| Durban | South Africa | |
| Poster Talk |
| Dale Halverson Sheet is a bi-monthly magazine, originally from Durban (a city in the Kwa-zulu Natal province) produced by and for South African designers, writers, artists and photographers. Its editorial team is a group of Durban designers who put the magazine together. < back It is literally a sheet of Din A1 paper divided into twelve squares for entries on one side. The other side is reserved for a special guest designer or illustrator to submit an A1 poster, as I did with this poster. It is a non-profit and freely available magazine, relying on public financial support and sponsorship. Issue ten is just out and is going on strong. This poster was made for the Taboo issue of Sheet.I wanted to keep the poster relevant to South African culture, dealing with one of the “sacred cows” of South African culture, the Springbok Rugby team. Rugby in South Africa is a religion. In many circles rugby players are almost gods, like soccer players are in Europe. When I made this poster the public disapproved of the selections for the national rugby team, the Springbok team, for the World Cup. Two of the most controversial selections (Bobby Skinstad and Percy Montgomery) made many wonder what they did to get on the team. Rugby is considered a hard and tough game. It is man’s rife with homophobia and very conservative. To suggest any rugby player exchanged sexual favors with the coach to get selected is an extreme taboo. That is exactly what I used. Because I love comic books, I wanted to give it an old pulp “Tales from the Crypt” style. It proved to be a very popular poster among rugby fans. My family is of Danish descent (hence my last name), my mother tongue is English, but I understand Afrikaans perfect. Having lived most of my life in Kwa-zulu Natal, I recently moved to Cape Town. I studied Graphic Design at the Natal Technikon, which, oddly for a small institution, has produced many good designers, including Brode Vosloo, Garth Walker and many others at Orange Juice Design. Natal Technikon is not rated as one of South Afrika’s best creative institutions, nor is Natal respected for its talents, yet somehow most of the creative talents I know come from there. Odd indeed. Natal is the underdog province in South Africa. Not much is expected, but it always surprises. < back |