Open Design Q&A: See-Saw-Do

INTERVIEWED BY Lindi Brownell Meiring

See-Saw-Do is run by illustrator Xanele Puren and marketing director Jeremy Puren, both co-founders of this exciting social upliftment team. Xanele describes See-Saw-Do as a design studio that specialises in creating and upgrading environments where children live, learn and play. Having spoken at Open Design Cape Town in August 2015, we decided to catch up with them to find out more about their work.

How many projects have you completed so far?

Between 50 and 60. 

Has there been a specific project that has stood out for you?

Yes! One of our favourite projects is actually an on-going one, working at a foundation phase school called Eldene Primary in Elsies River.

Our approach with this long-term beneficiary is to collaborate with corporate companies, social organisations, the school and the community to address a wide spectrum of needs in a holistic manner. We really want to make this space an amazing environment for the learners and the teachers. See-Saw-Do’s role is to focus on infrastructure. Infrastructure includes re-designing and upgrading classrooms and selectively beautifying walls with murals. Our upgrades up to this point includes five classrooms and four murals.

During the year and a half we’ve been involved, we’ve invited various partners to get involved too. By including a variety of companies and NGOs, so much has been achieved. Forty trees have been planted, an organic vegetable garden was installed and the kitchen was re-equipped. We’re super amped about what lies ahead for the space. We aim to re-design all of the 10 remaining classrooms and install multi-sensory play spaces.

What inspires your colourful designs?

We run a child-focused business, which means that children, their needs and their environments are the starting point and inspiration for our design process. When we design exterior murals, we love to use bold and bright colours, but when we re-design an interior environment, we opt for calmer colours, structure and simplicity to achieve a beautiful, orderly space conducive not only to learning and discovery, but to foster a sense of calm and peace. 

Describe the distinctive See-Saw-Do style in three words.

Colourful. Playful. Inclusive.

How do you decide what to paint on a particular façade? 

Inclusive design is super important to See-Saw-Do. We do research beforehand that involves liaising with the relevant stakeholders. Taking our findings into consideration, we design a mural/space/classroom accordingly. It’s important that what we design is relevant to the space and is fun and appealing to the target audience.

How can readers get involved in See-Saw-Do initiatives?

Readers can sign up to our newsletter via our website to stay in the loop regarding volunteer opportunities.

(via See-Saw-Do on Vimeo)

For more information about the studio, visit seesawdo.com.