Tshimologong

EducationBranding & Identity DesignSustainable Development

Jul 8

Jozi’s new digital playground

Situated in the heart of Braamfontein, overlooking Wits University, Tshimologong is a digital start-up where people can get together to brainstorm and work on innovative and creative projects.

The brief

Setswana for "new beginnings," Tshimologong is Johannesburg's newest high-tech address in Braamfontein's vibrant inner-city district, where the incubation of start-ups, the commercialisation of research and the development of high-level digital skills for students, working professionals and unemployed youths takes place. In establishing the Digital Innovation Precinct, the University of the Witwatersrand partnered with government, business, and various industry players.

Breinstorm Brand Architects was tasked with creating a corporate identity and visual language for the precinct that would pay subtle homage to the Wits brand without the formality typically associated with tertiary institutions.

We used the Wits logo as a basis for our inspiration, referencing the horn of the kudu (an element of the Wits logo), illustrating it as a continuously moving pixel motif that embodies the spirit of "a place of new beginnings." We also wanted to give Tshimologong an infinite amount of iterations for them to always have the idea of ‘growth’ as part of their brand DNA. To do this, we gave the logo a modular look and feel based on the language of code, so we housed their logo in modular units and binary code – all aspects relating to what they stand for.

Tshimologong's long-term vision of becoming an African Silicon Valley is supported by its brand's visual language.