Art direction, illustration and design.
My largest and most ambitious project this year was the design of the 2014 prospectus for the Executive Development Department of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB-ED). It came in the form of a trifold presentation folder that contained a 40 page tabbed brochure with a fold out cover as well as a series of inserts.
The greatest challenge was to create the mother of all infographics, that would appear at the beginning of the brochure and in the folder. It needed to be used as a tool that would serve to simplify and explain USB-ED’s complex structure of service offerings. Luckily for me I got to team up with Nicky Bremner – the creative brand manager at USB-ED and one of the most organized and savvy people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Together we came up with the concept of using directional arrows and the GPS marker icon as visual devices that convey the metaphorical story of a journey that one takes when embarking on a course at the college.
The images were shot in the OR Thambo Johannesburg International airport and in the Gautrain station as we needed crowds of business people all moving in different directions and ‘going places’. We had fun thinking of different shots that could convey different sections to the brochure, like the lady standing still with people rushing around her was a great shot for the section of the brochure that asked the question of “Where are you right now in your career?”
The main concept of the journey also tied in well with the school’s slogan “Inspiring thought-leadership across Africa”, which is based on the CEO’s remarkable vision to help grow, influence and inspire the leaders of Africa through responsible and cutting edge education. I wanted to portray this vision of expanding growth in Africa through the use of radiating lines and afro-centric graphics.
The design also needed to have a premium feel as the USB-ED is at the top of their game and they are targeting large organisations and business minded executive types. To help with this I chose a metallic pantone for the cover and used subtle hints of spot UV gloss to create some of the afro-centric textures.