Winning
In 2009 I decided to enter the 5fm Phuza Thursday t-shirt design competition for 5fm breakfast DJ and South African Idols judge Gareth Cliff. You can read all about the process and thinking behind the concept at the bottom of this post.
When I heard there was a need for a new Phuza Thursday logo and t-shirt design I couldn’t resist taking on the challenge. I make a living doing something that I am passionate about, so I am permanently searching for new ways to express myself and get what I do out there.
There are many ways I could have tackled this design and I did actually design a few options (above) that were more illustrative and “out there”. But in the end I opted for a simple and to the point design that would get the “Phuza” message out to the public in a big and bold way.
In South Africa, the term ‘Phuza’ (pronounced Pooh-za) is the Zulu term for drink. It doesn’t however imply alcoholic beverage, but it is implied. I created a pretty generic image that didn’t necessarily look like a boozy drink deliberately so that it would appeal to a wider audience.
5fm and the breakfast team were kind enough to send me quite a few extra t-shirts for my family, friends and colleagues. In the office we had our very own “Phuza Thursday”. No that doesn’t mean we all got hammered in the office, but that we all wore our Phuza t-shirts that day. I was very proud of all of them for being such a great bunch of sports. And while most of us were out and about, the feedback from the public has been very positive and the shirts were well received.
Well that’s that really. It was a fun experience and a great way to get exposure. I took many photos of my colleagues, family and friends for all to see “how we roll” down in Cape Town.
