DIY Design Returns at SA’s Print-Focused Design Week

Nothing beats the written word when it comes to great design. Language embodies all great design principles, and it is through language that we communicate, adopt, understand and perfect the full breadth of design. 

In this lofty vein, Design Week South Africa is the setting for The Index, a reimagined newsstand designed to revive the romance of language through print culture: stacks of zines, limited-run postcards, and other printables that invite people to browse, collect, and exchange. The Index is the brainchild of Letterhead, a copywriting studio dedicated to editorial experimentation, in partnership with Wunders and their fabrication lab team, MakeSpace. Helming the project is Heath Nash, an award-winning designer and upcycle aficionado, who has spent his career refusing to let landfills have the last say. 

“We wanted to explore what low-fi, easy-to-produce media has to offer,” says Cayleigh Bright, Co-Founder of Letterhead. “These zines and printed pieces are created from relatively accessible materials and can, in theory, be made by anyone. When we partnered with MakeSpace by Wunders, we got to see Heath Nash applying that thinking in the form of furniture.”

When approached with the idea of The Index, Heath immediately thought to reference standard paper sizes: A4, A5, and A6, in both portrait and landscape orientations, which gave rise to the final design. For more than 20 years, Heath has reinvigorated everyday and recycled materials into beautiful, considered and purposeful installations. The Index is an extension of these ideals. The stand itself is constructed from shutterply, embodying the resourceful, DIY ethos of zine and print culture, while aligning with contemporary approaches around sustainability in design. Heath has always been a maker, tinkering his way to success, and encouraging others to do the same. “[Some] practical advice for any creative project is to make it, don't think about it too much! Start by making rough models, quickly and messily. It's better to have something in reality, which one can then improve.”

The response has been impressive. “We started this project well aware that there's a wealth of local talent working in physical media, but the submissions we've received still managed to surprise us with their depth and breadth of topics and research,” says Cayleigh. It’s a testament to the state of and potential of the print scene.

Making is just the beginning. Putting something on a shelf is to give it pride of place. A curated reminder of physical reality in a world of digital ephemera. Shai Rama, Design Editorial Lead at Letterhead, puts it similarly, “In a world that is chasing digital permanence, print remains pantheonically enshrined, not because it lasts forever, but because it exists fully in the moment it’s held.”

“When you pick up a zine or a postcard, you’re witnessing a fragment of someone’s process, a physical record of curiosity made tactile. At its heart, The Index is about reviving print culture, reimagining what it means to create and circulate ideas in physical form.”

The Index is part shelf, part window. A physical object designed to display and organise printed materials and a metaphoric window into the minds of creatives across the South African artistic landscape. From solo graphic designers, art students, illustrators, furniture design studios, and multidisciplinary artists, the stand is a space for voices of all scales and styles to take up space and be part of a living and evolving collection. The Index will make appearances throughout Design Week South Africa at galleries, bookstores, coffee shops, and casual meeting places. 

With this project, Letterhead, Wunders, and Heath Nash are placing print at the heart of Design Week South Africa, reframing the role of tangible storytelling and small-scale publishing in the broader design landscape.

Design Week South Africa runs from 9 to 13 October at venues around Johannesburg, with a later iteration in Cape Town from 26 to October. Follow the event at @designweeksouthafrica or find the programme at designweeksouthafrica.com.

Text by Tshiamo Seape