Create something to make the world better. Make. Change.

We can all use creativity to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Design Indaba's 2015 campaign celebrates this and the people who do.

Part of the Project

Design infiltrates every aspect of our lives: it is in everything we interact with, all that we see and almost everything we touch. From the chair you are sitting on to the screen on which you are reading this to that dinner you had at a restaurant that made you experience flavour in a new way, design exists to enhance our experiences and streamline our lives.

Design Indaba’s 2015 creative campaign is a celebration of this. It seeks to showcase the stories of people who actively Make. Change. – not by creating elitist designs for the 1 percent, but those who find creative solutions to everyday problems for the 99 percent. They do this to better a life, beautify a street, uplift a community or just make someone smile.

The aim is to tell the stories that matter: the ones that will brighten your day or inspire you to go out and do something worthwhile.

So, share your story! Or if you don’t have one yet, go find something that needs fixing, bettering or beautifying, come up with a creative way to do it, document your #makechange moment and share it with us on the Design Indaba Facebook page.

You are not crazy for thinking you can change the world. You are crazy if you don’t try. So go make a better place for all of us.

Here’s a look at what Design Indaba has been busy with in order to Make. Change.

The Haven: Rebranding what it means to be homeless

Design Indaba, in partnership with The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town, wanted to share the stories of The Haven Night Shelter residents and provide a platform where the residents can promote themselves and their skills. The people who seek shelter at The Haven are often people who have had some misfortune in their lives and just need a second chance. So we redesigned The Haven’s website to add a section where the residents could post their CVs and promote their skills with the view to potential employers hiring them. The redesign also assists The Haven in more clearly communicating its needs so that people can get involved and help them keep playing the vital role they do in our society.

BOOK.exCHANGE

In partnership with The Bookery, Design Indaba’s BOOK.exCHANGE project is a call for people to donate their previously loved books. These will be sold at the stand on the Design Indaba Expo floor with all proceeds going to support Kannemeyer Primary School. After the Expo is finished, the stand's shelves themselves – designed by Leg Studios – will be donated to Kannemeyer for its new library.

Doodle for a Difference

At Design Indaba Expo, there will be a doodle booth stand. We have partnered with 1000 Drawings to encourage everyone to put pen to paper in a conscious way and help make a difference to local communities. You don’t have to be a professional artist, illustrator or designer to take part in the mass doodle session on Friday 27 February at 14h30. All that’s needed is a little of your time and a lot of your creativity! Any doodle will do. The doodles will then be auctioned for just R100 at a one-night-only art sale, Night of 1000 Drawings, where all proceeds will be donated to a worthy cause.

CREATe.CHANGE

The CREATe.CHANGE project was born out of Design Indaba and Leg Studios’ desire to tap into the innate creativity of local artists and harness this talent to Make. Change. We sent out a challenge to some of South Africa’s most exciting artists and creatives to take Leg Studios' three-legged, flat packed birch Carry Tables and transform them into works of art. Visit the CREATe.CHANGE stand at Design Indaba Expo and choose a table that captures your attention. Write down your bid (minimum bid is set at R1 500) and drop it in the slot. It's that simple. All the funds from the sale of the Carry Tables will go towards improvements at the library of Kannemeyer Primary School in Grassy Park.