Unyazi Designs
With everything that has been going on in terms of the coronavirus pandemic, our economy and communities are failing. People are left with no income and jobless with no way to support their families. This is what made me look directly towards my collaboration partner, Samkelo Nyakambi. Sam is a young South African self-made entrepreneur looking to tell African stories to the world through his innovation. From being an IT graduate that felt that coding wasn’t feeding his creativity he decided to teach himself how to do beadwork through watching online tutorials. As Sam continued his research he found a gap in the industry and noticed that the beadwork he was creating could be used to a whole new level. An entrepreneur who had a dream to create a timepiece that tells the African Narrative in a contemporary art form. From long hours and remaining patient, Sam made this first Unyazi Design timepiece prototype and from this Unyazi Designs was born.
What made me focus on Sam directly is the fact that he is an entrepreneur who is helping others around him. We tend to forget the role our entrepreneurs play in our economy and community. Brian Tracy states that “[e]ntrepreneurs are a national treasure, and should be protected, nourished, encouraged and rewarded as much as possible. They create all wealth, all jobs, all opportunities, and all prosperity in the nation. They're the most important people in a market economy--and there are never enough of them (2005).” With this being said it is evident that entrepreneurs are there to create change within their economy or even community. Entrepreneurs look at the negatives and the positives to create that spark that would drive them to create and build their innovation. This is where the word Unyazi, the Zulu translation for lightning, plays a role. Thinking of entrepreneurs it is important to understand that they are willing to take the risk, financially and mentally, to create a better future for themselves and their community. As lightning needs a negative charge and a positive charge to create its spark it also needs two bodies to conduct this spark. Without a team, an entrepreneur cannot function and spark change as one. Sam is a great example of how he collaborates with his community by offering women in his community the chance to learn a new skillset and receive an income to help them financially support their families.
Look Book Mockup
Business Cards Mockups
Social Media Mockups
Store Signage Mockups
ISSUU Digital Look Book
