The Design Indaba Conference is an annual highlight on the VISI team's calendar. We love the collective high we get from the amazing ideas that emerge from such a diverse group of talented people.

Here are some of our 2010 highlights:

Editor Johan van Zyl
For me, the biggest highlight of the annual Design Indaba really is the "Indaba" bit – Ravi Naidoo's fascinating fusion of creative disciplines and opinions in a mere three days – rather than DESIGN in pompous capital letters.

Greed control: Graphic designer and creator of The Daily Monster, Stefan G. Bucher, was a big hit. His statement that, "Money shouldn't be your primary motivator otherwise the quality of your work will suffer," really struck a chord. So did, "Debt is the new sin – it's an impediment to having a free thought. I'd rather say no to a job I don't want to do than own a big-screen TV..."

Farm Fresh: Li Edelkoort – she who often crosses bridges before the rest of us reach them – said our relationship with the earth and animals will deepen and both the farming and virtualisation trend will continue. She's even dedicated the latest issue of her horticultural magazine Bloom to the "Farm of the future".

However, unlike Li, I fail to understand how the popularity of the virtual farming game FarmVille can make a real contribution to sustainability.

Many other speakers touched on this trend – my personal favourite was Christien Meindertsma with her "One sheep, one cardigan" project as well as her prize-winning book Pig 05049 in which she traces all 180-something commercial applications of a single Dutch pig.

The Protofarm 2050 presentation incorporating individuals such as Frank Tjepkema with his Biosphere concept and collectives such as 5.5 focusing on foraging of urban food sources (from pigeons and cockroaches to rats and snails) was, at times, literally pie-in-the-sky but thought-provoking nonetheless.

Local is lekker: The conference ended with a presentation by the incredible Handspring Puppet Company (the on-stage giraffe had me covered in goose-bumps), followed by cartoonist Zapiro and Thierry Cassuto’s political satire ZA News.

From a strict DESIGN perspective, these two local collectives, as well as graffiti artist Faith 47 on Day 1, may not have been the strongest contenders but they did prove that entertainment is a magnificent tool to use for the greater (democratic) good.

Lastly, congratulations to The Jupiter Drawing Room Cape Town for the "Welcome to the playing field" sequences that introduced all the speakers – loved that.

Deputy Editor Annemarie Meintjies
Design Indaba's Ravi Naidoo never ceases to amaze me – he's always spot-on with his mix of creatives, designers and architects (but I'm sure Martha Stewart must've paid to be invited!).

Graphic designer Michael Bierut's work for The Library Initiative at underprivileged schools in New York will always stay with me – such simple designs; such huge impact!

I want all of Piyush Pandey of Ogilvy India's glue ads on my iPhone to cheer me up when I'm on deadline! My favourite is the Fevicol moustache ad. Watch it – I've never laughed so much. Amazing to see how humour can transcend boundaries.

I was really proud that SA architect Mokena Makeka was featured at this year's conference. He told us that, "Sustainable development is about the human condition – creating safe, uplifting public spaces; creating human relationships."

I'd love to arrange a readers' evening with him so that we can all learn more.

And of course the Dutch are in a class of their own! I simply loved Christien Meindertsma's concept of One Sheep, One Jersey, making us as consumers consider the individual sheep who provided the wool that keeps us warm.

The presentation by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Sonja Bäumel also blew me away. Her work combines fashion, art and biology. Imagine if the bacteria on human skin could be harnessed to create clothing…

Cape Town Decor Editor Tina-Marie Malherbe
Marcelo Rosenbaum was great. He's a celebrity in Brazil and is often stopped in the street and asked for his autograph. His work is a bit like Sao Paulo: vibrant, colourful, chaotic, sophisticated, rich and poor – all at the same time.

Marcelo's fame doesn’t come from the retail showrooms, lounges or products he designs, but from his home make-over show, "Home sweet home", which reaches 99% of the Brazilian population. He travels around the country, redecorating the homes of poor families. So, instead of just sprucing up people's houses, he makes a real difference in the community.

I was also totally mesmerised by the work of graffiti artist Faith47. Faith works mostly in and around Cape Town and her images live on old cars and hauntingly beautiful, old factories in inner-city alleys and highways.

A few important themes also stood out for me at this year's Design Indaba. These included the powerful theme of giving back to the environment and the community, as well as the collaboration of people from different disciplines.

Copy Editor Michelle Coburn
I was struck by the theme of humanitarianism and design for social improvement that emerged so strongly. In the words of design commentator Bruce Nussbaum, "Designers are now being seen as advocates, as change makers…".

Mokena Makeka's approach to architecture, especially when designing prisons and community centres, is quite powerful: "Design buildings that reflect the qualities you expect from the people those buildings serve."

The fact that his Retreat police station, which challenged the limitations of the brief he was given, hasn't been vandalized or defaced is testament to his belief that "Design is humble and serves a greater purpose than itself".

The Wooster Collective's discussion of how Ji Lee used The Bubble Project to encourage urbanites to interact with the advertising billboards and posters around them was also great.

Online Editor Carine Visagie
I'm a big fan of all things fresh, quirky and slightly odd, and if a designer goes to great lengths to achieve these three things, I'm impressed. This is probably why five projects stood out for me at this year's Design Indaba.

Royal College of Art graduate Thomas Thwaites attempted the impossible when he set out to build a toaster from raw materials (the result is a toaster that looks like a misshapen chunk of cinder toffee), UK designers Troika took an old patent – the flip-dot display – and transformed it into a breathtaking digital sculpture for British Airways Terminal 5, and Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma turned our way of thinking about pigs upside down with her beautifully produced book, Pig 05049, documenting pig products and by-products, some of which we’d never otherwise have known about.

Cape Town's very own Handspring Puppet Company wowed the audience at the CTICC with a life-size puppet of a horse, which lucky London audiences can see on the West End in War Horse. The intricate design and the three puppeteers who manipulated the puppet really brought it to life on the stage.

But for me, the most entertaining talk of the week was that of Stefan G. Bucher, illustrator and founder of TheDailyMonster.com. With a toothbrush, a straw and a pen, this creative genius breathes life into a new online monster every day. I'm hooked.

Features Writer Alma Viviers
In the weeks leading up to Design Indaba I was bursting with anticipation to hear the architect Alejandro Aravena's presentation on Day Three – the hunky Chilean didn't disappoint.

After the disastrous yet hilarious Martha Stewart presentation before lunchtime, the modest Alejandro managed to restore our faith in design. Unmatched in its clarity of thought and design communication, he demonstrated that creativity isn't the goal, it's simply what needs to be done.

Alejandro's designs, especially his social housing initiative, Elemental, embody his philosophy that design should be relevant, precise and irreducible. I sincerely hope that we as South Africans take a lesson from the success and brilliance of his work.

Joburg Décor Editor Klara van Wyngaarden
Alejandro Aravena's mathematical approach to solving social housing problems had a great impact on me. Building basic shells that people can build onto in the future is really clever. It was good to hear that MMA Architects may collaborate with him to solve some of SA's housing issues.

I also love the way the Wooster Collective from the United States celebrates street art. (I think it's a real pity that so much good graffiti gets painted over in Joburg).

I also love Guerilla knitters – real living graffiti.

Related articles:
- Having fun is the name of the design game
- Designers can create social change