Pilachi_Sketch [ BLOG ]

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On the request of the Delegation of the European Commission in Ghana the print publication “Collaboration in Action” and the companion DVD, that Pilachi was commissioned to put together last year, have been re-purposed for digital distribution.

“Re-purpose” is a misnomer if you really think about it: because Pilachi is a digital design studio, so the files all started out digital[ly].

The brief of the project was to prepare a 50 page book and interactive disc celebrating three things:

1. 50 Years of independent Ghana: the first black ruled nation in Sub-Saharan Africa
2. 50 Years of the unification of Europe
3. 30 Years of European Commission and Ghana Collaboration [...hence the catchy title... "Collaboration in Action"]

As you can imagine, this was a tall order; so we flipped the script a bit. Read more

Introduction: Borne Out of Conflict

“As the country strives to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Ghana’s foremost priority is to sustain its growth and translate national gains into poverty reduction for the most vulnerable. The EU, through the European Commission and the bilateral programmes of the member states, is a dedicated partner to the Government of Ghana in this effort…”

Each of these chapters is available for download by clicking on the image or on the highlighted text. Read more

The Pilachi website was recently updated to reflect more relevant content, navigation and captions. All in an effort to slowly transition the design language of the site from its forebear–sekanidesign.com–to the unique Pilachi brand identity that is slowly emerging.

Below are a few sketches demonstrating the basic placement of elements in the new interface. The application of color, navigation structure and content management systems shall follow.

After a whirlwind year, I am pleased to announce the launch of our first full fledged, all encompassing publication: Collaboration in Action [ Launch Date 27 November 2007, Accra Ghana ]–commissioned by the European Union.

On the heels of a successful publication for UNICEF called “In a Clean Ghana,” the pre-cursor to Pilachi Limited [aka me] was contacted by the European Commission Delegation in Ghana, to submit a bid for the largest communication contract to be awarded by the European Union in Africa.

The competition was fierce, including the leading communication firms in the world: McKann Erikson, Loewe Lintas, MMRS Ogilvy, and the three leading communication firms in Ghana… then me [the dark horse if ever there was one].

This opportunity could not be scoffed at; and certainly it meant taking myself a little bit more seriously than you may bear witness to in my writing. Read more

Having spent the past year redesigning the brand of Sekani Design, to transition it to become Pilachi, I find that I have taken too much time fixing something that really was not broken. It feels a bit like the description from the South Park creators, explaining why they have not deviated from the original 2D renderings of their elementary school characters.

With the skillsets acquired in the four years since Sekanidesign.com went online, it is almost tempting to redesign the wheel. In the mean time, we have so much work to do, that there is little time to percolate.

Having originally uploaded sekanidesign.com on 11 September 2003, pilachi.com comes alive on a new and more robust hosting server, now exactly four years and seven days later. How funny is that?

The initial draft of Pilachi.com transitions the content of the interim site, Pilachi_Sketch[BLOG], and the original flash based portfolio site, Sekanidesign.com into one medium. In the next iteration, the navigation headings will include the newly formulated production arm of Pilachi, and its cheap-and-dirty understudy: Type | Cast Productions.

Ultimately, the navigation structure will reflect the process driven applications of Pilachi:

• Research
• Design
• Communication
• Development
• Production

Hasta la pizza.

[ Yes, I know that's not really span-itch. ]

In November 2006, Pilachi was asked to prepare a logo and corporate communication material for Marcel Desailly: one of the world’s most critically acclaimed, first class football / soccer players.

[ Was that sentence redundant? ]

In 1998, as the captain of the French football team, Desailly lead his team to win the coveted World Cup Championship. He is also known as an indomitable force on the Chelsea football team in the UK. His corporate sponsorship includes Sennheiser audio and the videogame title “Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer” on the Sony Playstation and other similar game consoles. Read more

In the first quarter of 2007, Samiva Limited approached Pilachi to prepare a press ad for their emerging commercial entity.

As a newly registered company, Samiva had neither brand, nor recognition. As such, Pilachi encouraged the owners to undergo a branding exercise; rather than merely place an individual ad.

Samiva, in addition to other mechanical and electrical fittings, sells industrial strength generators. These generators, the size of large barns, are essential for uninterrupted power supply in Ghana; especially with the indicators of a looming energy crisis. Read more

I deleted these photographs from the blog a few days ago, while in a fleeting moment I thought it improper to include content from projects that I decided not to work on. Not that the project itself was not good… it was amazing… infact it is probably one of the best potential projects, that I could have…. ah… potentially worked on.

So, here are the photographs, taken in early November. In the same week as the Serena Williams Photoshoot.

It may be hard to believe, but these images were not digitally altered. The subjects were, as you see them represented here. The vivid blues, were from vats of indigo; the rich black silhouettes, were just that… caused by natural backlighting and / or sidelighting.

That was a glorious day. Shooting at a fabric factory, handheld at 1600 iso. Here are a few images that formed a part of the final proposal booklet, produced in its entirety, two days later… just before boarding a flight to Jamaica.

After a bit of a tailspin, and some very useful feedback from Debbie Millman, President of Design at Sterling Brands, the Pilachi logo was revised (in a quick reVamp).

To ensure that the Pilachi logo is more distinguished, the emphasis was removed from the background color [which now reads as a partial stroke outline] and was refocused on the foreground object… the abstraction of the “P” from its beginnings as an ampersand-swirl.

Once a few more details are ironed out, the Pilachi website will go online.

There is a saying in Jamaica that “Every Spoil is a Style” or that “You turn your hand to make fashion” [Tun yu han' an' mek fashion] or “When you are in trouble, a little child’s shirt will fit you” [When trouble tek yu, pickney sh'ut wi' fit yu]

Well… amen to all three.

The T-shirt experiment was a glorious success; partially because the screen printer was unable to supply the required sizes. So late last night (with the anniversary of Ghana’s independence today) I had to find a solution.

Instead of two patterns… black star on a yellow shirt and hollow star on a yellow shirt (both outlined with a halftone moire, the original idea was added to the mix… a black shirt with a hollow star, outlined by the yellow halftone moire. Then we doubled the numbers to ensure that all the sizes were in place.

All of the yellow shirts ended up being “M” while the black shirts were “L” and “XL.”

It is equally hilarious because in 10 minutes, I revamped the questionable logo and have been getting positive feedback on it from all sources. Read more