CS
A transdisciplinary collaborative that explores and showcases the communal doing and thinking unique to African urbanism
The brief
To formalise a business relationship that Tau Tavengwa and Edgar Pieterse had been cultivating for many years, Breinstorm Brand Architects (BBA) was asked to conduct a strategic workshop to develop a brand name, visual identity, and website.
As the CityScapes publication was at the heart of their collaboration, CS was chosen as a name for the entity. CityScapes and all future collaborations will take place under the CS umbrella.
CS’s purpose was defined as:
We are a transdisciplinary collaborative that explores and showcases the communal doing and thinking unique to African urbanism.
Grounded in the global south, we investigate and celebrate the organic intelligence and innovation that exists in African cities – in our built environments, our actors, and our cultures. Our collective purpose is to grow universal insight and progress that is meaningfully African.
Our modes and creative expression include but are not limited to action research, network and systems design, knowledge creation and narrative through publication, film, performance and exhibitions.
The transformation
A brand palette inspired by African cities
We analysed photographs of African cities and identified a colour palette of teal and terracotta, supported by black and white.
Cartography symbology
A brand logo mark was designed drawing on the cartography symbol for a city, emphasising CS’ focus on African cities. This symbol was also used as a holding shape for photographs and images.
A platform built with purpose
To capture effectively what CS does, and highlight impactful past projects,
we designed and developed an interactive, mobile-first website that is vibrant and graphic, capturing the essence of
African cities.
The showcase of cleverness
A platform for collaborators to collectively shape the cities of tomorrow.
