Projects

2024

OCTOPI – CIVICUS – Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Graphics: We produced graphical summaries of discussions from CIVICUS’s monthly outcome calls for consistent evaluation and learning within the organisation, and repackaged our previous work on CIVICUS’s contribution to the UN HRC General Comment 37 into a timeline format for website publication. This project aimed to enhance the visibility and impact of CIVICUS’s resources and contributions through effective, evidence-based storytelling and data presentation.
OCTOPI – CIVICUS, Local Leadership Labs Baseline Assessments: Conducted a comprehensive Ecosystem Influencing Retrospective Baseline Assessment for CIVICUS’s Local Leadership Labs, analysing data on historical influence within the ecosystem of locally-led development. My work included an analysis of key donors, frameworks, policies, and commitments, and a detailed baseline of ecosystem influencing indicators. I also compiled the Convening Partners Baseline Assessment, involving online interviews, desk reviews, and baseline survey development to understand participant dynamics and trust in the initiative. This project aimed to provide a robust foundation for assessing CIVICUS’s Local Leadership Labs’ impact on donor alignment and stakeholder engagement, particularly in amplifying voices from traditionally excluded group.
Research Residency with Goethe Institut: Circular Neighbourhoods in Makers Valley, Johannesburg: In May 2024, I led a project through the Goethe Institut’s Sustainable Together program in Johannesburg on behalf of OCTOPI, focusing on circular neighbourhoods in Makers Valley. Engaging over fifty community members through group dialogues, interviews, and participatory workshops, we used storytelling, action research, and asset mapping to identify initiatives promoting socio-ecological restoration and community resilience. Our findings emphasised the importance of community-led efforts for neighbourhood wellbeing and provided a blueprint for inclusive development and research. The research aimed to amplify these initiatives to external stakeholders, catalysing support and resources for sustainable urban development.

2023

OCTOPI – CIVICUS, CHARM Africa: Developing a communication design framework/template for CHARM Africa partners to use when communicating their outcomes by developing a series of graphics that communicate existing outcomes by specific partners.
OCTOPI – Grassroots Economics:
- CIC PROGRAM METHODOLOGY AND FIELD GUIDE DEVELOPMENT. Since 2010, Grassroots Economics Foundation has piloted and tested resource coordination practices across Kenya. This Field Guide was created to enable communities, supporting activists, humanitarian and developmental aid organisations to implement Economic Commons and Community Inclusion Currency (CIC) programs. See the Training of Trainers Manual (ToT) here.
- CIC PROGRAM SCALING PLAN. We worked with Grassroots Economics to explore both their program and organisational structure in order to develop a scaling plan. We spent time navigating the technical, legal, educational and organisational changes and advancements that would be necessary for them to reach the broader audiences they are hoping to impact and support. See a summarised version here.

2022

CIVICUS – Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: Communication design and delivery of graphics that communicate the outcomes CIVICUS were involved in related to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. We worked closely with the team to prototype a way of communicating their outcomes, to be used as an internal feedback tool to agree upon a strategy/approach for the next 5 years of work in that area.

OCTOPI – Transition Resource Circle: Visual narrative development for a book published by a group in Costa Rica on Post-Capitalist Philanthropy. Our work focused on establishing a visual language for the text that could act as a sense-maker of the complex topics presented. The visuals were created for use in the book, online, and in workshop material. My business partner Cara did the graphic design, and I worked with her on how to translate the text into visuals.

OCTOPI – Grassroots Economics: Compiling a report commissioned by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), on the implementation opportunity areas for Community Inclusion Currencies as a developmental aid tool. This work included research, analysis and highlighting of insights and themes for future funding areas from a series of expert opinions and desk-based research.

OCTOPI – Jack Frost: Conducting research sprints for various innovation projects for Jack Frost, an effective problem-solving consultancy in South Africa. This work is rooted in a design thinking process that centres deep research, analysis and presentation of insights for the validation, iteration, and challenging of ideas presented by the consultancy.

OCTOPI – WWF & Wine.co.za: Creating a long-term campaign strategy for the WWF Conservation Champions program, presented by wine.co.za. This included establishing a core narrative framework and style guide from which content would be made. We also worked with the team to create the content for the first phase – which included videos, social media graphics and photographs.

2021

OCTOPI – Little Lions: Design thinking process facilitation & strategic consulting for Little Lions Child Coaching, in the research & development of a tech product that would allow for improved access for children in townships in South Africa to mental healthcare resources. This included research into existing policies, discussions around policy reform in the areas related to youth healthcare, and research-based strategy around organisational development and scaling.
OCTOPI – Grassroots Economics: Improving the communications strategy of Grassroots Economics, a non-profit foundation empowering people through Community Inclusion Currencies & blockchain technology in Kenya. We conducted extensive research, stakeholder and ecosystem mapping and analysis to understand their intricate workings, impact and intention, in order to provide tailored strategies for their communications to donors and investors. I also assisted in providing support on the ecosystem framework structure, and the terminology used in both communications and legal agreements between users. We then worked to provide visual storytelling content in the form of an infographic to communicate their work to donors.
d Y/dX – SUSU Healthcare: Research consultant, primarily responsible for the desk-based research and market analysis of mobile money technology and offerings across the African continent, in order to develop an idea for a product offering that provided accessible healthcare through mobile money. I was also responsible for presentation of those research findings, and facilitation of the ideation sessions with the client following both primary and secondary research.
dY/dX – RE:Solve: Design thinking facilitator and consultant, co-designing and facilitating an eight-month design thinking programme used in the City of Cape Town & Craft Design Institute’s social innovation incubator.

2020 & prior

Co-authored a piece with Alanna Markle that was published in the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners’ Futures Manifesto, speaking to our imaginings of a 2050, post-COVID future.
Producer/director of the short film Khayelitsha, that has won awards in Italy & Prague, and came 6th out of 2000 entries in the Nespresso Talent Competition
Producer of TIDAL documentary, an internationally acclaimed, award-winning documentary
Producer/Project Manager for Array Media (on projects for ASICS Tokyo & ASICS Europe – working with Novak Djokovic and Patrick Mouratoglou)
Started OCTOPI AFRICA (Pty) Ltd in 2019