What do we do? We research, conceptualise, design, manufacture and implement products in local and international markets.
What structure does the firm have? Our dynamic team comprises ethnographers, industrial designers, mechanical engineers, industrial engineers and prototyping technicians.
What do we design? We design solutions for the medical, consumer, ICT, industrial, sporting and automotive markets.
Where do our ideas originate? Most of our ideas originate in response to client requests. The remaining are generated in-house, stimulated by our internal creative and innovation as well as our responsiveness to market and socio-economic developments and opportunities.
In theory, such an overarching systems approach makes sense, however in practice developing a framework for a company that has supplied product to a customer base for well over a decade is by no means a simple task. For example, new designs need to be compatible with products dating back almost a decade. From a global perspective, such a seemingly small concern, in …
The narrative and perspective on Africa is indeed changing, however in many respects the uniqueness and complexities of the continent have not. International corporations looking to position and design a product for this new environment are hampered by the lack of existing data on a country, community and individual level. Similarly, implementing field research is fraught with …
… XYZ Design was invited to be on the Design Exchange Panel discussion which was held as part of the exhibition. The panel consisted of representative from projects that were featured in the Design with the Other 90%: CITIES exhibition. Below are three of the the projects that were represented. Gabriela Sorda from the University of Buenos Aires represented the Urbanism Manual for …
The Zulu word NOMANINI translates to ‘anytime’ and it is with the requirement for flexibility and mobility that … XYZ Design was approached to provide industrial design, mechanical engineering, graphic design and a production strategy. The Cape Town based, NOMANINI developed an innovative product offering that effectively provides a “mini-business” to entrepreneurs in underserviced …
The character of Cape Town is defined by the people who live here – in all our variety, creativity and warmth. Yet at the level of the neighbourhood and the streets that comprise them, we often live less than neighbourly lives. Consider how many people you can personally name in your street, and what unique worlds might be discovered right next door to you? Street names don’t help; being often …
… XYZ Design was invited by the Cape Town Design Network to present Design With Africa (DWA) at a PechaKucha World Design Capital 2014 event. PechaKucha is a presentation concept devised in Tokyo, and which is based on a format of 20 slides restricted to 20 second each. In other words, the maximum presentation length is approximately seven minutes. As the video below …
The ALCATEL-LUCENT Professional Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) MR300/MR400 provides business users the ability to remain in contact whilst roaming around large organisations. The product, which is available worldwide, comprises of a handset, base station, and charger accessories. It is an improvement on its predecessor the MR200, but is also …
The traditional circumcision device being developed by … XYZ Design is a disposable product based on contemporary tourniquet technology. It is designed to be self-administered for safe circumcision, as part of a ritual, cultural practice. Although the device is still in a concept form, it’s core medical technology has been developed to reduce medical complications, while still allowing for ritual …
The sOccket is a soccer ball that generates and stores enough energy during a game of soccer to provide some illumination in homes that are off the grid. This energy harvesting soccer ball was designed to be used by children in emerging economies where communities have limited or no access to electricity. It draws on the widespread popularity of the game of soccer and harvests the …
Design Indaba’s 10X10 initiative aims to foster unique product development by providing a platform for local and international design firms to collaborate, and the 10×10 CRUTCH is the result of a collaboration between …XYZ Design in South Africa and Seymour Powell in the United Kingdom. The crutch combines fluid technology engineering, with a down-to-earth indigenous component that is key to the …
The Freeplay Foundation, and in particular the FPR2 radio have gained international recognition for their contribution to developing and disaster stricken countries. When communication and transport infrastructures are down, radio provides an effective means of reaching a large population. The radio does not require batteries to operate, but uses human power by rotating the …