The Adventures of Tintin in Zambia!

InHouse Design Studio is proud to add this novelty poster to our collection of independent design projects as a tribute to our favourite cartoon character.

To give you a bit of context, Nyami-Nyami is the river god of the mighty Zambezi that watches over Lake Kariba and controls life in and on the river.  The Lake was formed in 1956 when a huge dam was built on the river which separates Zambia and Zimbabwe. There are many Tintin-worthy stories from the construction project -- mysterious accidents, two 'thousand year' flood events that destroyed much infrastructure, the relocation of people and animals that lived in the now-flooded areas that now make up Lake Kariba, and of course the ongoing separation of Nyami-Nyami from his wife by the dam.  Wikipedia has the full baTonga legend of Nyami-Nyami, which certainly would make for a good book-length project in and of itself.  We'll tuck that idea away for another day.

The Knife Edge Bridge spans the Zambezi River directly across from Victoria Falls over the boiling pot of the river gorge's Eastern Cataract.  During the rainy season the mist from the falls rains upwards ferociously and even a quick dash through the cloud will leave you soaked through in a matter of seconds. We're sure we've seen these fearless crime-fighting friends race across the bridge and disappear into the mist.

Very Special notice:  Blistering Barnacles! Intellectual property rights of course prohibit distribution of this poster!

Blue Moon

Dailass Nalwamba, Zambia's 2012 Barista Champion.

Zambia's first and only American-style cafe, the Blue Moon, is an ongoing source of pride for InHouse Design which developed the Blue Moon brand.  This week the Cafe is hosting a number of different TV crews as they document Dailass and Miariam's preparations for the World Barista Championship (and Gourmet Coffee Expo) in Vienna, Austria.  Dailess competed in the Africa Championship in February, placing 3rd and has high hopes for her European debut.  Here are a few photos from the tasting and coaching yesterday.

  Dailess presenting to the three sitting judges (this judge refused to be ON camera, opting instead to stay behind the lens!)

For the competition the baristas have 15 minutes to prepare and present their espresso (4 shots), 8 cappucinos, and 4 specialty drinks.  While preparing the drinks they must explain to the judges what they have prepared and the tastes they should be evaluating.  Dailess is bringing a 100% Arabica from Munali farms and Marika's Gourmet Zambian Coffee Roaster which has strong lemon notes and a hint of dark chocolate.  As explained by a certified judge from Marika's Coffee, the barista is evaluated for their preparation, explanation and knowledge of their coffee (amongst other things).  If the judge tasted cherry and caramel it means the barista has missed the mark.

The specialty drink Zambia's star barista is presenting is an iced espresso with macadamia nut milk sweetened with the tiniest bit of honey.  Two agricultural products of Zambia are, you guessed it, macadamia nuts and honey.  It's a lovely and refreshing drink and is of course presented beautifully in a hand blown glass and crushed ice.  (See some photos from our visit to Cilla's Macadamia Nut farm!)

 

 Dailess doing her post-presentation interview for MUVI TV.  Tomorrow she'll practice again in front of the ZNBC crew for the news and for "Kwacha Good Morning."  With all the press, she's clearly comfortable in front of the camera and had great, intelligent answers to her interviewers questions. It'll be fun to see these features hit the big screen.

The superstar, getting feedback from the judges.  She's so proud to be representing the Blue Moon Cafe, her country and female baristas everywhere!  Good Luck Dailess!

THIS JUST IN:  Catch Dailass Malwamba's performance as competitor #40 (of 54) in Vienna

Curious?

Please tell me you are at least a wee-bit curious?

Yes? 

That's the idea.

This InHouse event promotion poster has three elements to pique your interest.  Can you spot them?

1 - a new take on an iconic design

2 - an odd relationship between a piglet and dodgeball

3 - a mysterious secret coded message (that black and white box)

The InHouse Explanations:

BEFORE I go into the explanations, I have some bad news for all Dodgeball fans of Lusaka.  Don't get your tube socks and sweat bands out just yet...the Big Man just issued a temporary Piggy Pardon and this incredible event has been postponed.  Before you go and cry about it, just think of all the time you'll have to brush up on your skills (a la Napoleon Dynamite) and your Dodgeball movie trivia.  Plus, that little piggy is only going to get yummier.  Back to the task at hand: 

1 - During the second World War the British Ministry of Information produced the now-famous "KEEP CALM and CARRY ON" propaganda poster (with the Imperial Crown of King George VI, not with a piglet) to increase morale.  It was the third in a series and while 2.5 million copies were printed, the distribution was limited.  The original designer is not known and the Crown copyright expired in 1989.  It was virtually unknown until an original poster was discovered in a second-had bookstore in 2000 and it became and instant hit in the design community.  There are new and contested efforts on behalf of a private UK company to establish trademark over the image but has been so widely distributed, used and parodied that it's difficult to say where their efforts will lead them.  

While we wait for the lawyers to hammer this out, for now, it's reasonable to assume that the idea of the "Keep Calm" image is one we can all enjoy free of copyright restrictions.  (It is interesting to note that the legals battle began some 11 years after it became widely popular to the point of now being cliche.)

2 - Our version of this famous poster carries the mark of a piglet and says "Keep Calm and Play Dodgeball." And while the original poster is red...this version is dodgeball red.  The "fine print" finally offers an explanation: the event is a combination lunch feast (PIG ROAST) and Dodgeball Tournament.  It took a few tries to figure out how to put these two very different events onto a single poster.  By the time you get to reading the information, you should already be mentally assembling your team and marking the day in your planner.  There is a second, equally curious version:

This version (same elements, same colors) is for a different crowd...one that will instantly recognise a dodgeball but wouldn't necessarily be drawn in by the "Keep Calm" message of the other poster.  

3 - The secret code, otherwise known as a QR or Quick Response Code.  This is not really a 'new' thing at all.  QR codes are 2D versions of a bar code.  It was first used in mid 90's by the automotive industry to track vehicles along the production line.  A subsidiary of Toyota owns the patent rights but has chosen not to exercise them.  In the last few years use has expanded to other industries.  Most recently, it's caught on in advertising. 

If you have a smart phone, you can quickly and easily download a QR app and your phone can 'read' the code and take you directly to the website (or in this case the Blue Moon Facebook "event" page) where you can instantly access even MORE information about the event.  In MadMen advertising lingo, the QR Code can take a consumer deeper into the 'conversion funnel.' Which means a company can get the observer that much closer to being a customer/client by eliminating the need to remember a website address, a phone number, a company name, or...you get the idea. Just scan and click and you're right were we want you:  deep in the conversion funnel. 

That sounds unpleasant but it's actually pretty darn cool.  It's a first for Lusaka -- even cooler.

Communicating to your community

This poster, designed for the Lusaka International Community School's upcoming Fun Fair, provides a great example of the benefits for on-demand printing.  Because theywere doing a relatively small number of flyers and posters it made sense to use a drop-in print centre.  This allowed us to develop 'set' of posters with four different background colours.  They can be posted separately or in a grouping for more impact (on a notice board or digitally).   Designing it in a landscape format also meant we could use the same design for the digital poster...landscape translates better to these glowing rectangles that are such a huge part of our lives.

Tools of the trade - supporting innovation

A project came to InHouse recently that started out as a straightforward poster design and layout project.  When discussing its application, however, the project was revised and become a successful and unique brochure.  The brochure is an accordion "desk guide" which can be easily carried around and referred to for field reporting of health data.  The resulting product got everyone's stamp of approval -- even Bill Gates!


Left, the front cover for this desk guide.  The brochure has 5 folds/6 panels, unlike the typical brochure printed from an A4 size with 2 folds and three panels.  This enabled us to put a lot of information into a document that would have otherwise been unwieldy.  (If it was an A4 or A5 booklet for example, or as an A3 poster as originally planned).  It was printed locally, another great thing.

The NGO that sponsored the project can be commended for their willingness to go beyond what their 'deliverable' was supposed to be and think not about what line-item requirement they were meeting with the project and instead really considered the practical use and intended audience -- health workers using this new mobile-phone based reporting system in the field.

The mobile phone reporting system replaces a paper-based system whereby malaria data was submitted monthly and compiled at a central location.  This new system not only adds an element of accountability but also "enables health officials to better understand the disease burden and ensure that there are enough malaria supplies to support the community."

Celebrating Age: Patina

As an artist and photographer I frequently find myself distracted by the tiniest of things....the color of the sky before a storm, that hint of a smile behind an otherwise stony facade, the way a shadow falls across a road....

Perhaps as a side effect of all the new construction and freshly tarred roads turning up around Lusaka I'm noticing not the slick new surfaces, the freshly painted signs and clean windows....but the patina and character that comes only with age.

From my days in my Fine Arts programme at University, one concept that I embraced, particularly in pottery, was the aesthetic derived from Buddhism called wabi-sabi:  beauty in imperfection.  Wabi-sabi characteristics include asymmetry, irregularity, simplicity, austerity, modesty, intimacy and the "appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes."

Last week I grabbed by camera and put together a study in celebration of age which I'm calling Patina.  These images are from a bigger collection of photos from Lusaka's Olympic Pool (dedicated just before Zambia's independence in 1964.)

Making a Good First Impression

Like the cobbler with no shoes, InHouse Design Studio has been without our own business cards for far too long.  These cards are printed on gorgeous paper:  heavy weight (350gms), silky matte laminate, sustainably sourced, elemental chlorine-free, wood free paper.  There is a 'greener' eco option for this particular company's paper, also cards with elegant rounded corners.  They have a handful of accessories in their product list as well.  InHouse has sweet new logo stickers now, for example. Other products include postcards, greeting cards, stickers, labels and business card holders.  They cater to small, speciality businesses and as such have a limited range of high quality speciality products.  Now that we have used this printer we are confidently able to offer printing to our clients through them.

While InHouse is always inclined to go with local options when sourcing materials (and talent), this project demanded something more than what I was able to find in Zambia.  Our cards were printed by a UK-based company with print studios in the US and the UK and are an excellent option for higher-end companies and clients.  Not only do we feel the cards represent our business well, but we know from our experience with them that their products (and excellent service) can bring our US, UK and Zambia clients that 'something extra' to help them stand out in the crowd.

Custom Cards and Local Advertising

While the big news in Zed is that "football frenzy eclipsed valentine's frenzy."  InHouse Design managed to squeeze out a few custom adverts and cards between matches. (Below, Blue Moon's Chikumbuso "Love Hamper" photoshoot)

Chipolopolo, iyeee!

WAVE YOUR FLAG, ZAMBIA!

Team Zed, headed off in the sunset surrounded by supporters.

Going Digital in Zed: New ways to reach clients

Many clients in Zambia are taking the leap into digital advertising. Internet connectivity is only getting better and is suddenly a viable medium for reaching new clients and existing customers.  While some prefer getting an old fashioned printed brochure, a catalogue they can sit at their desks and thumb through,  the reality is that print here is still incredibly expensive, logistically difficult, time consuming ... and even when you spent what seems like a fortune, real options for quality, timely print materials just isn't there.

Enter digital advertising.  As a graphic design studio our biggest frustration is that we know that the real expense for the materials we produce is not necessarily our design work, it's the printing costs.  Until recently companies were not even willing to spend the extra money on solid graphic design b/c the printing costs were so astronomical.  The only way to make advertising cheaper was to cut out the design work or 'go with' the lowest bid.  This is unfortunate because the intentions are there but the end product is what suffers.   Good advertising requires a solid design and it's not worth skimping on.  Are we biased as a design studio?   Sure!  But we also know what we are talking about.  Communicating to your customers and growing your business requires putting your best face forward.

With the tools we have and the wide-open marketplace in Zambia, digital advertising is suddenly making sense.  While our first choice is to see and feel and physically interact with the work we do -- posters, flyers, brochures, billboards, advertisements, etc, being able to give our customers the option to create digital-only adverts has opened the floodgates.  In Zambia it makes great business sense to post a flyer on-line, email a 30-page catalogue, or send off the specs of your product.  There are still many obstacles to setting up proper websites (and setting up websites that clients here can actually load-up) but for now advertising messages can be shared over the network through email distribution direct to customers.

Our hope is that our customers in Zambia will see the benefits not only for their bottom line but that they will be able to reach a wider audience, grow their business and get the business culture here moving forward into the age of digital and on-line media.