Gauteng City-Region Observatory
Mapping out the future
The Gauteng City-Region is South Africa's economic heartland, generating a third of our country’s GDP.
The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) builds the data and analysis tools that help inform development in the region with the aim of improving the lives of the people of Gauteng.
The brief
An established voice within the field of urban studies both in South Africa and internationally, the GCRO is a partnership between two universities and the Gauteng Provincial Government and SA Local Government Authority (SALGA).
Charged with extending links to all the higher education institutions, as well as knowledge councils, private sector think-tanks, research NGOs, and information exchange and learning networks operating in the city-region. The organisation is part of a very complex social and scientific ecosystem studying and lobbying for the improvement of the quality of life of the citizens of South Africa.
Our long-standing creative relationship with the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) has led to the creation of a comprehensive series of information design solutions. We are constantly looking for new ways to provide accessible UX for our diverse group of users without compromising the breadth and length of GCRO's research findings. We have developed a dynamic integrated website that lets users navigate dense and varied content with effortless simplicity.
We also manage an ongoing series of publications and exhibitions for the GCRO, both locally and internationally.
The showcase of cleverness
In living colour
We developed a hotlinks and cool colour-coded system to differentiate between each research theme, making searchability easier. To facilitate easy linking to external sites relating to the GCRO network, we designed a GIS template.
Map of the Month
Our monthly updates that include a Map of the Month and research data vignettes, we developed a brand colour template and an infographic illustration that helps to visualise research data.
We make the complex, simple
Vignettes
Map of the month
Green assets report
Exhibition stand
Urban Gaze
Urban Gaze is a photography competition that was launched in 2019. It has proven to be a valuable tool in building a database of user-generated visual content for the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) to use in its Maps of the Month, vignettes, photo essays, videos, research papers and interactive visualisations.
“The flexibility and compatibility of this site will undoubtedly allow it to function as the public voice and presence of the GCRO for many years to come.”
- Dr Rob Moore, Executive Director, GCRO
15.2m
People live in the Gauteng-City Region
14
Years of research and outputs in one easy-to-navigate digital platform.
>140
Infographics, maps of the month and vignettes produced.