Logo Progress

Below is the idea drafting, the concept sketching, and the progress of the development of the logo for the branding of the container.

Drafting ideas for the logo

In order to see the off black logo on the background of the blog, I have given it a white background to standout. 

The above logos are just the different designs to get an idea of what look I would like to achieve and of course what my client prefers.

Feedback and suggestions from my lecturer: that I should photograph the icons/images (rosemary, the seed/bean and the root) for the logo and instead of using a white background use cardboard to add texture to the clean style design. As the name of the container is in Zulu, my lecturer suggested to put the english translation next to the Zulu name so that other people can understand the branding too.

Deliverables

A confirmation of what is expected of me, as a designer, to present to our client is presented in the list of deliverables below (along with their respective target markets):

1. Logo design - the design is directed to anyone who comes into contact with the container, the produce itself as well as comes across the social media pages. Thus the target audience is anyone from the project managers, the manufacturers, the farmers to the consumers as well as people who aren't involved in any of the mentioned processes.
2. Container design - this design is more specific as the only people who will come into contact with the containers are the manufactures and the farmers themselves. However, photographs of the containers in their respective environment, will be displayed on social media so anyone who comes across these pages will see the design of the container. Therefore, those people along with the project managers, the manufactures and the farmers will be exposed to the design of the container.
3. Produce &/or packaging labelling - the labelling is to indicate to consumers that this produce was farmed freshly and locally and where the fresh produce was actually farmed.
4. Infographic - the design of the infographic will display how the container actually works and how the fresh produce is cultivated. This infographic is targeted to the same audience as the logo design, as anyone who is interested in the different processes, what goes where, how they operate and most importantly, how the fresh produce is actually grown. This infographic will explain everything to them and create a clearer understanding of the greenhouse container.
5. Pamphlet - the pamphlet will contain information about the processes required to grow the fresh produce, why certain plants are grown and cultivated and how this empowers the communities in which the container will be placed. The audience will be the communities that these containers will be placed in so that they know what these containers are and what they do.
6. Social media pages (such as Facebook) - the Facebook page will contain extra information for those who are curious about the greenhouse container. It will be kept up-to-date with relevant and necessary information as well as photographs. The target audience is the same audience as of the logo design, as for any curious people or potential consumers their needs hopefully will be satisfied by visiting the Facebook page.

Brainstorming of Container Names

Naming of the container is essential as not only will it become the brand name but it will also give the container a purpose.

These are the names (in english) that were brainstormed:

1. Food for thought
2. Mind and food
3. Hope through food
4. Life through food
5. Inspired by nature
6. Nature's blessings
7. Hope through community
8. Nature's little hope
9. Food restoring hope
10. Seed of hope

From the 10, the names were narrowed down to these 8, and with the help from one of my friends, they were translated into Zulu:

1. Seed of hope - Imbewu lethemba
2. Hope through community - Ithembo ngokusebenzisa umphakathi
3. Inspired by nature - Ugqozi Iwemuelo
4. Life through food - Impilo ngokusebenzisa ukudla
5. Food restoring hope - uKudla okuruselela ithemba
6. Nature's blessing - Isibusiso semuelo
7. Food for thought - uKudla kwenqondo
8. Hope through food - Ithemba ngokusebenzisa ukudla

From the 8, the top 3 were:

1. Seed of hope - Imbewu lethemba
2. Inspired by nature - Ugqozi Iwemuelo
3. Nature's blessing - Isibusiso semuelo

Therefore, the name of our brand and of the container is "Imbewu lethemba".

First Meet Up

On the 5th April 2016 I met up with my engineer, Francois Grobler, to discuss what exactly is required for me to. 

Myself and Francois

1. Francois explained to me exactly what a modular conversion container is, which is pretty much a fancy name for greenhouse container. It is a shipping container that has been converted into a greenhouse, with incorporating windows into the structure on the roof and the sides of the container. This container also has a solar panel on the roof and a rain catcher. The container will use the power stored from the solar panel for operational functions and the natural light to grow the produce inside the container. The water captured by the rain catcher will be used to water the produce, which is positioned on the one side of the container. Therefore, the basic structure, the design and the function of the container was explained to me.
   
   

   

   Potential container structure & design

2. After the description of the greenhouse container, Francois went on to further explain where and how these containers will be placed and implemented. They are being designed, as the cost of normal containers that have been converted for vertical farming purposes are astronomical, and in our circumstance it is unachievable. By aiming to design the containers in the manner described above, not only will it cut costs but also the likelihood of implementing these containers becomes greater. The idea is to put these containers in rural areas so that these communities can grow fresh produce to become self sufficient as well as to grow fresh produce for retail. 
3. Finally, what was required from me is to:

• Naming the container
• Designing the outside of the container
• Designing labels and stickers for the fresh produce or some sort of packaging
• An infographic and pamphlet
• Social media account, such as a Facebook page
• A landing page to a website

Planning time

Converted Containers

The converted shipping containers aren't a new discovery and in fact they are becoming extremely popular. However, this popularity doesn't extend itself to South Africa, meaning that there is a gap in the market that we are trying to tap into. The concept of these containers are either the same as an actual greenhouse, whereby plants are grown inside a glass structure, or as horizontal farming, whereby plants are grown in soil. Although the concept is the same, the structure is different. These containers are converted shipping containers that are designed to grow plants either using a hydroponics or aquaponics system and the use of natural light from the sun or the use of UV lighting.

Seeing as the conversion of a container into a better and more useful purpose isn't a new discovery, we need to look at what has already been done (both structurally and design). Therefore, in this post, we will look at companies that have converted shipping containers to grow their desired plants, as well as the name for the container and their design.

Converted Containers

Cropbox

Along with "exponentially higher" yields, the CropBox promises that their complete growing system also uses 90% less water and 80% less fertilizer than conventional agriculture does. 

The latest entry into the growing urban agriculture sector pairs a high-tech hydroponic growing and monitoring system with one of the darlings of the repurposing movement, the humble shipping container, yielding a "farm in a box" that can produce large quantities of fresh local vegetables year-round.

The CropBox, which is manufactured by long-time greenhouse builder Williamson Greenhouses, is an outgrowth of a project of Ben Greene and Tyler Nethers, who are developing the Farmery, an urban farm and grocery in North Carolina that uses shipping containers to grow strawberries, greens, lettuces, herbs, and gourmet mushrooms.
The rest of this article can be seen on Farm in a box produces an acre's worth of crops in a shipping container.

Growtainer

A Growtainer™ container (patent pending) is a highly engineered modular and mobile vertical production environment: a specially designed and constructed 40’ insulated shipping container that has been modified to provide the optimum controlled vertical environment for growing a wide range of horticultural and agricultural products in all environments and climates. The results are a significantly higher yield in a shorter time than all conventional production methods. With a Growtainer™ container, it is now possible to grow almost anything, almost anywhere.
More information can be seen on their website, under The Portable Farm of the Future.

Freight Farms

These shipping container growing units from Freight Farms feature high-density vegetable & herb production, and include everything needed to go from seed to table, year-round, in a fraction of the space as a conventional greenhouse.
Ideas for methods of growing more produce in and around urban areas, close to where the food will be consumed, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but one shape in particular keeps popping up in urban agriculture, especially when it comes to year-round growing and cold climates. Shipping containers (also known as intermodal freight containers), while probably not the first thing to come to mind when it comes to growing vegetables, are a great choice for upcycling and repurposing for urban farms, because they're affordable, readily available, and built to last for decades, and with some extensive retrofitting, can be used as climate-controlled indoor farms.

The rest of this article can be seen on Leafy Green Machine is a complete urban farm system in a shipping container.

Greenhouse Containers

Urban Farm Units

The limited space and pollution generated within our cities do not pose ideal environments in which to engage in agricultural activities. Despite this, the demand for obtaining locally grown food is there. New technologies of cultivation such as hydroponics are now making it easier to access fresh produce, as they can be applied in situations where expansive areas of land are not available. Damien chivialle has created an open-source model in the form of ‘urban farm units‘ (UFU), which seek to supply urbanites with organic provisions, while minimizing their transport in response to these factors.
Designed as a shared garden ‘aboveground’, the module consists of a shipping container with a greenhouse extension on its roof which may be moved and placed anywhere there is space. Its purpose is to be used to farm produce according to the needs of local residents, as well as enhance the existing fabric – shared gardens and restaurants – of our boroughs.
The rest of this article can be seen on Shipping container greenhouse urban farm unit by Damien Chivialle.

GrowUp Box

GrowUp was founded in 2013 by Kate Hofman and Tom Webster to build sustainable commercial urban farms growing food for local markets. With lots of online talk about aquaponics and urban farming, Kate and Tom wanted to get growing! They decided they needed a demonstration farm – and designed and built The GrowUp Box.
Built in 2013 with the help of over 300 supporters and a successful Kickstarter campaign, The GrowUp Box is a small-scale agricultural production unit as well as a space for events and community engagement.
Having spent the last year producing small quantities of delicious herbs, salads, microgreens and tilapia, supplying to local restaurants and establishing a strong network of advisors, partners and customers, GrowUp is now developing London’s first commercial aquaponic farm.

More information can be seen on their website, under their story.

Efficient City Farming

This year, Efficient City Farming took home the prize for the category Agriculture, Water & Waste. If that sounds like a shoo-in for a company that plants a greenhouse on top of a shipping container full of fish to create a perfect aquaponic ecosystem that can sustainably provide both protein and vitamins from any parking spot in the world, keep in mind that the competition was stiff. Then they bested the winners in all the other categories -- a story that will raise chuckles as the company grows under this bright new spotlight.

The rest of this article can be seen on Efficient City Farming wins top award at the "Academy Awards of Cleantech".

Therefore above containers, their designs as well as their names, is a quota of what has previously been done and sets the bar of what I need to accomplish. Majority of the designs make use of simple logos and the colour green. In order for our greenhouse container to standout and have its desired impact, the use of colour and brand design needs to be different from what has already been done.

Hydroponics & Aquaponics

Dependent on the produce that is grown within these greenhouse containers, will reflect in the systems that is used in order for them to operate. The two possible systems used to operate these greenhouse containers are hydroponics and aquaponics.

Hydroponics 

The articles and the video below explains hydroponics and how the actual system operates and its effectiveness. Hopefully this will create a clearer understanding of how the system could be implemented into a greenhouse container to ensure the nutritious growth of the desired plants. 

1. What is hydroponics?
2. Hydroponics Growing Systems One by One

Aquaponics

As explained for hydroponics, the articles and the video below explains aquaponics and how the actual system operates and its effectiveness. Hopefully this will create a clearer understanding of how the system could be implemented into a greenhouse container to ensure the nutritious growth of the desired plants. 

1. Aquaponics explained
2. Farming innovations

However, the field of hydroponics and aquaponics goes further in depth and that this post doesn't give these two systems justice. This post just explains the basics to create an understanding of the importance of what we are trying to achieve, as there is a lot more research, articles and videos that have been documented on the systems.

Urban & Vertical Farming

In order to understand exactly what it is that we are trying to achieve, an understanding of urban farming and vertical farming needs to be created. Now reading articles is never that fun and it is time consuming (unless you are passionate about reading and you are invested in the topic), so I thought the best way to explain these concepts is through videos.

Urban Farming

If this video isn't clear or you would like to understand more on urban farming then here are links leading to articles that explain the topic further:

1. Urban agriculture explained 
2. What is a CSA? A food desert? Six 'urban agriculture' terms explained
3. Cities can grow their food and reduce reliance on rural areas

Vertical Farming

The same applies, if this video isn't clear or you would like to understand more on vertical farming then here are links leading to articles that explain the topic further:

1. Vertical farming explained: how cities could be food producers of the future
2. Vertical farming: The next big thing for food—and tech