SABC at Design Indaba 2008

True to its values of creating conversations and partnerships, restoring human dignity and building a common future, the SABC not only renewed its media partnership with Design Indaba in 2008, but also announced sole sponsorship of the fashion arena and founding sponsorship of the Creative Alliance Project, commiting to growing local creative excellence.

“Design touches every aspect of our lives. From the houses we live in and the clothes we wear, to the modes of transport we use. Design is about improving our quality of life and therefore remains a relevant and important discipline as we strive to build a better nation. The SABC is South Africa’s national public broadcaster. More than 24-million South Africans tune into the SABC’s network of 18 radio stations and more than 19-million people tune into our three free-to-air television channels. Public broadcasting is about citizen empowerment.  But so is design. As a proudly South African brand, committed to uplifting our beautiful nation, the SABC commends the design experts, and the brands they represent, for their powerful contribution to the building of a better South Africa,” said Jerry Mpufane (group marketing director of the SABC).

SABC sponsors a by-invitation-only master class on February 28, headed by Jakob Trollbäck. A self-taught designer from Sweden, Trollbäck leads the innovative and highly successful Trollbäck + Company. Under his leadership, they’ve created award-winning designs and are an acknowledged industry leader in branding and motion graphic design. The company was born when Trollbäck, a former DJ, transferred his aural pursuits to the visual medium, aiming to create emotive pieces that take audiences to purely sensorial planes. Now in its ninth year, Trollbäck + Company has expanded its creative output to film titles, TV-commercials, environmental design, music videos and short films.

In addition, the SABC again sponsors the Loerie Awards Travelling Exhibition – a local and international road show of award-winning communication work. The launch of the Loerie Awards Annual and Travelling Exhibition will take place on February 27, 2008, at the Design Indaba Conference. The exhibition will be on show at the Design Indaba Expo from February 23 to 26, 2008.

SABC will support the event through its various platforms such as on SABC1 in Street Journal, which will be profiling some of the designers; on SABC3 in 3 Talk; on SABC 2 in Weekend Live, and on SAFM.

DESIGN INDABA 2008
Design Indaba will fortify as the South African Design Week in 2008, with the expo and conference programme running over a week from Saturday 23 February to Friday 29 February 2008.

DESIGN INDABA EXPO
For the fifth time, the Design Indaba Expo will offer a curated commercial platform for South African designers to showcase local goods and services to the global market. Based on the success of the 2007 event, which played host to more than 20 000 visitors, the 2008 event has been extended for an extra day, running from Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 February, 2008. The Expo will also be even bigger than before with more floor space, a host of new exhibitors and a brand-new dedicated fashion arena with day-long shows and movie festivals.

DESIGN INDABA CONFERENCE
The Design Indaba Conference will run from Wednesday 27 February to Friday 29 February, 2008. Judged the best conference in the world by EIBTM in Barcelona, the conference has played host to luminaries from all over the world since 1995 and been sold out for the past three years.

SPECIALIST INDABAS
Due to demand from delegates and the public to attend the Specialist Indabas, these will run parallel to the Expo on Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 February 2008. These two-hour architecture, fashion and jewellery events feature local and international designers debating the contribution of these creative sectors to the South African economy. Bookings for Specialist Indabas open at Computicket on 14 January 2008.

YOUNG DESIGNERS SIMULCAST
As part of Design Indaba’s ongoing commitment to design education, Design Indaba 2008 will again offer a Young Designers Simulcast, catering to young designers and students under the age of 25. This is a live broadcast from the main plenary session to a second auditorium. Students and young designers will be able to access speakers in short, informal chat sessions during and at the end of the day.

DESIGN INDABA JOURNALISM WORKSHOP
For the first time, Design Indaba is presenting the Design Indaba Journalism Workshop in conjunction with the Design Indaba Expo taking place from February 23 to 26, 2008. New York design critic and assistant professor at Parsons, Susan Yelavich will lead the workshop with the assistance of an international team of acclaimed editors, journalists and writers. The cost is R1500 per person. To apply for participation, please contact Deborah Weber.

For more detailed information about the above activities taking place, and for related high-resolution images, please contact:

Deborah Weber
E-mail: deborah@interactiveafrica.com

Nadine Botha
E-mail: nadine@interactiveafrica.com

Tel: (021) 465 9966
Website: www.designindabaexpo.com