Design Indaba 2011: The Conference

World-changing creativity from our five favorite speakers at South Africa's premier design event

A conference promising “a better world through creativity,” South Africa’s Design Indaba summit fills three days with blue-sky thinking on design as an agent of change. The well-organized event, followed by a thriving design expo, this year also featured a performance by the Watoto Children’s Choir, celebrating the 80th birthday of design mainstay Massimo Vignelli, who sagely reminded the crowd, “If you do good work, …

Bos Iced Tea

A wholly indigenous iced tea that reflects South Africa's bold spirit

Bold “Afro pop” graphics set the tone for South Africa’s newest cold beverage, an iced tea bursting with fruit flavor. Utilizing the region’s indigenous Rooibos plant, Bos offers five caffeine- and preservative-free blends—Peach, Apple, Lemon, Energy and Slim—each mixed with spring water from Western Cape’s Cederberg mountains. Already an inherently healthy herb for its high level of antioxidants, the Rooibos in Bos tea is also …

Mister H

The "behind the scenes" aesthetic of the Mondrian SoHo's Mister H lounge reveals a hot spot for locally-sourced design

In sharp contrast to the Mondrian SoHo‘s pronounced “La Belle et la Bête” theme is the hotel’s swanky bar and lounge, Mister H. While the rest of the Benjamin Noriega Ortiz-designed, 270-room hotel lends itself to French trim, Mister H has a decidedly Chinatown glow, with a “behind the scenes” ambiance conceived by Armin Amiri—the man behind exclusive NYC hot spots like Socialista and Bungalow …