Business of Design speaker Q&A: Hannerie Visser

9 Oct 2017

Business of Design (BoD) is back with a speaker lineup of note. The two-day seminar is held annually in Cape Town and Johannesburg during October and doesn't just focus on design in itself but has a much broader vision for the field in all areas of business. Delegates include everyone from business owners and creative entrepreneurs to retailers, marketing and brand executives, trend analysts, design students and other employees from various industries.

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New to the conference is 'Open Sessions', a platform for delegates to ask the BoD founders (Trevyn and Julian McGowan of The Guild Group, and Laurence Brick and Cathy O’Clery of 100% Design South Africa and Platform Creative Agency) as well as fellow delegates any questions they may have, and together overcome any barriers to growth and challenge new ways of doing business.

Hannerie Visser

I asked Hannerie Visser, co-founder of Studio H, what she loves most about being in the ‘business of design’ and to let us in on what she’ll be sharing during her Cape Town session.

Why are you excited for Business of Design this year?
It’s my first year attending and I am so excited as I’ve only ever heard great things about BoD. I really look forward to Brian and Lufefe's talks. I am a big fan of both of them!

Comment on the importance of events such as this that recognise the role design plays in (and the impact it can have on) various industries?
It’s so important to take the time to stop and restock our creative resources. Collaboration starts when you create platforms like BoD.

Comment on the current state of design in South Africa (and internationally).
The future is all about collaboration and knowledge sharing, working together to design a better future. That’s why it's so important to create platforms where we have all these design minds in one room.

What is your/your company’s involvement in/contribution to the local design scene?
To me it’s important that everything we do has meaning or purpose on some level. Whether it is to create and facilitate platforms where people can share and learn, or whether it’s starting important conversations or simply to have fun.That's why I'm so passionate and excited about one of our current projects, S/Zout, that imagines a world where the only available water is sea water, and looking into what this might mean for our food system. We will exhibit S/Zout at Dutch Design Week on 21-29 October.

What is the title/subject of your talk and/or what are you going to be sharing?
I’ll be talking about the key considerations for Studio H when it comes to designing experiences, and Marc [co-founder Marc Nicolson] will share their approach to incorporating tech in experience design.

What’s the key takeout?

That it’s important to consider the outcome of what you do. What do you want to change, affect or achieve?

The Cape Town version takes place 11-12 October, followed by Johannesburg on 18-19 October, and our readers qualify for a R450 discount. To take up this offer, email az.oc.ngisedfossenisub@ycart with ‘Bizcommunity’ as the subject. In the meantime, follow #BODCT and/or #BODJHB for more pre-event speaker interviews over the next couple of weeks to get your creative juices flowing.