Shark. Honours Portfolio Project

Willa Cornelius
Apr 10, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Aug 17, 2023

Honours degree completed with Vega. Graduated cum laude and won the academic achievement award (VEGA Pencil award).

Subjects included: Contemporary, Design Management & Strategy, Design Discourse & Graphic Solution Design A & B.

SHARK, is an affordable marketing tool for small street vendors in South Africa. This, unique 297 x 420 mm laminated double-sided book offers vendors an easy How-to solution to signage & branding.

“Improve a social need, crisis or demand by means of design”

Small street vendors in South Africa often struggle with branding their products and services. Without proper branding and signage, these businesses risk being overlooked by potential customers. This is where the SHARK project comes in.

The project is a conceptual guide designed to help small vendors brand their businesses.

The SHARK book features the Alphabet, with each letter showcasing a range of simple branding solutions. For example, under A, you will find Application, or under P, Papermaking.
The book is designed to make it easy to spell, understand, and market common products such as traditional South African food, toys, sweets, drinks, books, and more.
The goal is to empower small businesses with the tools to create effective branding and signage solutions.

Users of this book can replicate similar branding initiatives to similar products not featured in the book.

With SHARK, small vendors can create a strong brand identity and stand out in a crowded market.

By using SHARK as a guide, small vendors can take their branding to the next level and attract more customers to their business. This book is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to establish a strong brand identity for their small street business.

SHARK. Stencil hacks and real kicks

SHARK. Poster

SHARK. Book Layout

Every second, to third page, has a large Alphabet letter stencil that can be used in a few ways. How to make use of these stencil pages is explained under A, Application.

The use of this book is not limited to the user's need, the stencils can be used to spray, paint, or shine light through stencils to create a shadow. This shadow method can be used to trace letters onto larger applications such as shop fronts or outdoor signage.

There are additional pages that contain common food, fruits, letters, fonts numbers etc. All to help the user brand, promote or price products or services potentially provided by small vendors.