Filed under: Branding, Business, Customers, Design | Tags: Funk that, Funkthat, web, Website
The Funk that! website is now up. We are proud of it, but realise we still need to get a few glitches ironed out..this is a work in progress..! Go check it out and give us your opinion… www.funkthat.net
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Blogging, Branding, Business, Design, Technology | Tags: Funkthat, web, Website
WOW! We have been busy! Great for our small business but sad when we neglect our company blog! I have been blogging haphazardly on my personal blog about politics [so much 2 say there!].
We have been working [and reworking] our company website for way 2 long now! Just never seems right! SO we have finally decided to upload what we have, it will be complete in as much as your comments will be needed to almost finalise it! The reality it though, it will NEVER be complete.
So later this week we will take the plunge and push upload! Watch this space….Phase 2 will see a migration from this blog to our own….
Graphic designers are cool and creative people, who get to wake up everyday full of energy and cool ideas ready to change the world in every aspect possible. We get to come up with great concepts and seeing the end result is always a cherry on top.
One thing though which seems to be a miss conception on especially with new designers entering the working environment, and the majority of students thinking of perusing a career in design, is that graphic design is All about “COOL”, don’t get me wrong though it’s cool but that’s not what design is about and some think it’s probably the easiest Jobs (correction profession) because they think that their artistic talent is all they will need to succeed thus forgetting the essentials and the principles of what graphic design is really all about. Graphic Design is about applying and taking into notice certain principles and understanding elements within the process of seeing a concept to print/whatever the context might be at the end of the day.
I feel that for designers to achieve optimum level in terms of helping the industry progress and produce innovative work, we as designers must not forget the purpose of what design is all about at the end of the day, which is to convey a message as effective and conceptually as possible to the viewer. Design has principles and elements, which have to be taken in to consideration thought the process, things like layout, focal points, colors and context so to speak. I feel a lot of designers tend to forget these especially in this era of drips, splatter and grunge contemporary design (put up your hand if you’ve never used drips in one of your designs to make it look COOL) I feel that it is because of instances like these which why there are more trend followers than trend setters, I would like to mention the fore fathers of graphic design like Milton Glaser and Saul Bass in this instance. They had a simplistic yet effective way of thinking outside the box but still understanding the relevance of what graphic design is about and what is it that needs to be achieved and how.
A design with no concept or purpose (which is more or less the stuff we see nowadays), might be visually exciting but at the end of the day it carries no weight or forward thinking, its like having a nice roof but with cracks on the wall which support the roof, which is where most designers, lack, not the house that is, but understanding the relevance of principles of graphic design, foundations and core of what design is all about. Designers should understand aesthetics and execute design that is conceptually strong and a need to link everything visually and conceptually.
It’s also exciting to see designers moving towards a more cleaner, conceptually strong design which is the true catalyst of innovation and what design is about, a profession which we love and practice.
Posted by: Mphumelelo
Filed under: Design, Lifestyle, Technology, Trends | Tags: Design, mac, new
I am a slave to great design…and it is something that I have come to expect from Mac…
Check out this keyboard beauty…
Posted by: Candice
Such weird weather lately, the gals at FT thought we should lash out on some new shoes…We’re singing in the rain!!
Filed under: Branding, Business, Customers, Design, Technology, Trends | Tags: Business, Funk that, New Year, SMME
The Funk that! team is look forward to a busy 2008….The start of the year sees a new ‘funkster’ joining our team.
Welcome to Suerel who joined our web team this week [we can finally get someone concentrating on our website!]. We are looking forward to your creative input and comments on this blog!
One of our core business goals is to make a real positive difference in any project/business we touch. This year in addition to our existing business, we will focusing on offering more creative support to small/medium businesses. Its going to be a gr8, exciting year!
Here’s wishing everyone a great start to the New Year. May 2008 be a cracker!
Posted by: Candice
Filed under: Design, Lifestyle, Trends | Tags: Cocktails, Luxury Hotels, Treat
To meet for a cocktail and a chin wag at one of luxurious Morgans Group Hotels…….see you in Miami!!!
Posted by: Donna
Filed under: Branding, Design, Trends | Tags: Advertising, Graffiti, Street Culture
Graffiti is often seen as a mark of individualism, aesthetic and rebellion, but what happens when the corporate tries to take a piece of this spraycan pie?
Many artist still argue the fact that the corporate world has no connection into the world of graffiti .Why is it that many brand campaigns are all of a sudden taking to the deep end of this medium ? Street culture has become a solid core/part of the youth and brands are trying to capitalize on this (visually) to be the brand of the moment or the “it” brand. Agencies also view Guerrilla Advertising as being popular because they claim it opens more OPTIONS for the agency creatives to connect with and engage the consumers.
The fact of the matter is most of these brands (including some of the agencies) lack the true objective, understanding, vision and the essence of what this medium is all about, the medium they are trying to piggy back on. Firstly there is no logical connection. Basically in most cases it’s not really about the execution of the concept, but the lack of original thinking. What some of these brands don’t realize is the fact that there are vast possibilities of using this medium and if a brand decides to pick up a stencil, cause it’s the cool thing at that particular moment, they will just be cheapening the artist that has spent time, effort, risk and energy just to be seen as the cool brand of the moment. Using Graffiti/Street culture to sell a product is much trickier and harder than it seems to appear.
I personally feel that a good Campaign when it comes to using Graffiti has to be subtle, but not to subtle to the point of making the product unrecognizable. It also has to appeal to other creatives (graffiti artist) and not become an annoyance to the general public; it is occupying public space after all. All in all it has to be created by a genuine artist who isn’t “pressed down” by the corporate view/vision (if there is one).
In closing Brands will have to formulate a genuine understanding of their audience and the medium itself, in order to achieve an all effective and successful Campain.Also as the understanding of this culture grows and true objectives/visions grow, expect to see more vandalism….oops I mean fantastic designs popping up in walls near you.
Mpumelelo a.k.a the Infamous Anonymous Muntu / IAM
Filed under: Branding, Design, Life, Trends | Tags: Branding, Design, Life, Trends
In the past couple of weeks, I have been doing research on the current international trends in the field of Visual Communication and after observing I noticed that in countries like the USA, U.K. and Japan, Graphic designers in those places have already formulated some form of and Identity / branding that makes their countries stand out. This is basically through the fact that not only are creatives in these so called trendsetting countries inspired by their surrounding but they always emphasizes/incorporate some form of inspiration from their countries. This is what gives each country a form of visual Identity, which I feel many South African designers still lack in emphasizing in the design work that they do.
Why aren’t designers taking full advantage of our diversity, culture that South Africa has to offer/offers. The more designers continue to basically follow every contemporary trend out there, the further we are from formulating a trend that is truly African and authentic in terms our our cultural heritage. I feel it is about time designers realized the greatest inspiration we have and that is South Africa.
Take the Japanese for example, a country very much proud of there cultures heritage and is the main essence of inspiration with everything that they do. They “Flaunt” it in every thing that they do which is why they are in the forefront of everything that they do. They don’t follow trends, but become trendsetters through finding inspiration from culture and their country basically.
We as South African Designers should -every now and then- put switch off those Macs and go outside and draw some inspiration from South Africa. I say this basically as I feel it is just the remedy we should utilize in setting a Design Visual Identity which will make the rest of the world stand up and follow our trends for a change. All in all, take time every now and then to explore your environment whether be it Soweto, Sandton or even the Karoo, I for one have to stop typing and hurry up to catch the Taxi from Sandton to Alexandra then to Randburg now that’s what I call true inspiration…hehehehehehehehehe.
Posted by: Mpumelelo
