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Sindiso Nyoni is a Joburg-based graphic designer whose work has featured in these pages before.
His illustrations are edgy, urban and inspired by Africa, and he is not shy to use his political voice.
He has designed anti-xenophobia posters, magazine covers and even album artwork for local and international bands, including young soul rebels The Brother Moves On.
If you were at the 2010 Fifa World Cup Kickoff Celebration, you may have noticed his striking poster of a man wearing a makarapa with the names of the musical acts of that night streaming out the top of this iconic headgear.
He makes Design of the Week again, this time for his delicious packaging design for Motherland Coffee Company’s limited edition Golden Cherry blend of Ethiopian and Rwandan beans, which just went on sale.
It features a hand holding up a bean, in turn held up by a group of workers, neatly referencing the earth of the continent and its political will, while winking at communist-era design and it’s future-forward styles.
His inspiration?
“I was told to aim to capture the characteristic energy and compositional vibrancy synonymous with most of my poster art to communicate the package contents,” Nyoni told #Trending this week.
“The package artwork imagery is reminiscent of revolutionary posters of the past, particularly the poster movement inspired by the Medu Art Ensemble in South Africa from the late 70s, which fuelled the grass roots and produced anti-apartheid posters of the 80s.”
The coffee packet looks so good you may not want to open it.
And his favourite illustration of all the work he’s done so far?
“Choosing a favourite is difficult, but if I had to choose one, it would be the poster print titled The Boxer of a young Madiba, inspired by an iconic character from Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed classic, Do the Right Thing.”
The Mandela print is on show as part of the Making Africa: A Continent of Contemporary Design exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in Spain.
See Nyoni’s work at studioriot.com
