Creative Cape Town

photo by Yasser Booley

@ The Book Lounge, Roeland Street
01 October 2010

Over the speakers, some local indie folk singer is caterwauling about lost cabins while, in the teen section, a twelve year old is mouthing silent sentences. The walls are heavily hung with hardcovers and softcovers of all kinds, and, in a seated circle, teaspoons are chinking against early bird coffee cups in the laps of ladies and lads intently gazing at a bright-eyed, bob-sporting professional. Where in the world? The Book Lounge, Roleand Street,  famous in small circles for its weekly launches, insightful, helpful staff and a wide selection of juicy reads.  Is this a book launch, then? Nope, this is a Creative Coffee Morning.

It’s somewhere between a social chit-chat and a book club. Borrowing good ideas from a Swiss designer in New York, Swissmiss, it’s something of a localised Ted Talks about creative pursuits. Each session sees a half hour of presentation from a professional creative, followed by guided and spontaneous questions from guests. Attendance is free and coffee and cake are served at a fee.   The monthly gathering is gathering momentum, which is good, because as October’s guest speaker, Jenny Ehlers, emphasises, “as a creative, it’s great to be acknowledged by your colleagues”.

Jenny Ehlers is Creative Director and equity partner of King James RSVP, the design and promotions arm of the King James Group, which ties in brilliantly with the imminent Loeries Awards.

In its first seven years , RSVP won 3 consecutive Loerie Grand Prix (the big one), 2 One Show Gold Pencils and 2 D&AD book entries as well as 8 Gold Loeries and 13 Silver Loeries amongst others with clients amongst the royalty of  global brandsincluding Levi’s®, MINI and Johnnie Walker.

Right now, Jenny isn’t talking advertising though; she’s talking about her preferred form of R&R. It’s not Swedish massage or skiing trips in the Alps. It’s pottery. And, when you consider the sharp portfolio she and her team have accrued, it’s no wonder she takes time out to smooth the curves. After giving us an overview of the changes and realities of the Ad industry, SA, over time, she shows us some of her favourite work. Thoroughly thought-through annual reports have none of the stale, staid corporate look we know so well. 3D mailers bring marketing to live in cardboard cut-outs. Promotional pamphlets for leisure clothing companies have actual fabric samples, and one client even had its own custom-made Christmas stamps for peak retail season. Impressive, and more than likely the work of accomplished advertising creatives.

Not necessarily, jenny points out. Some of her staff could well be her children, bristling with talent and raring to go. “so much of the industry is about people,” she points out, “I’ve had incredible young people working for me… the guys that work for me are way better [at design] than I am. They inspire me on a daily basis.”

I smile at what must be a tight knit team of hard workers, churning out convincing commercial concepts. The twelve year old is smsing now, the book forgotten on the table. Almost as if she intuited is, Jenny goes on to talk about how we have to keep up with Twitter, Facebook and other social media, and I wonder what it will be like when today’s twelve year old’s filter into the advertising industry. “The industry has changed since the 80s,” jenny earlier, listing some of her past colleagues whose lifestyle got the better of them. Fit and smiling as a fully fledged advertising professional with quite a track record to her name, she finds the changes exciting.  “The digital age is certainly challenging us”she concludes. Her message for everyone, whether thy wrt lk this or are still prone to longhand, is encouragingly positive-minded.  “It’s quite nice NOT knowing what’s around the corner.”

In my case, let’s hope it’s more coffee!

Find out more about Creative Coffee Mornings here