Key Populations, Key solutions – A gap analysis and recommendations for key populations and HIV in South Africa.  Men who have sex with men, sex workers, injecting drug users, prisoners, migrants and transgender people fall under these ‘key populations’. They exist in every region, country and most communities. Continue reading »

A facilitators guide for STEPS

We were asked by STEPS to redesign a facilitators guide for a very interesting film. STEPS is a non-profit film company who uses film as a tool to raise awareness and campaign a wide variety of issues. This film is part of a project called ‘STEPS for the future‘: a challenging, provocative, and unconventional collection of films about life in Southern Africa in the presence of HIV/AID’.

The film called Three and a half lives of Philip Wetu, and is an interactive drama which at various points allows the audience to choose what actions the main character will take. Almost like a ‘choose your own adventure’ book. Philip is a young IT professional who has a loyal long-term partner, and a few lovers on the side. The film is meant to used as a training tool and shows the consequences of Philips decisions, made by the audience: should he tell his partner he is cheating on her; should he have unprotected sex or insist on using a condom; should he go for an HIV test. Continue reading »