Things are going well for you and Ideso. Winning ‘Best of the Best 2012’ Design for the PowerPac by Red Dot in 2012, Most Creative Stand at Design Indaba Expo 2014 and having LifeQ Mojo Active Armband for Health Q 2014 as a finalist for the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa.
Q: Tell us what’s been going on the last few years at Ideso?
A: They say that it never rains – it pours. It has certainly been pouring for us lately. Our focus has always been to give our customers the best possible design that we can and not to try to win awards, but it is great to get some recognition occasionally. Recently, we seem to have gotten quite a lot of recognition!
On the work front, we have been both productive and creative over the last few years – in other words, the same as always! We have worked hard on medication compliance with Simpill and US based Organ Recovery Systems. This is now bearing fruit and saving lives in trials that have started in the United States. Locally, we have developed a number of housewares for Addis, and have developed a range of vehicle tracking and management devices for Mix Telematics. We have also completed an exciting collaborative design process with Mark Eisen, where we designed perfume bottles for global luxury brands. I can’t wait for the launch!
Q: How large is the team currently? Are you all industrial designers?
We have a tight, creative and hardworking team of 4 industrial designers. We are all industrial designers, although I have an engineering degree as well.
Q: How did Ideso start?
I started Ideso in 1998. I had worked for a large corporate company for a number of years and the desire to start my own design company had been bubbling beneath the surface for many years. I got married to my wife, Louise, in April and resigned to start Ideso (initially called Industrial Design Solutions) in June. It was a crazy and scary time! My first official project was to design a new wind up radio for Freeplay. The project was a huge success for them. After that, I started consulting and designing for other companies. By now, Ideso has brought well over 500 different products to market.
Q: You’ve been a part of WDC Cape Town 2014, participating in the Doordekraal (Ward 70) Co-Design Workshop. Why did you get involved and can you tell us about it?
We have actually participated in a number of ward projects, but the Doordekraal project is close to where I live and to where our office is located, so it made a lot of sense to get involved. Doordekraal is a dam and public park that is primarily used by residents for recreation.
We have had a public participation workshop from which a master plan has been submitted. We are assisting the local councillor, who, luckily, is very proactive. We hope that the WDC can make a real difference and that there will be a sense of heritage and accomplishment when 2014 has passed.
Q: What is exciting about the being an industrial designer in South Africa right now?
2014 is the year of the industrial designer in South Africa. It is ours to use or lose!
“I am an Icsid Member because…
Icsid is the best organisation to represent industrial designers internationally.”
About Ideso
Ideso was founded in 1998 by Marc Ruwiel. Since then, we have designed in excess of 400 products that have gone into manufacture for a wide variety of customers from entrepreneurs to global companies. Ideso has grown steadily and currently has 4 permanent designers. We have built up a wealth of design experience and a good reputation of design excellence in South Africa.
