The 2017 design portfolio document for Whaam Concepts, Cape Town based brand engagement architects...

1. BRAND ENGAGEMENT ARCHITECTS

2. WHEN WE ENGAGE IN UNIQUE AND
UNCONVENTIONAL ENVIRONMENTS,
GREAT THINGS CAN HAPPEN...
WHO WE ARE...
WHAAM BELIEVES IN THE POWER OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS.
OUR SOUTH AFRICAN IDENTITY ACTIVATES OUR PASSION FOR BRINGING PEOPLE AND BRANDS TOGETHER,
WHERE YOU ARE INVITED TO ENGAGE IN UNIQUE AND UNCONVENTIONAL ENVIRONMENTS.
AS BRAND ENGAGEMENT ARCHITECTS WITH A PASSION FOR PEOPLE,
WE MAKE USE OF OUR SUPERPOWERS OF CREATIVITY AND INTEGRITY TO BUILD INDESTRUCTIBLE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN YOUR BRAND
AND YOUR CUSTOMERS.
WHAAM SPECIALISES IN THE STRATEGY, DESIGN AND ACTUALIZATION OF:
º FACE-TO-FACE MARKETING STRUCTURES
º UNCONVENTIONAL RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS
º UNIQUE COMMERCIAL INTERIORS

3. ONCE WE’VE DISCOVERED
YOUR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS,
WE PUT PEN TO PAPER. WE
STRIVE TO CREATE THE BEST
IDEAS THAT COMPLEMENT
YOUR BRAND'S IDENTITY
AND WE INCLUDE YOU IN
EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS.
OUR FINAL MISSION IS TO
BRING THE VISION TO LIFE.
WE MANAGE YOUR CAMPAIGN
FROM THE BUILD ALL THE
WAY THROUGH TO
ACCOMPLISHING
GREAT THINGS.
NOW LET’S GET READY FOR
THE NEXT ONE...
OUR NEXT MISSION IS TO PUT
PEN TO PAPER AND CREATE
THE BEST IDEAS THAT
COMPLIMENT YOUR BRAND'S
IDENTITY WHILE INSPIRING
YOU WITH OUR CONCEPTUAL
ABILITIES.
OUR FIRST MISSION IS TO
LEARN EVERYTHING ABOUT
YOU. WE WORK TOGETHER
TO DEFINE AND DEVELOP
PROJECT GOALS AND
NEVER FORGET ABOUT THE
FUTURE.
STRATEGISE DESIGN ACTUALISE
WHAT WE DO...

4. SEATTLE COFFEE
Century City Convention Centre, Cape Town

5. #WEAREWHAAM
THIS ATTRACTIVE SEATTLE COFFEE STORE
STANDS OUT FROM THE REST OF THE
SEATTLE PORTFOLIO
RAW INDUSTRIAL EXPOSED
CEILINGS WITH A BLEND OF
EXCEPTIONALLY
WELL-FINISHED INTERIOR
FITTINGS.
The use of elegant linear shapes, seen in the
dropped oak slatted bulkhead, help create an
impactful and impressive look that draws the
attention of all within the space. The bespoke
furniture we designed is focused around
comfort and open engagement and completes
this attractive store that stands out from the
rest of the Seattle portfolio as an updated
flagship, displaying sophistication and simplicity
in the design.
High quality solid oak, marble and plasma cut
steel sheeting set the mood in this Seattle
Coffee Company store, showcased in the newly
constructed Century City Convention Centre.

6. WEFIX
Buitensingel, Cape Town

7. TRANSPARENCY, WARMTH AND COMMUNI-
CATION WERE THE THREE KEY DESIGN
PILLARS
WHAAM WAS TASKED WITH
CREATING A UNIQUE
PHYSICAL SPACE TO
INTRODUCE IFIX’S
TRANSFORMATION INTO
THE NEW WEFIX BRAND.
A feeling of trust and accessibility is created by
using full-length glass divisions to open up the
space, which allow for an organic flow between
the back of house technical repair area and the
front of house retail environment. The combina-
tion of natural raw materials and high quality
well finished surfaces, along with the introduc-
tion of living plants into the space, brings a sense
of warmth to the traditionally stark and artificial
feel of the tech-based industry. The post launch
customer interactions and responses to the
re-crafted environment, reinforce the design
strategy we used and its alignment with our own
design philosophy.
The main objective of this project is to construct
a fresh, inviting space to facilitate genuine
interactions and allow relationships between the
brand and their customers to flourish.
#WEAREWHAAM

8. WEFIX
Cape Gate Kiosk, Cape Town

9. #WEAREWHAAM
EXPLORING MORE ACCESSIBLE WAYS TO
RETAIL IN UNCONVENTIONAL SPACES
THIS KIOSK PROJECT
ALLOWED WHAAM TO
EXPLORE NEW
ENVIRONMENTS IN WHICH
ENGAGING RETAIL SPACES
CAN BE IMPLEMENTED.
This materialized into an aesthetically beautiful
kiosk utilizing high-end solid surfaces; large,
glass encased product display areas and an
inviting feel that promoted customer engage-
ment. We effectively make use of both sides of
the back wall to accommodate the variety of
accessories that weFix traditionally showcase in
their store built environments. The oak is an
integral design element that is used to contrast
the warmth against the solid surfaces of the
kiosks counters.
Our design team enjoyed the challenge of
translating our design philosophy for the weFix
store environments into an unconventional
kiosk application.

10. WEFIX
Alice Lane, Johannesburg

11. SEAMLESS FLOORING ALONGSIDE A GREEN
WALL AND RAW-COPPER LIGHTING
AFTER THE SUCCESS
ACHIEVED IN THE NEW
WEFIX STORE EXPERIENCE,
WHAAM WAS TASKED WITH
ACTUALISING THE DESIGN
METHODOLOGY IN THE
JOHANNESBURG REGION.
This 36th store features an inviting full glass,
high-street facing façade; which attracts atten-
tion from the hustle and bustle of the city of
Sandton. As in previous projects, warmth is
achieved with seamless quartz flooring alongside
a green wall and raw-copper lighting. Our
product display units are updated to include
bamboo framing with recessed grey Formica
faces to contrast the products showcased. Full
glass walls between the front and back of house
were continued in this store design to complete
that feeing of transparency.
The greatest challenge in the Alice Lane project
was to apply the philosophy of transparency,
warmth and communication, within this 32sqm
store in the state of the art Bowman building,
Sandton.
#WEAREWHAAM

12. Tourisim Indaba 2017, Durban
HILTON

13. #WEAREWHAAM
TIME FOR A FRESH LOOK WITH AN
EXPERIENCE TO MATCH
THE FOCUS FOR THIS
PROJECT WAS A CRISP AND
MODERN EXPERIENCE THAT
WOULD SHOWCASE
HILTON’S NEW BRANDING.
As leaders in the global hospitality industry,
Hilton’s clientele have come to expect a certain
level of comfort and quality from their brand
experiences. Whaam brought this through by
designing two select meeting areas into the
stand for exclusive engagement. We translated
the grandness of a typical Hilton lobby area by
introducing a welcome desk contrasted against
elevated walls and a suspended halo bulkhead to
emphasise the new brand identity.
Whaam made use of Indaba 2017 in Durban, to
showcase the brand’s new identity and created
an experience that would still match their
trusted level of exclusivity.

14. PARCEL NINJA
ConFex 2017, Cape Town

15. BIG REALITY IN A SMALL SPACE
THIS ECOMMERCE LEADER
WAS LOOKING FOR AN
ACTIVATION THAT WOULD
BRING THEIR DIGITAL
WORLD INTO OUR REALITY.
Our design team took up the challenge to
implement this philosophy into a very tight
9sqm environment by creating a micro
warehousing structure that had all the charac-
teristics of a behind the scenes reality of who
ParcelNinja is. A packaging wall, made from
traditional cardboard boxes with an over arching
industrial racking system, brought the enormity
of a warehouse into the small space. This design
concept highlighted the importance of bringing
people together even for digital brands.
Our concept focus for this eCommerce
showcase was to give the attending delegates
the feeling of stepping into the heart of
ParcelNinja’s warehousing business.
#WEAREWHAAM

16. Power and Electricity 2016, Johannesburg
SD DIRECT

17. #WEAREWHAAM
MODERN AND FUTURISTIC WITH A
DIFFERENCE
THESE GLOBAL LEADERS IN
ENERGY EFFICIENCY,
CHALLENGED WHAAM TO
CREATE AN ACTIVATION
WITH A DIFFERENCE.
The four chosen products were featured in glass
podiums, which included plinths with LED
highlighted bases that gave the illusion of
weightlessness to the stand. The floating
product showcases were glorified in a fully open
plan structure, with accents of futuristic
geometric structures that included a monu-
mental back wall and a reception counter made
for outer space travel. All of this with the over
arching philosophy of engagement.
Whaam’s response to this challenge was to
imagine an activation that would showcase SD
Direct’s most innovative products as beacons of
hope and inspiration.

18. RUCKUS/
BROCADE
AfricaCom 2016, Cape Town

19. BRINGING TWO BRANDS TOGETHER IN AN
ACTIVATION BUILT AROUND ENGAGEMENT
AFRICACOM 2016 SAW THE
AMALGAMATION OF
RUCKUS AND BROCADE
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
SOUTH AFRICA, WHICH
CALLED FOR A NEW
CONCEPT.
This resulted in an environment that stood out
visually, and provided an engaging space for
building relationships. We focused the
engament around a social “coffee-bar” at the
heart of the open-planned structure with a side
meeting area designed as a stop, meet and greet
breakaway. The large surrounding bulkhead was
cantilevered at one end to add a unique style
which is central to any Whaam project.The purpose for the design of this project was to
promote both Ruckus and Brocade’s innovative
product and service offerings within the
telecommunications market.
#WEAREWHAAM

20. RUCKUS
WIRELESS
AfricaCOM 2015, Cape Town

21. #WEAREWHAAM
BLACK GEOMETRIC STRUCTURES
HIGHLIGHTED WITH BRIGHT ORANGE
ACCENTS
OUR MISSION WAS TO
CREATE A SPACE THAT
PUSHED THE BOUNDARIES
OF TRADITIONAL TRADE
SHOWS AND EMPHASISE
THE UNCONVENTIONAL
RUCKUS BRAND.
The company culture was highlighted in the
extravagant design of geometric structures
contrasted by copper bulbs and exploding with
traces of bright orange. We illuminated the
stand with LED lighting to solidify the brand
message communicated by the activation. Our
structure not only interpreted the playful
corporate identity associated with Ruckus but
also reflected the high-tech telecommunica-
tions industry that they dominate. This custom
stand was a honest reflection of our eternal
endeavour to create unconventional environ-
ments that stand out from the conventional.
Ruckus is a leading company in the wireless
infrastructure market and their vast array of
products; help service providers and enterprises
to stay ahead of the demand for high bandwidth
applications and services.

22. AFROGEM
World Travel Market 2017, Cape Town

23. DAZZLING DIAMONDS IN DYNAMIC
DESIGN
AFROGEM APPROACHED
WHAAM TO ASSIST THEM IN
MARKETING THEIR 50TH
ANNIVERSARY IN
JEWELLERY FABRICATION
AND STONE RETAIL.
Whaam used Afrogem’s presence at WTM
Africa held at the CTICC, a stones throw away
from their Bo-Kaap Fabrication studio, to create
an activation with a difference. This combined
their exhibition stand with a guided tour to
experience first hand their manufacturing
environment. A small stand designed to
communicate the anniversary was built around
customer engagement with the intention of
“meet & greets” followed by the tour, extending
the activation outside of the CTICC confined
space.
Traditionally seen as only a stone supplier,
Afrogem was eager to promote their jewellery
fabrication abilities as a key arm of their
business.
#WEAREWHAAM

24. DESIGN
INDABA
Most Beautiful Object in SA, Cape Town

25. #WEAREWHAAM
A SHOWCASE OF SOUTH AFRICAN DESIGN
EXCELLENCE
WHAAM HAD THE HONOUR
OF IMPLEMENTING OUR
DESIGN PHILOSOPHIES TO
CREATE A SHOWCASE FOR
THE PINNACLE OF DESIGN
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
The challenge here was to match the design
excellence on display that would simply exalt
and compliment the products showcased. The
Whaam design team chose a minimalist steel
structure that incorporated an industrial feel.
Minimalism was used to avoid overpowering, and
an industrial feel was used to contrast the
well-finished products on display within the
environment. Suspended lighting fixed between
the frameworks of the structure allowed us to
amplify the beauty of each product in this
walk-through, gallery style experience.
Design Indaba select 10 of the Most Beautiful
Objects in South Africa to feature at their
annual design exhibition and tasked Whaam to
create the perfect environment experience.

26. IDC
Source Africa 2016, Cape Town
IDC &
PARTNERS

27. A SENSE OF HOME IN THE TEXTILE
INDUSTRY
IDC, THE SOUTH AFRICAN
PARASTATAL WITH THE
MANDATE TO INVEST INTO
ENTREPRENEURS IN
SELECTED SECTORS OF THE
SA ECONOMY
As the focus of this show was the textile indus-
try, Whaam chose to introduce a sense of
“home” by including an open-plan structure
with raw oak finishes and elegant, modern
furniture. A creative masterpiece made from
geometric oak ribs was constructed at one end
of the stand to add aesthetic value as a conver-
sation focal point. The stand incorporated two of
IDC’s partner entrepreneurs behind the stand in
this showcased activation.
After Whaam had completed a number of
projects for IDC over the years, Source Africa
2016 was the time for a revamped experience
for them and their partners.
#WEAREWHAAM

28. 2017 Store Rollout, National
HISENSE

29. #WEAREWHAAM
A NATIONAL FOOTPRINT OF SHOP-IN-SHOP
BRAND EXPERIENCES
WHAAM WAS CALLED UPON
TO CREATE A BRAND
EXPERIENCE TO LAUNCH
THE NEW HISENSE ULED
PRODUCT RANGE.
The use of the brands bold colour, accented by
bright LED lighting, is brought together in a
modern structure which represents a spectacle
of colour and light to compliment the high-end
products on display. This national rollout of
structures has had to be specifically designed for
each store environment and provides a unique
experience in each store.
We created a unique shop-in-shop brand
environment that showcases the high tech
features of this new TV range that allows the
Hisense brand to stand a cut above the compe-
tition.

30. 2017 Store Rollout, National
UNDER
ARMOUR

31. FIRST STEPS INTO THE SOUTH AFRICAN
MARKET
AS PART OF UNDER
ARMOUR LAUNCHING IN
SOUTH AFRICA, WHAAM
WAS TASKED WITH
CREATING AN IN-STORE
DIFFERENTIAL FOR THEIR
SPORTS SHOES.
The national rollout of “glorifier” plinths, are
created to amplify the Under Armour shoes as
dynamic alternatives within this competitive
market. Interchangeable textile graphics are
incorporated to allow for the plinth to continu-
ally evolve. Some units included a unique backlit
system to attract attention. This first step into
retail South Africa needed to make a bold
statement to generate a momentum of excite-
ment around the brand for the future growth of
Under Armour in the country.
This international sports lifestyle brand, new to
the South African market, wanted to make use
of its energetic brand identity to differentiate
their selected shoe range within the national
Totalsports offering.
#WEAREWHAAM

32. #WEAREWHAAM