Southern Innovator Issue 2 Being Printed and Readied for Global Launch | 15 May 2012

The presses rolled this week for Southern Innovator Issue 2. The magazine will shortly begin its global launch. Southern Innovator is also looking for a special sponsor or two for the magazine. And it is possible to advertise in the magazine but space is limited.

Southern Innovator Issue 2 rolls of the presses in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Southern Innovator's Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Solveig Rolfsdottir.

Looking Back Over the Past 6 Years | 5 April 2012

I was asked to pull together a brief summary of what has been achieved since work began on the e-newsletter in 2007. While it can be difficult to gauge some aspects of this work – and resources are limited – it is possible to sketch a journey from a very different place back in 2007. This was just the beginning of the global economic crisis, and for many people, the turbulence of the following years has come as a big shock.

What has been noticeable is how far-reaching many of the ideas featured in the e-newsletter have been. What seemed fringe and marginal, is now front-and-centre in much of the world’s media. Think of the noise now generated about Africa and technology. The e-newsletter has tried to balance catching the drift of new trends with seeking out a common element of human resilience and innovation in the face of enormous obstacles and challenges. It is this aspect that seems to cross borders so well. Human ingenuity and creativity in the face of hardship is a compelling story.

Since 2010, in collaboration with Icelandic graphic designer and illustrator Sólveig Rolfsdóttir, we have tried to express this innovation culture in a visual form. It feels like we have more started on a journey still than come to its end. Like we have only just scratched the surface and have so much more to learn and experience.

Southern Innovator's Graphic Designer and Illustrator, Solveig Rolfsdottir.

Issue 2 of Southern Innovator has Launched | 23 March 2012

While it was just an idea in December 2011, Southern Innovator’s second issue has come to life and is now live online (ISSN 2227-0523). Its theme is youth and entrepreneurship. With global youth unemployment levels continuing to rise, fresh thinking of the kind found in Southern Innovator‘s second issue is urgently required.

Southern Innovator‘s second issue has many new features to help readers and make knowledge-sharing easier. The magazine’s design is also closer to the original vision conceived back in 2010 in collaboration with Icelandic graphic designer and illustrator Sólveig Rolfsdóttir.

Issue 2 of Southern Innovator Magazine in Production | 17 December 2011

Issue 2’s theme is Youth and Entrepreneurship and is currently in production. Issue 3 will focus on Food Security and Agriculture. The magazine is seeking partners to co-share the production costs. If interested, then contact southerninnovator@yahoo.co.uk.

The magazine is a rare opportunity to reach a large global audience, many of whom are in fast-growing emerging market countries and comprise the next generation of innovators and pioneers. The cover concept in development is below:

New Development Challenges, South-South Solutions Template

Designed by Icelandic graphic designer Sólveig Rolfsdóttir, the new template makes an evolutionary change from the template first introduced in 2007. For the first time, a QR (quick response) Code now links the e-newsletter to the Southern Innovator website.

© David South Consulting 2017

Southern Innovator Magazine is Printed and Readied for Distribution | 31 May 2011

I had the pleasure of visiting the printing plant to witness the presses rolling with the first issue of new global magazine, Southern Innovator. The magazine has been in careful development and saw its name evolve from Creative Sparks to Southern Innovator. As Shakespeare noted in his play Romeo and Juliet, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” And it is what Southern Innovator is that counts the most.

This first issue is just the beginning of a process, a back-and-forth dialogue with our readers as we refine and improve the magazine to boost its impact. The first issue’s theme – mobile phones and information technology – was chosen because of the sheer dynamism of this area and some jaw-dropping achievements: the growth of mobile phone usage in Africa represents an unprecedented take-up of a new technology, often in some of the poorest places on the planet. That impresses and it seemed right to share information about the amazing people behind this phenomenon and the lessons they learned along the way. It has also become clear in the research behind the monthly e-newsletter Development Challenges, South-South Solutions (published since 2006), that significant future development gains will not happen without the aid of mobile phones and information technology, and, important to note, will need these tools to raise living standards for all the world’s people in an environment of increasing competition and pressure for resources.

Used right, mobile phones and information technology allow the efficient use of resources. But, as anyone who has worked with technology knows, this isn’t a given. Vast sums of money and time can be squandered if technology is not used intelligently, or lessons not learned from past failures. It is hoped Southern Innovator‘s first issue can contribute to a better use of resources, and by taking a broad look at what is happening out there, enlighten readers to new ideas, people and concepts.

Southern Innovator is designed in Iceland by Graphic Designer and Illustrator Solveig Rolfsdottir.

© David South Consulting 2017