Décor and Design

Light up the Stage

Begin with the centre of attention – and that’s the stage. Lighting plays a major role here. You can transform mood and meaning with lighting. And in this way, the stage is your first tool in conveying your message. So use it to mesmerise with colour and the unexpected. With modern technology, you can introduce the ‘wow’ factor with pictures, film, sound and 3D projection. You can immerse your audience in drama or beauty or a sense of exhilaration. 2019 trends sees the stage being used to achieve your message through full engagement of the audience, and also their participation. And therefore the design is key to your goal. 

Keynote Speakers

The days when a speaker stood at a podium and doled out a prepared speech are long gone. Today you need to bring in speakers who will engage on a personal note with the audience, and who will deliver fresh perspectives. Speakers who can entertain while they also inform are crucial to motivating and encouraging creative thinking in the audience. Be bold, be controversial, drive diverse opinion and intelligent argument – but use speakers that fire up the audience to participate.

Part of the Furniture

A real trend in 2019 is the use of creative seating solutions. Instead of the usual rows and rows of straight-backed chairs, rather use couch settings and coffee tables to create intimate spaces, ‘rooms’ where people can experience a more friendly and informal vibe while enjoying the show or the speakers. Different types of seating from high cocktail tables and stools, to armchairs, to benches and large cushions – all create a more comfortable environment; and the more relaxed an audience might be, the more they pay attention. 

Personalised Experience

Customising the experience is going to be a big trend in 2019. And this means more than just printing an attendee’s name on a tag. There will be much more interaction in the communications, and attendees will be able to participate in activities, voice their opinions, test speakers and other attendees with pertinent questions. Even before the event attendees will be shown the schedule and asked for feedback, bringing in any personal elements to the fore. Even more impressively, you can prepare a list of restaurants close to the conference centre specifically chosen to suit a questionnaire the attendee has answered before the event. Every bit of personal information gleaned before the attendee arrives at the event, can be used in a way that will resonate individually.

Hands-on Experience

This year be sure to cut down the length of speeches. Shorter talks interspersed with participatory activities will keep the audience engaged and lively. It’s time to form teams and test each other, put into practice what has been learned, and truly experience the value of the event.

Leisure

It’s not all work and no play. People perform better when there are breaks for relaxation and a change of scene. Sometimes this can be just entertainment – or a luncheon, or a bus trip to see the local sites. Time to connect with other attendees is good, and some ‘touristy’ options are becoming more popular, and helping to imprint the impact of the event.

The Invitations

Sending an invitation that presents a visual entertainment is another popular trend. With some clever tech magic, you can light up the invitation on the recipient’s screen and play out the invite as a colourful foretaste of the event itself. The use of colour, design and words create a mini-effect of what lies in wait at the event itself. 

Cool Swag

Swag is always popular, but make sure your attendees leave with truly useful items other than a branded pen and notebook. For instance, a small booklet detailing highlights of the event for quick review, will serve as a valuable takeaway. Swag should work, just like every other aspect of the event, to imprint your message in memory and emotion. The idea is always to leave a lasting impact on personal learning and growth – and swag should be a condensed version of the event and the message; not just a couple of small gifts, but a revitalising and motivating reminder.

Udumo’s Mission: The combined energy of empowerment and aesthetic design

Udumo Group delivers interior décor and design services by empowering unemployed people with skills development initiatives. We believe in investing in the individual, nurturing inherent skills, and uplifting communities. Our interior design philosophy is to design beautiful spaces that are both functional and timelessly pleasing. We believe that through promoting the values of creative excellence, discipline and commitment, we are able to bring out the best in people, motivating positive surroundings and the value of living and working in such spaces. For information on Udumo Group, visit: www.udumogroup.co.za ###

Whether the requirement is for a traditional space or an ultra-modern one, TV set designs offer infinite scope for designing ingenuity – gone are the days when they looked like what they were: a TV studio. Especially the plethora of talk shows necessitates that designers are abreast with trends the world over when creating a set that most effectively represents the character of the host and creates the mood conducive to sitting down for a good chat. Set design is all about establishing a suitable visual concept in unique and creative ways to support the specific nature of the talk show.

A good set should invite audience engagement by being interesting, layered, imbued with different textures and skilful lighting that tell a story, are aesthetically pleasing, and attract the eye. While the intrinsic elements involved naturally follow those of home interiors, the specialised skill required is considerable for one basic and inarguable reason: the designer is creating a visual illusion that both tells a story about the host and show, and transforms a small, limited space into one with sufficient dimension and depth to transport the viewers from their seats into the suggested reality of the set

Lighting as illusionist

This is the designer tool that tops all others. The most beautiful, costly set without the proper lighting is expertise, time and money down the drain. Skilled designers bear in mind that overhead lights for illumination is taboo – rather than use an overhead truss with heavy lighting fixtures, the use of lightweight LED fixtures in a range of lower points in the venue can conjure the appropriate impact. Numerous, subtle and diverse sources of light at differing levels can create any number of moods to suit the theme of the talk show, to present the host and guests in an appropriately flattering manner, and to enforce that vital illusion of being elsewhere than in a TV studio. These different light sources also serve to emphasize certain areas, props or colors while simultaneously drawing the attention away from areas that are less desirable or best downplayed.

Color as complement

In combination, clever lighting and creatively employed color combine to inject dynamism into any set. While the governing trend for this year, according to Pinterest, is to opt for the quiet color of sage, a new favorite tone is also grey, owing mainly to the fact that it is so versatile: there are warm greys and cool greys and, according to the top, “in the know” designers internationally, this subtle color comes in close to 50 different hues. Though this is largely relevant to the chosen design of home interiors, it is of equal issue here, as talk show hosts often request that their talk show set reflects the preferences and taste expressed in their private home environment. Using subtle neutrals or selecting vibrantly contrasting colors will depend on the agreement reached between designer and the uniquely individual character of the host, as well as the nature of their particular show. Opting for the dominance of one color or the use of many, is equally a matter of individual choice.

Skillful use of scale

The major challenge facing designers of a TV set is the limit of the allotted space. This is what most largely affects the furniture designed or selected. Some designers swear by starting with the seating and working outward from there. The chairs or sofa used must be in balance with the size and proportion of the space, otherwise they either dwarf the overall design or make the wall areas feel empty. The practical choice with a sofa is to select or design one with a large seating area and without unnecessarily bulky arms. If high ceilings allow for this, a large gallery wall will also enhance the scale. Pinterest trend predictions suggest that a single, large-scale piece of wall art will find favor in 2018.

Audience size is also an issue to consider when dealing with scale. If the set is small, but the audience large, props and other decorative creative elements should be bigger, bolder, impactful and readily visible. If one is dealing with a small set and small audience, details are critical. While props are naturally brought in to express the character and mood of the host and their show, and will differ accordingly, the trend for 2018 focuses heavily on plants, especially those with vibrant and patterned foliage. Other new design trends worthy of interest is the renewed popularity of bone inlaid features and the mixing of warm metals (gold, brass, bronze) with cool (silver and chrome).

Agreement is reached on one thing: dynamic set design nowadays is all about creative shapes and contrasting textures that will lend dynamism, elegance and the prerequisite touch of glamour to the space and invite intrigue and interested engagement from the audience.

Udumo Group delivers bespoke interior décor and set design services. Our interior design philosophy is to design beautiful spaces that are both functional and timelessly pleasing. We have proved that promoting the values of creative excellence, discipline and commitment can bring forth the beauty within each person and reflect it in both private and public living spaces around them.

For information on Udumo Group, visit: www.udumogroup.co.za