From Interiors to Graphics: Behind the Scenes of Designing The Whole Nine Yards — Transcript

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1. 0:00My name is Christa Boatrite and um we
2. 0:02established Nineard Design. It's been
3. 0:05wonderful. We've had a couple of people
4. 0:06through the doors. Um currently a a
5. 0:09small team of three. Uh loving it like
6. 0:12Yeah. It's just been so good to us.
7. 0:13Yeah. So it's really been amazing. We
8. 0:15are based in Port Elizabeth, South
9. 0:17Africa. And uh yeah, we do everything.
10. 0:19So we love um we we have a philosophy
11. 0:22that we never say no. U maybe it's not a
12. 0:24great philosophy um but we do like
13. 0:26interiors, graphic design, branding, the
14. 0:28whole lot. So the [music] whole nine
15. 0:29yards then intentionally yeah at the
16. 0:31beginning our very first project was a
17. 0:33commercial project that Chinese
18. 0:34restaurant and then we did one small
19. 0:36lounge and then we only did commercial
20. 0:38design all throughout and the first
21. 0:41residential I think we got was only in
22. 0:43the middle of co [music] that was the
23. 0:45first one so we were established in 2018
24. 0:4819 and then 20 we never did any
25. 0:50residential and now we slowly seeing
26. 0:52them creeping up again which is amazing
27. 0:54[music] so they are actually old
28. 0:56students of mine which is so amazing
29. 0:59because then you I've known them for so
30. 1:00long actually. I would say they've got
31. 1:02their own strengths [music] but they are
32. 1:04still super fresh out of or when I they
33. 1:06got to me they've only been out of
34. 1:07varsity for 2 years but that also gives
35. 1:09it like a certain flare and flavor you
36. 1:11know they're not really bogged down by
37. 1:13the industry yet and they bring their
38. 1:15own style to [music] it. So Kristen and
39. 1:17Lauren and yeah like I can definitely
40. 1:18see their own languages coming through
41. 1:20in the design both studied interior
42. 1:22design at the varsity where I taught. So
43. 1:24it's really special that it kind of like
44. 1:25just brought everything back together
45. 1:27again. So I know what, you know, what
46. 1:28their capabilities are and uh yeah, but
47. 1:31it's really nice also because we get to
48. 1:32bounce ideas off each other. They've got
49. 1:34completely different views themselves
50. 1:36and then throw me in the mix. So it's
51. 1:37nice to get like a whole like rounded
52. 1:39experience, you know? So it's good for
53. 1:41us. I'm hoping other people enjoy us,
54. 1:43but we enjoy ourselves. So that's great.
55. 1:45We actually have a very simple approach.
56. 1:46It's all about listening [music] and um
57. 1:49really trying to understand what the
58. 1:50client wants because very often even the
59. 1:52client doesn't know what the client
60. 1:53wants. So we follow a very simple
61. 1:55formula. So we start them off by just
62. 1:57having a lovely introduction [music] you
63. 1:59know like and chatting not necessarily
64. 2:01about the project as such but about them
65. 2:03and their lives or whatever [music] um
66. 2:05similar with commercial commercial
67. 2:06projects trying to understand the
68. 2:08business and um trying to work it from
69. 2:10[music] there somehow it always works
70. 2:11out which we're very happy about and
71. 2:13it's definitely a collaborative process.
72. 2:15I normally go out and I bring all the
73. 2:17information back in and then we like
74. 2:19kind of like put it on the table and we
75. 2:21mull it over and then just starting off
76. 2:23with beautiful mood boards which we
77. 2:25really enjoy which we find is a great
78. 2:26point of departure for all our clients
79. 2:28[music]
80. 2:28and um yeah just taking the general flow
81. 2:30from there doing our beautiful space
82. 2:32planning with [music] Rayon which is
83. 2:33such a wonderful tool for us to use.
84. 2:35It's so quick and I'm sure we'll talk
85. 2:36more about that later. Just honestly
86. 2:38having the right team has been so good
87. 2:40in understanding different needs because
88. 2:42they also sometimes pick up things that
89. 2:44I don't pick up. So I think just like
90. 2:45really intently listening to our clients
91. 2:47and making the process enjoyable. I
92. 2:49think sometimes even if we bring
93. 2:50something back, it doesn't happen often
94. 2:52but if we bring something back and the
95. 2:54client's like, "Ah, that wasn't
96. 2:55completely what I expected, they must
97. 2:57still enjoy that process." So even
98. 2:58though it is uh reiterative, it's nice
99. 3:01for them also to feel part of it and to
100. 3:03make their own mark on it and to
101. 3:05personalize the project to some extent
102. 3:06as well to like get involved. Some
103. 3:08people want to be involved and others
104. 3:10don't. So, [music] it's also interesting
105. 3:11to understand the dynamic between the
106. 3:14different clients and what their needs
107. 3:15and wants are. [music] It's so funny
108. 3:16because one of my favorite projects that
109. 3:20we've ever done is actually a
110. 3:22residential project that we busy with
111. 3:24right now. So, it's nearly there and
112. 3:26it's in a game reserve here in Port
113. 3:28Elizabeth. Oh, and it's just beautiful
114. 3:29out there. And it's actually a project
115. 3:31where the client didn't [music] have any
116. 3:34comebacks. He was like, "Love it. Let's
117. 3:35do it." So, I think it's been wonderful
118. 3:38in [music] terms of getting everything
119. 3:40that we want. We always say this is our
120. 3:42house, you know. Um, but he's just been
121. 3:44so good in letting us take the reign and
122. 3:47trusting us with the whole process.
123. 3:48[music] So, it's been wonderful not
124. 3:50really to have iterations or revisions
125. 3:52on [music] that one. And then also for
126. 3:54him allowing us to say go and do it and
127. 3:57have fun, which is exactly what we do
128. 3:59because I think that's part of it. You
129. 4:00know, when you enjoy it, they enjoy it
130. 4:02and it's just great for everybody else.
131. 4:04So, I think that's incredible. Yeah. So,
132. 4:06we're very lucky. I think also, you
133. 4:08know, when you think about clients and
134. 4:10trying to understand what it is that
135. 4:12they want, we also learn a lot from
136. 4:13other professionals and other
137. 4:15contractors on [music] site, you know,
138. 4:16so you're not the only source of
139. 4:18information. And I think it's like
140. 4:20putting it in this like conglomerate of
141. 4:22ideas, which makes it wonderful, which
142. 4:24actually speaks a lot about South
143. 4:25Africa. I'm not sure how familiar you
144. 4:28guys are, but we've got like 12 official
145. 4:30languages and it's like this mismatch of
146. 4:32people. So, it's like rainbow
147. 4:34everywhere. And uh yeah, and I think
148. 4:36that's so nice to embrace that type of
149. 4:38culture, embrace that type of philosophy
150. 4:40where everybody's got something to
151. 4:42contribute. That's what I also really
152. 4:44enjoy about the whole design process is
153. 4:45to learn from everybody else. Yeah. I
154. 4:47think somebody once said to me, as soon
155. 4:48as you become unteachable, [music]
156. 4:50like that becomes a problem. And I think
157. 4:52that's what makes it so nice, you know.
158. 4:53Also, one of the very first big
159. 4:55commercial projects we did was a hotel
160. 4:58and uh the joiners [music] said to us,
161. 4:59"I don't work with interior designers,
162. 5:01you know, and we're like, well, why
163. 5:02not?" He's like, "Because I worked with
164. 5:03one a couple of years back and they told
165. 5:06me exactly what I need to do and [music]
166. 5:07this is a man who's been building
167. 5:08cabinets for 40 years of his life, you
168. 5:10know, now you come as a 26, 25 year old
169. 5:13and you want to tell him, you know, so
170. 5:15[music] it's about also understanding
171. 5:16people. So, I think and a lot of design
172. 5:18is about understanding people and
173. 5:20[music] um yeah, just reading the room,
174. 5:22you know. So yeah, that was a good first
175. 5:24and I think that stuck with me. He
176. 5:26definitely taught me something that day.
177. 5:28For us, it was definitely having the
178. 5:30correct software that was something that
179. 5:33was very important and coming from an
180. 5:35institution where we've got all the
181. 5:36software now suddenly you're climbing
182. 5:38into the world and now you need to get
183. 5:39your own you know that was something
184. 5:41that was very important to us and I'm
185. 5:44always willing to pay for good software.
186. 5:46I think that was it and then as time
187. 5:48went by investing in good hardware. So,
188. 5:50both of those options for me [music] are
189. 5:53incredibly important because I think it
190. 5:55just like slices your workflow in half.
191. 5:57It just makes everything so much faster
192. 5:58[music]
193. 5:59um and clearer because the communication
194. 6:01is is so much better. So, I think that
195. 6:03for me was really good. And I think also
196. 6:06learning from other people because you
197. 6:07you never know everything. And also
198. 6:10leaning on other friends that are
199. 6:12[music] in the industry already. Um, and
200. 6:14I think being coming from, um, the
201. 6:16university, it's nice because, uh,
202. 6:18[music] you know, yes, some of these
203. 6:20individuals might be competition, but we
204. 6:22don't really see it like that. Uh, and
205. 6:24it's more like us phoning [music] in
206. 6:26saying, "Listen, where do I get this?
207. 6:27Where can I find this? Can you make me
208. 6:28this?" So, it's been really nice just to
209. 6:30like lean on other people in [music] the
210. 6:32industry. You know, they particularly in
211. 6:34my city, people always complain and say,
212. 6:35"We don't have enough jobs here because
213. 6:37it's quite small. It's a small town, you
214. 6:39know, but we really do." And I think
215. 6:40it's all just like there's a place for
216. 6:42[music] everybody under the sun. And I
217. 6:43think once you embrace that and realize
218. 6:45that we're all here to do the same thing
219. 6:47and everybody else has got a different
220. 6:48opinion and you can learn from it
221. 6:50[music] um and take the good from it, it
222. 6:51really makes it so enjoyable. So I think
223. 6:54yeah those things are very important
224. 6:55[music] to me and again I'm not sure
225. 6:58it's because I've got one foot in
226. 6:59academics and one in practice you know
227. 7:01where [music] um old students feel free
228. 7:03to say oh but Carista how do we do that?
229. 7:05You know being able to share that with
230. 7:07them for me is really special. having
231. 7:09that community. And I think sometimes,
232. 7:11particularly here, I can't speak for
233. 7:13everybody, you get bogged down by the
234. 7:15pretty things and the aesthetics and
235. 7:17looking amazing. Um, and you don't
236. 7:19really realize that there's somebody on
237. 7:20the other side, you know, whether it be
238. 7:22somebody who's like slaving away and
239. 7:23she's now starting her own business or
240. 7:25walking into a working practice for the
241. 7:27first time. [music] So just really to
242. 7:29understand like what other people feel
243. 7:31like in that situation and realizing
244. 7:32we'll all be there at some point and why
245. 7:34not make it better and easier for other
246. 7:37designers [music] to stand on your
247. 7:39shoulders and reach their dream, you
248. 7:40know? So it's nice. It's nice for
249. 7:42everybody. One person makes it, we all
250. 7:44make it. So that's good. I come from a
251. 7:46CAD background [music] and um when I
252. 7:48first saw Rayon on my Instagram, I
253. 7:51thought, my goodness, this looks
254. 7:53amazing. So kudos to whoever does your
255. 7:55marketing. [music] But it just looked so
256. 7:57intuitive and quick and easy and when I
257. 8:00delved in a little bit more I thought
258. 8:02wow like this is really fantastic. So I
259. 8:04think the other thing also is we had to
260. 8:06make use of a multitude of [music]
261. 8:09different tools and software in order to
262. 8:11achieve like the final product where it
263. 8:14feels now that Rayon has really
264. 8:16streamlined that process for us making
265. 8:18it much easier [music] and specifically
266. 8:20the collaborative features like I know
267. 8:22whenever I'm online and I see somebody
268. 8:24else we like like play with our cursors
269. 8:26and we're like yay we're all here and
270. 8:28then move on to do the work which is
271. 8:29really lovely particularly when we have
272. 8:31tight deadlines. The way that we first
273. 8:33got into Rayon is um I I've been seeing
274. 8:35it on my Instagram and I thought, "Wow,
275. 8:37this looks great, but we'll get there."
276. 8:39And um price-wise for me, it was really
277. 8:42uh good and it suited what our office
278. 8:44could afford at the time. [music] And
279. 8:45from there, we had a a a serious
280. 8:48deadline that we had to reach. And I
281. 8:50said to myself, cool, I'll give this to
282. 8:52the team and then they'll take from
283. 8:53Monday to Friday and hopefully finish.
284. 8:56And I think by Wednesday morning they
285. 8:58[music] were like ready to show it and
286. 9:00to get a crit session on it and get some
287. 9:02feedback. So it was amazing. Um so yeah
288. 9:05and and and and I think something else
289. 9:07that's really wonderful is as soon as we
290. 9:09ask for features [music] we like the the
291. 9:11features are there. So thank you so much
292. 9:13to you guys for listening to us [music]
293. 9:15and um yeah giving us exactly what it is
294. 9:17that we need because we don't always
295. 9:19know from the get- go. You guys are
296. 9:21really helpful and responsive. [music]
297. 9:22So thank you for that. Yeah, it feels
298. 9:24like you guys are part of the team as
299. 9:25well, which is great. It just saves a
300. 9:27lot of time, [music] I think, because
301. 9:28our office has got such a quick
302. 9:30turnover. Um, it's very fast-paced and,
303. 9:33>> [music]
304. 9:33>> um, now we can focus a little bit more
305. 9:34on the creative aspects. Um, because the
306. 9:36communication and everything else just
307. 9:38like is so [music] seamless and, you
308. 9:40know, not jumping over technical hurdles
309. 9:42is just so much better right now. Um,
310. 9:44[music] so we really enjoy that. Thank
311. 9:46you. The other day we had to do a
312. 9:48technical set for a shop. And I think
313. 9:50what was made it so nice is that now we
314. 9:52could do our um furniture choices
315. 9:55because then suddenly they had a whole
316. 9:56array of things that they needed out of
317. 9:59the blue which we never knew about. And
318. 10:01the deadline was the very next day.
319. 10:03[music] And apart from it being really
320. 10:05quick just like popping something in and
321. 10:06it looks really good with the coloring
322. 10:08that's phenomenal. It just went so
323. 10:10quickly and it was enjoyable. So instead
324. 10:12of looking at a big boring screen, you
325. 10:14know, now it looks good. And that's one
326. 10:17thing I can also tell you guys is often
327. 10:18when we go to site um the [music] guys
328. 10:20will say, "Oh, these are the the NA
329. 10:22design drawings because they look
330. 10:23phenomenal." You know, the [music] color
331. 10:25is great, the line weights, we've like
332. 10:27really made our own little layout and
333. 10:28speak our own language. So the guys
334. 10:30like, "Oh, the these are the pretty
335. 10:32drawings, you know, and they can see it
336. 10:33out of the rest, which makes us [music]
337. 10:35stand out and memorable." And I think
338. 10:37that's also good for us. So yeah, I
339. 10:40think uh yeah, those are good.