Africas true size (Infographic)

Here's an infograph I found when I went to look for something cool about Africa, its rather humbling how big we really are as a continent. It also begs the case that we can do so much more here, in time.

"Africa is big. But just how big? Check out this infographic to better understand the enormity of the African continent."

Agro Branding

Working on some Agro based branding this month.  Not many references out the on the net but have uploaded the few that I could find. Happy people can recommend any more examples on this particular field of branding. Will put up more if I find any.

Considering that Zimbabwe is still an agronomic based economy, wouldn't it be prudent to spruce up branding for this particular area? Hmm...

Cotton, a Kingdom for Cotton…

Have been wrestling with the fact that those aspiring be create their own unique labels may have to source t-shirt material from China. I understand that due production costs here in Zim getting a t-shirt made will set you back $5 if you are lucky. Taking into consideration that printing in general on tees can range from between $1-$8, it understandable why guys would look around for more cost effective deals. And if it means sourcing from the East, hey all good. Keep in mind though that there’s no guarantee that you will get your money’s worth unless you have the tightest contacts and may have already travelled to China, it’s still seems like a huge gamble. 

May be I am looking at it with too much of a cynical eye. You hear horror stories of real poor quality material being used to cut down on costs. Is it too much to hope that one can source for 100% tees locally from local companies? Or is it just a mind-set engrained  from years of economic downturn?

Provokator identity + process

I don't speak Russian but this visual identity speaks to me. Its crazy, zany over the top. The kind of design work we should see here in zw. Below is a brief summary of the work with links.


Provokator is a multi-brand clothes store chain, well-known among extreme sports fans, as well as those people who like stylish fancy clothing. The task was to create an entire brand image and expand brand presence on the web. Transformer Studio (http://transformerstudio.ru) developed  the visual identity, online store, microsite, magazine and outdoor ads. Behance.net.

Freelance and office blues

I'm pondering the benefits of freelancing as opposed to getting full time employment. There's so much going for both and so much working against either. I believe there is no right or wrong answer, but will be interesting to do a write about it later this year.

Net Noise

Okay I'll put in a quick two cents on this because a buddy of mine insisted. Net One... there is so much going on this site I don't really know where to go.  Honestly, where Telecel was a malfunctioning piece of eye candy... Net One is an overwhelmingly orange and busy bee. It doesn't help that the one wallet ads are a rip off the M-Pesa ads from SA. I believe in a well balanced website, functioning and complemented with visuals that enhance the brand. Thats not happening here. So lets leave it at that.

The Telecel Website

Had a look at Telecel It looks wow. It ain't wow. Now I'll be honest, I have made the mistake of making a client's site live and have regretted that act. Its a no no; if your site ain't ready, don't make it live. Now with telecel, there is a bit going for it visually, lots of eye candy, dynamic menus and flash.

On the downside there is a lack of consistency between pages, the menu bar can be quite erratic and unresponsive depending on which browse you are using.

The Twitter and Youtube links do not function and the Facebook link only takes you to Facebook and not to any Telecel Facebook page that I can see. Have I also mentioned that the search box does not function?

Also the footer is a mess with different images encroaching on text. People will be wowed for a bit on first entering the site, but they probably (most likely) will not come back. A fully functioning website allows a brand to engage with their customers, which means repeat visits and revenue. As it is it acts like a broken toy.

It is a great attempt, but they Telecel needs to fix this site up quick, even if it means taking it offline for a couple of hours (or days) to get it right. I hope they will.