Sam van Straaten

City of Cape Town Annual Report 2022/23

Feb 8, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SAClient: City of Cape TownAccount Manager: Leana HubbardDTP: Junaid JacobsProofreading: Janine Brits Project Brief The City of Cape Town needed their Annual Report 2022/23 to be redesigned, a document showcasing the city’s achievements, financial performance, and strategic initiatives over the year. The objective was to present complex information in a visually engaging and easily digestible format while strictly adhering to the City’s...

Black & White agency website design

Dec 18, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Black & White: Building Meaningful Connections Through a Refined Online Presence Black & White, a Cape Town-based agency specialising in direct marketing, CRM, and loyalty solutions, needed a website that would encapsulate their ethos of creating meaningful connections. The aim was to establish a sleek, professional platform that communicated their expertise and showcased the services they offer to drive response and ROI for their...

City of Cape Town’s Procurement Transparency Report 2021/22

Dec 18, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SAClient: City of Cape TownProject Manager: Leana HubbardDTP: Junaid JacobsProofreading: Janine Brits Project Brief The City of Cape Town approached me via the Arc SA agency to design an engaging and professional layout for their “Procurement Transparency Report 2021/22.” The goal was to present complex data and insights in a way that is visually accessible and easy to navigate. The report needed...

Ackermans Moments That Matter campaign

Dec 5, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SAClient: AckermansCreative Director: Kathryn McKay Ackermans wanted to run a mini campaign to get customers to give them feedback about their shopping experience that they can share with their staff to inspire and motivate them, and hopefully find out any pain points. They therefore want to get their customers to share the who, where and what of moments that matter. All work done...

Virgin Active Sales Toolkit

Aug 8, 2023 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc South AfricaClient: Virgin Active South AfricaCreative Director: Quinton LuckCopywriter: Lianne Mazzullo Virgin Active Sales Toolkit: Empowering Teams for Seamless Member Engagement Virgin Active needed a solution to streamline communication within their sales team and enhance their member outreach process. The challenge was to create a toolkit that would make it easy for staff to access essential resources quickly, ensuring consistency in messaging....

The Bay Lodge Gansbaai website design

Dec 5, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

The Bay Lodge, a welcoming guesthouse nestled along the shores of Gansbaai, sought a website that reflected the relaxed charm and heartfelt hospitality of their property. They wanted an online presence that would resonate with travelers seeking a tranquil seaside escape, while also showcasing the wealth of natural beauty and adventure awaiting in Gansbaai. The Brief:The goal was to create a website that captured...

Unseen Veins book cover design

Feb 8, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

For Unseen Veins, a poignant collection of poetry by Natasha Devalia, I was tasked with creating a cover that encapsulates the intricate and deeply personal themes of identity, heritage, and belonging explored in the collection. The design needed to visually represent the complexity of navigating cultural labels and the freedom to choose one’s own path. The cover features a delicate balance of subtle textures...

Revive Projects website design

Dec 4, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Revive Projects: A Digital Facelift for a Dynamic Renovation Business Revive Projects, a forward-thinking renovation and maintenance company, approached me with a challenge: their existing website didn’t reflect their professionalism, expertise, or the high-quality results they consistently deliver. They needed a modern, polished online presence that would resonate with their target audience of homeowners, landlords, and businesses seeking reliable renovation services. The Brief:The primary...

City of Cape Town Council Overview Handbook

Dec 18, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Design agency: Arc SAClient: City of Cape TownProject Manager: Leana HubbardDTP: Junaid JacobsProofreading: Janine Brits Project Brief The City of Cape Town tasked me with designing a comprehensive and user-friendly layout for their “Council Overview Handbook.” This handbook serves as an orientation guide, offering key information about the municipality, including its structure, finances, service delivery, and strategic priorities. The design needed to convey professionalism and...

KADC rehabilitation centre logo & branding design

Oct 28, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

KADC is an NGO whose major objectives are the prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug dependence. The KADC logo and branding puts helping people in need at its focal point. It is made up of three figures reaching for the sky, combined with various abstract shapes representing growth and movement. The logo uses a hand-written font to tie in the human element at...

UNICEF COVID-19 & Beyond book design

Mar 23, 2023 by Sam van Straaten

The concept of ‘COVID-19 & Beyond: Through A Youth Lens’ was born out of the recognition that the impact of the pandemic years on children and young people has largely not been told through the eyes of youth themselves. The project engaged young people to help them express their stories through words and visual imagery about how they navigated the COVID-19 years at a...

The Waterfront Duck Co. website design

Dec 9, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

The Waterfront Duck Co.: Experience Cape Town from Land to Sea The Waterfront Duck Co. offers a one-of-a-kind amphibious tour that lets you explore Cape Town like never before. Starting from the vibrant V&A Waterfront, the Waterfront Duck seamlessly transitions between a land bus and a boat, giving you the best of both worlds. Perfect for families and adventurous tourists, the tour provides an...

Steynskraal Guest Farm logo & branding

Aug 8, 2023 by Sam van Straaten

Steynskraal is a guest farm that offers self catering accommodation in the heart of the Great Karoo. Located about 23km outside Beaufort West (in the direction of Cape Town) and only 4km from the N1 (and independent of the Eskom power network), Steynskraal offers a choice of luxury self-catering units for the discerning traveller. The owners wanted a logo that was simplistic yet iconic,...

Roots Butchery website design

Dec 5, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Roots Butchery: Serving Tradition with a Modern Twist Roots Butchery, a well-established name in South Africa’s meat industry, needed a website that reflected the quality, variety, and value they bring to their customers. While their in-store experience was second to none, their online presence lacked the functionality and design to complement their reputation. They reached out to me to create a website that would...

Van Brakel Stoor Padstal website design

Dec 4, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Van Brakel Stoor Padstal: Breathing New Life into a Local Landmark When Van Brakel Stoor Padstal approached me, their goal was clear: to modernise their online presence while preserving the rich heritage and charm of their iconic farm stall. Located in the heart of South Africa’s picturesque countryside, this padstal has been a beloved stop for locals and travelers alike for decades. They needed...

Let’s Braai logo & branding design

May 20, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Dan and Eglantine contacted me to help them with establishing a new brand called Let’s Braai that introduces South African braai culture to the UK. The main customer facing touch point is the website, where they will start out by selling South African braai wood like kameeldoring, sekelbos and rooikrans. They will eventually also sell braai utensils and accessories. The brief was for something...

SADC WEF Nexus Guidelines

Feb 8, 2024 by Sam van Straaten

Design studio: Otto CreativeClient: SADC This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of SADC and GWP and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Nexus Dialogue Project “Fostering Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Security Nexus Dialogue and...

Budget Insurance Online Campaign

Mar 28, 2023 by Sam van Straaten

Client: Budget InsuranceAgency: Arc South AfricaSenior Art Director: Sam van StraatenDesigner: Deanndra SubramoneyMotion Graphics: Junaid Jacobs Budget Insurance wanted to encourage their customers to self-service a lot more. They wanted to move customers away from calling a call centre and asking for things like ‘I need to make changes or update my policy details’. These are small things that they can do themselves online....

Collagen Peptides packaging design

Apr 8, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Product packaging design plays a very important role in branding items in the retail environment. The ‘catchier’ the design is, the more audiences it will attract. Good packaging will also enable you to differentiate the products from your competitors. It tells the story of your brand and of the product just by looking at it. The brief from Bone Broth Guy was to create something eye catching that their customers will be...

PYUMO packaging design and brand refresh

Apr 17, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SAClient: <The name and brand has been changed. This project was for presentational purposes only>Account manager: Leana HubbardCreative Director: Jonathan BiggsSenior Arc Director and Designer: Sam van Straaten Project Brief Pyumo, a Durban-based curry brand specialising in curry powders, atchars, and cook-in sauces, engaged us to revitalise their branding and design new packaging for their product line. The objective was to create...

Coconut Water powder packaging design

Jul 2, 2022 by Sam van Straaten

Bone Broth Guy approached me to design packaging for a new product in their range: freeze dried Coconut Water powder. The client wanted the packaging to be striking and eye catching. It had to stand out from the generic and expected design direction for similar products. The product is in powder form and packaged in a pouch. I chose to go with a darker, more romantic look and...

Young, Gifted + Positive book design

Aug 17, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Publisher: Staging PostClient: AIDS Consortium 25 YEARS OF SA DEMOCRACY 25 STORIES OF YOUNG SOUTH AFRICANS 25 YEARS OLD AND YOUNGER, LIVING WITH HIV 25 brave South African youth have stepped up and reached out to share their personal life stories. This book is a reminder that HIV is not a death sentence, and it is not a life sentence. The 25 youth featured...

National Library of SA publication design

Aug 17, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Publisher: Jacana MediaClient: National Library of South Africa To mark the 200th anniversary of the National Library on 20 March 2018, exhibitions were held at the Library’s Pretoria and Cape Town campuses. The Treasure House of Knowledge records the exhibition, which was conceptualised, collated and curated by Andrew Lamprecht in Cape Town. Popular and seemingly ordinary items were featured along with unexpected treasures such...

Cape Town’s Old Granary book design

Oct 28, 2019 by Sam van Straaten

This publication aims to record the story of the Granary building and its restoration, and to provide a chronicle of the events leading up to the fully restored complex. It also acknowledges the dedication of everyone who worked on the project, especially the men and women whose hands made this project a reality. This book includes historical maps and pictures of the building, as...

Sriracha Hot Sauce packaging design

Oct 27, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Project Brief Bone Broth Guy, a Cape Town-based artisanal food producer, developed a handcrafted Sriracha sauce inspired by the flavours of the Chonburi region in Thailand. The sauce is made with 60% serrano chili peppers and contains no colorants, preservatives, or refined sugars. The client sought a packaging design that was simple, unpretentious, and modern, using a specific reference as a starting point. Design...

Smart Living Handbook design

Sep 18, 2020 by Sam van Straaten

Lindie Buirski: Project ManagerAnna du Plessis: Account DirectorJunaid Jacobs: DTP & finished ArtAletta Kruger: Corporate PublicationsJanine Brits: ProofreadingPrinted by Tandym Print in Cape Town Launched in 2007 for the first time, this is the fifth edition of the City of Cape Town’s Smart Living Handbook.The handbook was developed to make sustainable and resilient living a reality for all residents. It provides practical steps that households can take to make...

Showmax recruitment campaign concept design

May 15, 2018 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SACreative Director: Quinton LuckCopywriter: Amy Bach Showmax, a video-on-demand (VOD) subscription service was faced with some steep customer acquisition targets which it had been trying to hit through various acquisition channels, including in-mall activations. These efforts have been declining in effectiveness. Arc was challenged with increasing the acquisition rate and hence the total size of the Showmax subscriber base. This campaign was...

adidas 3Stripes website & app design

May 15, 2018 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SAClient: Adidas South AfricaCreative Director: Quinton LuckCopywriter: Ryno Smit Project Brief Adidas sought to enhance customer engagement and loyalty through the development of the “3Stripes App,” a mobile application designed to integrate with their existing 3Stripes loyalty program. The objective was to provide users with a seamless platform to access exclusive rewards, track purchases, and receive personalized content, thereby strengthening brand connection...

Collagen Powder packaging design

Jun 22, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Product packaging design plays a very important role in branding items in the retail environment. The ‘catchier’ the design is, the more audiences it will attract. A good packaging will also enable you to differentiate the products from your competitors. The brief from Bone Broth Guy was to create something eye catching that their customers will be proud to display in their kitchens and not hide in a cupboard. It needed to be like...

Direct marketing campaign design

Mar 21, 2020 by Sam van Straaten

Creative director: Kathryn MckayAgency: Arc SA Think snail mail is dead? Think again! Recent international statistics have shown a resurgence in the demand for direct mail. The more cluttered the inbox, the emptier the mail box – something which has resulted in consumers being much more receptive to personalised pieces that arrive directly to their homes. Outer envelope – front Outer envelope – back Letter and...

MyToyota App CRM design

Apr 13, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

The MyToyota app is designed by Toyota South Africa to provide a platform for Toyota owners and enthusiasts to quick and direct access to all information and services related to their vehicle(s). I worked on the artwork as part of a CRM pitch at Arc SA, considering various customer touch points, from showroom and in-vehicle reminders to SMS and email notifications. Toyota South Africa...

Rebels & Rage book cover design

Mar 20, 2020 by Sam van Straaten

Jonathan Ball Publisher requested that strong type carried this design. The type had to be punchy – while not looking too much like an echo of the author’s previous book published by Wits Press (South Africa’s Suspended Revolution), which had a gritty, blocky type and was very yellow. The challenge here was for the cover not too look too much like an academic book, or a...

Royco website update redesign

Oct 28, 2019 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SACreative Director: Kathryn McKayCopywriter: Lianne Mazzullo With Royco’s updated brand positioning and CI, the brand is dismantling the expectations we have of daily, inventive, picture-perfect meals and promoting a new kind of food experience: a perfectly, imperfect one. The website was requested to tie in with this idea and the execution was to visually bring to life and re-imagine what dinner time...

Cape Town Water Strategy design and layout

Jan 28, 2021 by Sam van Straaten

Sarah Rushmere: Project ManagerAnna du Plessis: Account DirectorDesmond Büchler: Art DirectorJunaid Jacobs: DTP & finished ArtAletta Kruger: Corporate PublicationsJanine Brits: ProofreadingPrinted by Tandym Print in Cape Town The Cape Town Water Strategy sets the City on course towards a future in which there will be sufficient water for all, and which is resilient to the possible impacts of climate change. The harsh lessons we learned during our brush with...

Royco wet cook-in sauce launch campaign

May 15, 2018 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SA Creative Director: Quinton Luck Copywriter: Tara Cawthra Royco requested Arc to create excitement and awareness around the Wet Cook-In range and its new variants in order to drive sales in the top 100 Pick n Pays, Spars and Checkers in South Africa. We focused on a very simple concept that ties back to the convenience of these new sauces....

Nestlé Recipes with Love website

Oct 28, 2019 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SACreative Director: Kathryn McKayCopywriter: Nick GertschDeveloper: Simphiwe Tebe The website needed an update. The goals were to make it easy to navigate, mobile friendly with a lot of appetite appeal. It should incorporate other Nestlé brands such as Maggie, Chocolate, Cocoa & Klim. It also needs to include a WhatsApp feature so people can receive recipes on their phones as well as...

DueSouth brand review

May 15, 2018 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SA Creative Director: Quinton Luck Copywriter: Heinrich Benkenstein Arc was asked to compile a conceptual review of the DueSouth brand identity and align it with its new position. It was seen as being too masculine and not...

Van Deijl Jewellers website design

May 15, 2018 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SACreative director: Quinton LuckCopywriter: Lianne MazzulloDeveloper: Wilco van Deijl I was requested to come up with a complete redesign of the Van Deijl website and to create a beautiful, sophisticated, up to date, fully responsive website to promote the Van Deijl brand in such a way as to generate real sales. The look and feel needs to reflect the brand-image of being both...

Reebok Delta sign up journey

May 15, 2018 by Sam van Straaten

Agency: Arc SA Creative Director: Quinton Luck Copywriter: Heinrich Benkenstein Design the user experience journey and all elements including instore pod sign up to welcome email and website, which should compliment the Reebok store launch at the Mall of Africa. Use launch opportunity to start recruiting for Reebok CRM programme. Instore pod app used for member sign-up. Create basic welcome email automatically sent to...

Die Vloek Book Cover Design

Apr 27, 2013 by Sam van Straaten

Client: Lapa PublishersAgency: Flame Design ’n Spannende, ontroerende roman oor vyf geslagte waarin die sondes van die vaders aan die kinders besoek word. Laat in die 1800’s word ’n graf geskend. Vandag sit ’n jong prokureur met ’n grondeis waarvan hy niks verstaan...

Sam, I am.