MONEY SEP 2019 ISSUE 56

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COVER STO RY

Jeremy Cassar

A PREMIUM TASTE OF TIME

24 Steve Bonello & Ġorġ Mallia

IN THE LINE OF FIRE

18 Chris Bianchi

THE BIGGER PICTURE

38 Manuel Delia

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES: WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

10 YE AR

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6 · MONEY

People protested vociferously on the 28th of July to #SavetheTrees as they lined the stretch of Rabat Road holding signs and placards to protest the Central Link Project which will see the removal of hundreds of mature trees.

They protested again on the 7th of September in Valletta on the rampant overdevelopment that is hitting the islands with a couple of thousand people and approximately 70 NGOs declaring: Iż-Żejjed Kollu Żejjed (Enough is enough).

However, is it all in vain?

The NGOs are asserting that the current policies in place are not in the interest of the public and the country’s environmental wellbeing but seek only to suit the purposes of developers. From what we’re seeing, they appear to be right. Where’s the action behind the ‘environment is our priority’ slogan?

Not even the urban environment is being protected because there is no long-term vision and planning (traffic, pollution, noise, sewage systems, overcrowding – what’s the impact?) for the projects that are being approved! No wonder that NGOs have called for a moratorium on all large-scale projects.

WELCOME

While some 2,000 people took to the streets to voice their concerns and anger about the building issues, Environment Minister Jose Herrera thought it fit to take to Twitter to placate them by writing that he wants to listen… although the government is committed to delivering its electoral programme of course. Lest it be said that they slacked in that regard. Clearly the manifesto never promised to listen to its citizens and the people that it represents.

The news has just emerged that the Sta Luċija bypass has hit a snag as archaeological remains have been found beneath what was a jogging track. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage formally announced the discovery; however, the Save Sta Luċija Open Spaces Network fear that this will not stop work from proceeding, although Infrastructure Malta has stated that the necessary precautions will be taken and that different methods will be used for excavation, which will not damage the remains.

Unfortunately, we have no guarantee of this and no goodwill to base our trust on, so the future of these historical remains lies in the hands of the developers.

A recent report by Eurostat said that Malta topped the list of EU countries whose population has reported being exposed to pollution, grime or other environment problems – again, it’s the people talking, but is anyone listening? Malta recorded a whopping 26.5% of complaints compared to the EU average of 14% (as per 2017 figures).

The people’s voice and opinions are clear – they don’t want more buildings without long-term planning; they don’t want roads at the expense of mature trees; they don’t want Malta to become a concrete jungle (and we’re heading there at a very fast pace) – this is no secret, but there are no trackbacks, no reconsiderations, and never any resignations.

I suppose we should count our – extremely limited – lucky stars that 52 townhouses in Sliema have recently been given heritage protection status.

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COVER Jeremy Cassar Read the full story on page 22

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CONTENTS

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C R E AT I V I T Y

CREATIVITY IS INTELLIGENCE HAVING FUN Duncan Barry interviews Duncan Bone, group creative director BMW China at TBWA\ Worldwide, on the high-end brands his team deals with and the drastic changes in the advertising industry.

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ART

THE BIGGER PICTURE Duncan Barry interviews Chris Bianchi, a Maltese artist whose passion and dedication have brought him recognition in the UK creative industry.

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IN THE LINE OF FIRE Giselle Borg Olivier speaks to renowned local cartoonists Steve Bonello and Ġorġ Mallia about their thoughts and role within this animated setting.

C R E AT I V I T Y

CREATIVE MINDSET The name Malta Creative Collective been doing the rounds in the Maltese creative scene. Dayna Clarke speaks to co-founders Carla Grima and Rossella Frigerio to find out more about this movement of like-minded creatives.

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FINANCE

LOOKING BEYOND Jordan Portelli, investment manager at a local financial company, looks at the pros and cons of creative investments.

MARKETING

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT Richard Muscat Azzopardi delves into what is termed as experiential marketing and shares three golden rules.

COVER STORY

A PREMIUM TASTE OF TIME MONEY speaks to Jeremy Cassar, chief executive officer of Marsovin, about what it takes for a winery in Malta to lead the pack and remain creative in an industry that is thousands of years old.

POLITICS

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES: WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Political analyst Manuel Delia says that the ‘contract’ between citizens and the ones we choose to rule us should be honoured; if not, it’s time to kick ass.

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DE VELOPMENT

FA S H I O N

THE RISE OF FALL Autumn doesn’t need to be dull. MONEY colours in the season with bold and bright gifts.

DESIGN

FURNISH FANTASTIC MONEY adds style and substance to your home.

MASTER YOUR CREATIVITY The Edward de Bono Institute has been rapidly gaining worldwide recognition as a hub of creativity and innovation, here in Malta. In lieu of this month’s focus on design and creativity, Dayna Clarke caught up with the innovative hub’s director, Dr Leonie Baldacchino.

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BATTLE OF THE SEXES The Bluesman justifies why the US has dropped to lowest levels in the World Happiness Report for 2019.

MONDAYS TUESDAYS WEDNESDAYS THURSDAYS

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PA R K T O W E R S M A L L B O R G O L I V I E R S T R E E T, S T J U L I A N ’ S

F R E E

C U S T O M E R

PA R K I N G

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C R E AT I V I T Y

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Duncan has over two decades of experience in feature writing and journalism. He is also a freelance writer. In 2012, he was the national winner of the EU Health Prize for Journalists.

Creativity is intelligence having fun – Albert Einstein Duncan Barry interviews Duncan Bone, group creative director BMW China at TBWA\Worldwide, on the high-end brands his team deals with and the drastic changes in the advertising industry.

As a creative director who worked in London and now China, you work with top companies such as BMW, Adidas, Dior, Ford, Google, Nike, Honda, Sony and others. I would imagine such companies have very high expectations and seek creatives who think out of the box. When engaging in a media or advertising campaign, what is the drill, do you brainstorm ideas as a team or do you emerge with the idea yourself?

We work as a team, so ideas grow collectively.

My role requires me to be able to pick and nurture the right ones and learn to do this with multiple teams (creative and art directors, strategists, planners, producers

and freelancers) on multiple projects daily.

Experience enables you to do this, and personally, a love for design, typography, film and new technology helped secure my role within a very competitive industry.

Different studios tackle briefs in their own way depending on the scale and nature of the project and the team. In most cases, we would start with meeting the client to pick up and understand the brief. Then the strategists and planners lay the foundations of the project and create a detailed internal summary based on the client’s requirements, and their knowledge of the specific client and what needs to be delivered. Only then

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will we sit with the full creative team for the brainstorming to take place. Regular checks take place along the way to ensure we are on track to create work that is not only original and engaging but still fully respects the brand and the original brief.

Moving from London to Beijing hasn't changed this process much. TBWA is a large international company with a network of people across the globe. The work we do here focuses on campaigns for China for international clients such as BMW, Adidas and Apple and other campaigns for other markets including South Korea and Japan.

Advertising has changed drastically and is now mainly online. If you were to compare traditional advertising to the new modern way, what’s that one thing that remained?

MONEY · 15

The idea. Narrative and storytelling are crucial, no matter what the medium is. Great design and comprehensive digital executions still need a strong idea behind them. Looking at some of the best work out of Cannes helps to strengthen this notion and gives us and the industry faith in what can be achieved within existing and emerging formats.

Can you tell us what your first major piece of work comprised of and who was it for, and which was your most fulfilling?

When I first arrived in London back in 2001, I worked for a company called Random Media.

Within a few months, we secured projects with Sony PlayStation, and eventually, these lead to a young director called Carl Eric Rinsch (47 Ronin) contacting us to do work for Tony Scott’s film ‘Spy Game’, starring →

the advertising industry in the UK is facing various issues at the moment… due to the decision to leave Europe, which caused the budget holders of a large pool of international clients to be excessively cautious

Pictured: Duncan Bone

Wie können wir Menschen aus unterschiedlichen Kulturen zusammenbringen? / Ninon / 24 / Berlin / Wie kann man jungen Menschen helfen, ihr Potenzial auszuschöpfen? / Elisabeth / 30 / München / Wie können wir bewusster einkaufen? / Pola & Thekla / 25 & 27 / Hamburg / Wie können wir Traditionen heute neu interpretieren? / Torben & Jakob / 29 & 29 / Bremen / Wie schaffen wir es, den Menschen Kultur und Identität näherzubringen? / Melisa & Ömer / 25 & 27 / Berlin / Wie können sich Nachbarn wieder näher kommen? / Hannah / 30 / Berlin /

Was macht dich heute stolz, deutsch zu sein? / Tabea / 22 / Potsdam / Welche Bedeutung hat Heimat in einer globalisierten Welt? / Florian / 25 / Münster / Wie können wir das Gemeinschaftsgefühl junger Menschen stärken? / Philipp / 21 / Berlin / Wie können wir Menschen unterstützen, ihre sexuelle Identität frei zu leben? / Falk / 27 / Dortmund

Entdecke, was die jungen Deutschen heute bewegt und werde Teil eines interaktiven Porträts.

Rede mit #DEUTSCHLAND25

Google ad for Der Tagesspiegel g.co/deutschland25

C R E AT I V I T Y

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to New York by sea. We spoke on the phone, and he was so helpful and happy for us to use some of the documentary footage he had at hand, which become part of our online campaign.

Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. I was responsible for the global online marketing and designed a website which pushed what could have been done technically online.

A few years later, Ridley Scott started work on his latest project. He said to Carl: “I want a ‘moving’ website like my brother's!”, and we were contacted to design the global online marketing for Matchstick Men. I had direct access to the stars and the director himself.

My idea was to create an extended behind the scenes world with interviews and details of the story plus loads of bonus material which you could only find on this site.

All projects have their own importance and personal attachment. But the ones I value most are the personal ones I manage to work on in the little spare time I have. Mainly my films, and projects for personal clients that I worked on through my own studio, and film posters for films such as ‘A Single Shot’, ‘The Last Photograph’ and ‘Home’, to ‘ANIMA’ - the short fashion film I made for Louboutin and The London Design Museum.

We were an unknown two-man studio at the time, but this approach led to work which was true to the artist and his cause and to us winning the pitch. We beat some of the UK’s leading agencies in the process and created a compelling campaign which is still one of my favourite pieces of work.

What main challenges is the industry facing right now?

Home film poster design advertising roles because they love chasing the big idea. I have yet to meet a creative person who works in advertising because they love selling products. Advertising is a platform which allows you to continuously push yourself to create posters, films, campaigns and digital ideas for a living - at a constant fast pace. The necessity to be consistently creative is the ‘essence’ to our creativity. Advertising is the facilitator that keeps us hooked.

Do you always manage to grasp what the client brief is all about, even when it’s something that doesn’t personally interest you or have no knowledge about it whatsoever?

Campaign ad for the Barbican Duchamp season What is the essence of creativity, in your opinion?

That’s a big question. Einstein apparently said that ‘creativity is intelligence having fun’.

And as much of a cliché as it may sound, it is true. Most of the people I know are in creative

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Having some form of interest in the subject does help. Nonetheless, you have to be ready to dive into any campaign with the same passion, no matter who or what it is for. The common ingredient here is unearthing the answer to the big idea and doing something unique on a national or global level.

My work on the Barbican’s Marcel Duchamp campaign a few years ago is a perfect example. I knew the man’s legacy but still had to spend weeks, if not months, studying him and everything he stood for. We set up calls with his estate, and also tracked down the son of a man who had spent time with Duchamp himself as he crossed from Paris

From my experience, the advertising industry in the UK is facing various issues at the moment, somewhat due to the decision to leave Europe, which caused the budget holders of a large pool of international clients to be excessively cautious. Who can blame them? No one wants to be held accountable for signing large amounts of money on a campaign in a country that doesn’t know what’s around the corner.

The market is now saturated with new talent, old talent, small boutique agencies, and old school agencies that are expected to do ten times more work for the same amount of money. An industry that asked for print and tv and possibly cinema ads, now expects all of that plus social media content, web, interactive experiences, apps and more. Even if the budgets are separate; agencies want all the pie, so they are ready to do more for less in fear of losing out to a future that is more digital-focused.

A creative agency has the dilemma of finetuning its original craft or risk becoming a shop that caters for everything and everyone, and if not careful, dilute its core offering.

Dior Homme summer 2019 launch

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ART

18 · MONEY

Duncan has over two decades of experience in feature writing and journalism. He is also a freelance writer. In 2012, he was the national winner of the EU Health Prize for Journalists.

the

BIGGER PICTURE

Duncan Barry interviews Chris Bianchi, a Maltese artist whose passion and dedication have brought him recognition in the UK creative industry.

Cover for the Rough Trade 40th anniversary book You are a hand-drawn, loose and cartoon artist. How did you get here? What drove you to move out of Malta?

Ever since I was diagnosed with dyslexia in my young days I never got on with words. I turned to drawing instead, Iron Maiden posters at the time. Eventually, after going to Odysee, a ‘self-made’ art school, I decided it was time to go to the UK and get a proper art education.

At first I felt strange since I had never been to an art class before. Most of the other

students attending this course had been studying art ever since they were at school.

After seeing my work, my tutor suggested I was more of an illustrator and that is where it all started, focusing on the drawings and visual communication side of things. This would have never happened if I had stayed in Malta, although I do believe there are more opportunities for young Maltese artists these days. However, I still think one needs to go overseas at one point in time to get a better understanding of what’s out there.

You have been assigned work for brands such as Levis, HP, Channel 4 you name it, and have been at it for a good number of years now. How do you stay ahead of the game in your creations?

It’s important to have your own agenda and your own fully formed world or language.

This is what clients are after most of the time.

I guess this means working at your drawing even in-between various projects. You want people to look at your work and go ‘oh that’s

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MONEY · 19

a Chris Bianchi piece of art’ straight away.

However, there’s no harm in adopting a few different styles that show I can work on different types of projects, but still having a give-away in each piece to show the drawing is mine.

Can you mention some prominent artists you worked with?

Collaborating with other artists is something I like doing. Only last year I was asked by The Prodigy to do some test drawings for their new album and they ended up using a photograph. This was a strange one as the label didn’t give us access to the music beforehand, so it was harder to interpret and felt like pot luck. On the other hand, myself and Le Gun, an artist collective I work closely with, were asked to do some background drawings for a live concert by Madness to launch ‘the Liberty of Norton Folgate’ album. Working with them was great as we had access to their music and we spent time socialising with Chas Smash who in turn shared his ideas with us.

I also do a lot of work for smaller labels such as Faith and Industry which is run by a guy who is half Maltese. The artist is John Johanna. This was more intimate and both me and the artist spent over six months exchanging ideas and music. I also started a magazine called Le Gun (www.legun.co.uk) which featured loads of prominent artists

Le Gun, The Unknown Room such as Peter Blake, Tomi Ungerer, Robert Rubbish, and Henri Chopin, to mention a few.

How do you approach major projects in a bid to satisfy your clients’ needs? Can you mention a piece of work that was more fulfilling than others?

For most of the big advertising jobs, you must stick to the script they give you and you are almost the last piece in the puzzle, so it’s straightforward. Then you have clients who don’t know what they want, which is tougher. I think listening to what they have to say always helps, and if they have a visual reference even better, however, it’s very rare you are given a freehand to do whatever you want. A recent job was to create a beer can for Brew Dog. It was great as I could do whatever my heart desired, so I linked it to a series I was doing – a personal project called ‘Bonkers Gardens’. It’s good to have a mix of personal and commercial work.

If you were to pinpoint a creation of yours that really made a hit, what would that be and for which brand was it for?

Levi's jacket

With Le Gun, I drew a cat on the front of a t-shirt upside down for Duffer of St George; there were quite a few re-runs of this t-shirt.

We would work on one drawing at the same time and after a while we started making the objects we were drawing to the point where we would draw a room with all its contents,

Cafe de Flore, Paris show then start building the room. ‘The Unknown Room’ was born – a five-square-metre room – where everything in it was painted, from the frames on the wall, to furniture we bought and painted white. This turned into a show and it was first exhibited at the Brussels art fair, followed by exhibitions in Paris, Berlin, and London. I’d say this was one of the most successful pieces I worked on to date. But unfortunately, no one ever bought it and because it was bulky we had to get rid of it, the walls and floor becoming the walls of a studio and the furniture went off to various friends and galleries for safe-keeping. →

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What has changed over the years in terms of techniques, especially with ever-increasing technology?

Luckily, when I started out, email was the new thing and a blessing, being able to send images instantly is amazing and it also means I can work from wherever I am. In the past you would speak over the phone with an art director, then have a courier pass by a few times until the work is ready to be delivered to the client.

Stylist magazine editorial for Lily Allen

LAST YEAR I WAS ASKED BY THE PRODIGY TO DO SOME TEST DRAWINGS FOR THEIR NEW ALBUM AND THEY ENDED UP USING A PHOTOGRAPH AT THE END

The use of emails also meant that you could engage with clients easily and your website serves as your shop. A lot of people are turning to drawing directly on tablets now which I’ve not yet tried out properly, but this would make it even faster to get work done as it eliminates the scanning and vectorising of images. I do like the feeling of drawing on paper though, so I don’t see myself getting a tablet anytime soon. Then, there is Instagram which I tried to avoid using as I am not too keen on how it works, but eventually I had to get an account too as I felt I needed a platform to showcase my work. Clients don’t seem to look at websites any more or only do so once they’ve come across your work on Instagram.

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22 · MONEY

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COVER STORY

A Premium Taste of Time MONEY speaks to Jeremy Cassar, chief executive officer of Marsovin, about what it takes for a winery in Malta to lead the pack and remain creative in an industry that is thousands of years old.

Marsovin has been in business since 1919.

What explains your longevity?

Our focus is always to do better. Never satisfied with just doing ‘enough’, we strive to keep producing better wines. As a 100-yearold, family-run business, every generation works hard to maintain and improve upon previous successes. My main goal is to eventually pass on the baton in an even better state than when I received it.

It’s not always easy and it takes determination. My great-grandfather, Anthony Cassar, founded Marsovin after World War I. He achieved tremendous amounts at a trying time, and he continued working throughout World War II when many

businesses faced closure. But he emerged from the war as the largest producer and distributor of wine in Malta.

Well-taken decisions play a significant part, too. In our generation, post-EU accession was a difficult period for the wine sector in Malta.

But, ploughing ahead makes you stronger, so you can ride the wave when the good times come.

I am enjoying the stage we’re at as a winery because old ideas are coming to fruition. We have an outstanding technical team but, most importantly, we are a group of like-minded individuals with a shared passion. And, behind it all is a family that loves what we have done and what we continue to do.

What sets you apart from other local winemakers?

Putting oneself in the context of other businesses is useful, but self-reflection and following your own dream are vital.

Our standards are not set by the national standard; we set our own.

We have an extensive range of wines that have resulted from thorough planning and experimentation. For example, we’re the only Maltese wine producer using the méthode traditionnelle for our Brut called Cassar de Malte. And, we’ve been using this method for 20 years.

We also use indigenous varieties of grapes.

For our Primus boutique wine, we sun dry – rather than cold dry – indigenous ġellewża grapes. We’re the first winery to explore this unique winemaking concept using local Maltese varieties. Primus has received a lot of praise, and we are proud of what we have achieved using the indigenous ġellewża.

My father instilled this commitment to quality and the ‘less is more’ approach at the winery.

Ultimately, our results speak for themselves.

When you treat a winery as a commercial entity, you’ll do a decent job with results that are good enough. But we put a lot of heart into what we do, and our passion, dedication and innovation produce unique results of premium quality.

Winemaking has been around for thousands of years. Is there still room for creativity?

To remain true to the culture of wine, not

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much can be invented anew, but certain styles can be explored. Our journey with Primus was something that we’d seen on Pantelleria, but for Malta – with indigenous Maltese varieties – this was a first.

of the culture of Malta, but this has been disappearing over the years. I remember feasting on delicious Maltese produce as a child, but this is being lost because of our lack of exposure to agriculture. We have lost touch with where our ingredients come from and, consequently, as a nation, we don’t support our farmers enough.

There’s a classic stereotype about what a bottle of wine should be, and people love this about wine. Stepping outside of the rulebook leads to lots of fun creations, but they’re not going to sell, and you risk damaging what has been 100 years in the making. We remain faithful to traditional methods of winemaking, but we also embrace technical creativity. There’s a fine line, and our top priority is always to maintain a high standard.

We’re very creative in design. We sponsor Maltese artists in exhibitions and through our labels. This goes back to when Emvin Cremona was commissioned to create the first La Valette label in 1967, and we’ve kept it up ever since. For our 1919 range, we commission different Maltese artists every year to create two paintings, one for the red wine and one for the white. We’ve been doing this for a while, so we’ve amassed quite a collection!

Where do you turn for inspiration?

Inspiration comes from feeding budding ideas in your head and waiting for the right time to go for it. I travel and visit wineries to see what’s being done elsewhere in the world.

I also look to the team I work with because when you surround yourself with people who share your passion, the journey is more exciting and somewhat easier.

If no one’s built the road to get to your destination, you must create it yourself. If you can do it with people who share a passion for the concept, then a lot can be achieved.

My father fostered a great sense of belonging at Marsovin. We believe skills can be learnt, but what’s in the heart is the most important and inspirational element of the people with whom we work.

What would you like to see more of in the local winemaking sector?

I’d like to see more people taking up farming, which applies outside the wine sector, too. Great fruit and vegetables are part

MONEY · 23

This is a challenge globally because as an economy grows, young people end up in offices rather than out in the fields. Marsovin buys 1,000 tonnes of grapes every year, so, as a business, we are trying to address this issue by incentivising farmers. But a widespread governmental solution needs to be explored.

I believe a major problem is going to surface in Malta over the next decade when many farmers retire. People need to be more concerned about this.

What’s next for Marsovin?

I’d like to see more people taking up farming, which applies outside the wine sector, too

We are working on the future. On the back of our centennial celebrations, our attention has turned to modernising the winery technologically to increase efficiency in the long run, and we are also exploring agritourism in our vineyards.

In the meantime, we are always working on new and improved wines. It is this experimentation that has made us a leader in quality. Now, we are working on a very special red, which we hope to release within the next five years. It will take time, but as with every other successful Marsovin vintage so far, we’ll get there eventually.

To mark its 100th anniversary, Marsovin has produced an exclusive new wine which is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Ġellewża Imqadded, a faithful expression of a unique blend developed to portray the very best of the 2017 vintage. To commemorate this special occasion, Marsovin has produced a series of large format bottles, all packaged by hand at the winery, 75cl, Magnums (1.5 litres), Double Magnums (3 litres), Jeroboams (5 litres) and Melchiors (18 litres).

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Giselle is a freelance writer, proofreader and social media marketer who lives on Instagram and cappuccino. She runs Content for Success.

Steve Bonello Preferred medium: Ink/digital (newspaper work almost exclusively digital) Drawing since: 1980s, political cartooning since 1991

IN THE LINE of FIRE Giselle Borg Olivier speaks to renowned local cartoonists Steve Bonello and Ġorġ Mallia about their thoughts and role within this animated setting.

The genre of the political cartoon dwells in satire, humour, and art – an often-singular image that conveys a powerful message usually without the need for words, and therefore able to be understood by many regardless of language barriers.

The message of this art is often hard-hitting as cartoonists tackle socio-political issues occurring in the country, or world, at the time.

Internationally, one would remember the uproar caused by the ‘Mohammed cartoons’ commission by Danish daily newspaper

Jyllands-Posten in 2005. The cartoons sparked protests and riots worldwide with many Middle Eastern states boycotting Danish products.

Sadly, this was followed by another uproar 10 years later, also involving the prophet Mohammed, which resulted in the fatal shooting of 12 members of staff at the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo.

Historically there have been many striking cartoons that have angered, shocked, and

Photo by Mikela Zerafa

Ġorġ Mallia (signing Ġorġ) Preferred medium: Pen and ink drawing, scanned and coloured/finished on Photoshop using a Cintiq tablet Drawing since: 1977

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delighted readers, with cartoons being a very important message during war time – regardless of the war.

Political cartoons are largely based on satire. What is the message that your political/social cartoons aim to give?

Benjamin Franklin had published what is regarded as the first political cartoon of the US, Join or Die, in The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. The cartoon emphasised the importance of the colonies of the time coming together to fight the threat of French expansion and Native Americans. It became a symbol of colonial unity and freedom at the time, and re-emerged as a message of solidarity during the American Revolutionary War.

SB: Message? Seriously, I don't think I do 'messages' - the very thought scares me. It sounds too much like preaching... A cartoon is a cartoon. It either hits or it misses. It's either good or abysmal. It's either black or white with hardly any space for grey.

On this side of the pond, British caricaturist James Gillray is regarded as the father of the political cartoon, with his political and social satires about George III, prime ministers and generals. These were mainly published between 1792 and 1810; many can now be found at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

On a local front, political cartoons are a firm feature in newspapers with politicians and the socio-political landscape often being the punchline. I interviewed two renowned local cartoonists, Steve Bonello and Ġorġ Mallia, about their thoughts and role within this animated setting.

ĠM: Satire is definitely an intrinsic part of the philosophy behind socio-political cartooning, and this is based on the very concept of the genre, which seeks to pinpoint aspects of society and/or politics and highlight defects, problems, anomalies in them. And since another core of cartooning is visual exaggeration, then putting a ridiculing magnifying glass to those defects highlights them in ways that are immediately impacting and memorable. Some cartoons are intentionally destructive, and the genre lends itself quite well to this; others are corrective… meaning the ultimate intention is positive.

But the route to both is the same, with satire at the core of it.

You often have a platform and audience that is not available to the public. Do you feel a sense of responsibility when you draw cartoons that are published?

SB: Yes – funnily enough I do feel a sense of responsibility which is probably more than most politicians can say with a straight face.

When I recently drew a cartoon on abortion – or more precisely the discussion (or lack of) on the subject – I got my fair share of flak and accusations of baby killing intentions and such blah. It goes with the territory I guess... ĠM: The inspiration and execution of a cartoon remain the same no matter what the platform used for transmission, though some platforms are 1) more diffused than others; 2) have specific audiences; 3) have intrinsic restrictions based on editorial policy. Each of these can make me tweak how the message is treated. Once the cartoon has been drawn (and the angst externalised, if you will) then logically it needs to reach an audience. Like all journalists (and cartoonists are definitely journalists as well as visual artists), the sense of ownership and responsibility for that ownership, is always there. But once

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there is conviction about what is being communicated, that responsibility stops short of any reaction by the audience. For example, whenever I post a cartoon on my own Facebook page, I refuse to react on any of the comments about it, because for me the cartoon is all I want to say, and I do not need to justify it or explain my reasoning to anyone.

Have there been any cartoons that you have regretted drawing?

SB: If there are cartoons that I have regretted drawing, it is because they were poor in execution or carried little or no punch. I do not consciously court controversy and am also highly conscious of the society I am working in and (by extension), what that society might tolerate or not tolerate. ĠM: A cartoon always goes for instant impact.

In other words, it can’t really say “on the other hand”. It needs to punch hard and →

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directly. This is very intransigent, and there are times when I have been too intransigent, and the effect went beyond what I had wanted. At other times, because of the “one message” necessity of a cartoon, and because communicating with one visual+text caption is not effusive, cartoons I have drawn might have given the wrong impression, and there were no thousand word articles to go into the permutation of the subject. So, yes, there have been a (very) few times when I was sorry that I chose to communicate my point in quite the way I did. But most of the time, the impact is the one I am aiming for.

Cartoons are no longer found solely in printed media but are largely available online across various platforms. Has the message of political cartoons changed with the development of technology?

SB: Cartoons are now much more accessible because of social media. Memes and suchlike have also 'eaten' into political cartoons. One worrying factor is that the printed political cartoon (sadly much like the printed media which carries it) is on the retreat and, in the US especially, cartoonists are more and more being made to follow an editorial line that they may be at odds with. I have always looked at cartoonists as opinion makers (never mind that they are at the bottom of that particular heap) rather than the artist who carries out an editor's idea of a cartoon.

I L L U S T R AT I O N S

ĠM: Well, the essential difference between legacy media and social media is that the first has a gatekeeper (normally in the form of an editor, or publisher) while the second doesn’t.

In other words, while cartoons published in legacy media are vetted, checked, sometimes limited according to policy (so there’s the positive and negative there), cartoons published on social media have none of that and are at the discretion of the cartoonist him or herself. An unscrupulous cartoonist who has no ethical boundaries can do a lot of damage with this very direct medium in this way. Because the cartoon is a loaded weapon, and it really depends on the user whether it is used violently, subtly, etc.

Politicians are always in the line of fire for any cartoonist. Who is your favourite political person to draw?

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SB: I do not have a particular 'favourite' – people in power should be held to account and part of a cartoonist's job is just that. ĠM: Ah, but there are so many! Logically, the

I DO NOT HAVE A PARTICULAR ‘FAVOURITE’ – PEOPLE IN POWER SHOULD BE HELD TO ACCOUNT AND PART OF A CARTOONIST'S JOB IS JUST THAT

people in power are the people one aims at the most, if for no other reason, it’s because they are the ones doing something… and that something can often be punched full of satirical holes. So, I suppose, I have to say the upper echelons of government are my main target… and that is the way it has always been with me. Logically, I don’t try to balance my cartoons between parties… that is artificial and silly. I shoot at whoever irks my ire or tickles my funny bone. And they’ve all got a bit of shot over the years.

bloomcreative.com.mt

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ISSUE 56

Dayna is a senior speech therapist by day and feature writer by night.

When she’s not busy fixing words, she is travelling the world to add to her fridge magnet collection.

CREATIVE MINDSET Photo by Emma Tranter

Carla Grima Born on the Maltese islands, Carla spent her childhood immersed in the Mediterranean lifestyle. She recalls fondly her earliest memories of falling in love with design was during summers spent at her family’s ceramic workshop playing and painting on clay.

Carla was inspired to take her passion further by studying at the local design college, MCAST and then reading for a BA Hons in Fashion Innovation Management at UCA, Rochester.

Her studies led her to gain experience with fashion houses between London and Paris with designers Jonathan Saunders and Marc Jacobs as well as mentoring students at UCA. Holidaying back home in Malta in 2014, Carla was desperate to find clothing made from natural fibres that fit our hot climate. This organically inspired her to create a resort wear brand, Carla Grima Atelier, which is now based in Malta, produced in Italy and sold in Malta, Thailand, St Barths and Antigua.

The name Malta Creative Collective been doing the rounds in the Maltese creative scene. Dayna Clarke speaks to co-founders Carla Grima and Rossella Frigerio to find out more about this movement of like-minded creatives.

Her love for telling a story through carefully crafted production has inspired her latest collaborative project Salt&C, a Maltese concept shop hosting locally designed products.

Rossella Frigerio With both Maltese and Italian roots, Rossella was raised in Asia and completed her university studies in law at UCL and LSE in London. Following several years working in-house in a multi-national corporation and subsequently within Vivienne Westwood in Milan, Rossella decided to combine the legal, creative and practical commercial experiences that she had accumulated to co-found Sofia Capri – a niche sandal brand which was handcrafted entirely on the island of Capri. Alongside her then business partner, they brought the brand onto the shelves of numerous concept stores, malls and 5-star resorts internationally, including within several One & Only hotels in the Maldives, Mauritius and Mexico, Level Shoes in Dubai,

Eden Rock in St Barths and the King Street Precinct in Perth. Selected by Vogue Italia as one of the emerging brands to watch, Sofia Capri garnered press from numerous international publications, including Monocle, Elle Singapore, Vogue USA, and Conde Nast Traveller.

Today, since moving to Malta in 2014, Rossella co-manages her family-run hospitality venture, Locanda La Gelsomina and runs One Blue Dot, a consultancy that provides brand development services, copywriting and practical commercial advice for emerging creative enterprises and makers globally who uphold a positive purpose.

Photo by Justine Ellul

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What is Malta Creative Collective?

We began talking about bringing a group of creatives together after the two of us, with our respective brands, collaborated on creating a trunk show at the Westin Dragonara in the summer of 2016. We realised that by working together, each bringing our own experience and unique set of skills and contacts, we had accomplished so much more as a team than if we were to have run the event on our own.

This inspired us to share what we had learnt from this experience with the wider creative local community, which we felt was incredibly insular and lacking a genuine collaborative drive. In January 2017, we decided to bring together 12 creatives from differing industries, both local and international, to a ‘speed-dating’ style of meet-up where we all sat around a table at Camarata in Valletta and had two minutes each to introduce ourselves and our work. We didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t know if anyone would even show up, but to our surprise, the response was overwhelmingly positive, and this inspired us to continue organising meet-ups, which eventually led to the creation of an identity, a group name and logo, as well as a website.

Malta Creative Collective is an independent, non-commercial entity that seeks to promote positive, genuine collaboration between creatives based in Malta across differing industries while creating a space both for Maltese and international creatives to network and collaborate, for it is not always easy to get everyone together.

Photos (on this page) by Craig Hitchings The Collective also aims to showcase the incredible wealth of talent that is based here, and that is successfully pursuing a commercial venture using creative skills.

Through the Collective, we have organised pop-up retail events, workshops and talks geared at sharing knowledge and innovative know-how, and two editions of the Creative Circuit – a temporary multi-site event across locations in the capital city that aimed to showcase the diverse creative work in unconventional and lesser-known settings.

We seek to pursue a spirit of inclusivity - the Collective is open to all, and our meet-ups are free for anyone interested in what we are continuing to attend.

Who is involved?

Aside from ourselves, we collaborate with a diverse group of collective members who form part of a panel, and together we meet every few months to share ideas on future projects and gather feedback on what their →

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Through the Collective, we have seen, among other things, gallery owners discover creatives and subsequently collaborate to host exhibitions, fashion brands come together to co-host a rooftop pop-up, collective members run informative workshops and talks offered to the public, and the international press feature the collective and its members as a highlight of the island’s emerging and dynamic creative scene.

Tell us who some of the creatives involved are and something about their work.

Photo by Craig Hitchings recent creative experiences have been. We discuss how any of these experiences can be shared with others, both within and outside the Collective, to help nurture transparency across the creative sphere locally. The panel also helps us select prospective collective members, who apply to become an integral part of the community through an application form presenting at one of our meet-ups.

At present, the panel consists of Patricia Grech and Steve Risiott from A Collective, Natalie Rose Vella, Inigo Taylor, Gioia Clavenzani and Ivano Ghinelli from JAD, and Sergio Muscat.

Having said this, for us, every creative that approaches the Collective – whether on a temporary or permanent basis – is a valuable contribution to what ultimately we are all seeking to achieve: affirmation of creative talent grounded in quality and supported by a healthy, non-competitive vision.

Why is this important on a local and international level?

CG: When we began this project, I realised how much I had missed my days at university; brainstorming projects and discussing designs with my studio buddies. The working design industry is so closed and secretive that we miss out on feeding our imagination by closing our studio doors to collaboration.

I think it’s essential that we learn how to be open with each other, trust our ideas and respect others to create a broader creative

community both locally and overseas.

As a result of what has emerged from the Collective, Salt&C was inspired by all the creative studios locally and houses the works of some of our creative members.

RF: For me, honest collaboration across all spheres in life is necessary, for it is a precursor to growth as an individual and ultimately, to fulfilment. When we begin to realise that each one of us has something valuable to contribute in our own unique, distinct way that is intrinsic to our way of being, the fear that prevents us from sharing what we know naturally falls away. Highlighting the strengths of adopting this attitude is essential – both locally and internationally – because it ultimately helps break down barriers and hopefully inspire the next generation of creatives to do even better.

What has been the reaction to the Collective?

The Collective has been an incredible journey, for it has revealed just how many positive, open-minded and talented creatives reside in Malta who are embracing this collaborative spirit with enthusiasm. Every time we have thrown a call-out for information, asked a question or looked for help, we have always been bowled over by the positive response generated each time. As far as we have been able to tell, the collective and what it represents has been well-received by the creative community.

What results have you witnessed?

The Collective’s creative members – who are part of the online directory (maltacreativecollective.com) – form an integral part of the what the group pursues, and range from creative agencies and contemporary artists to illustrators and a KonMari consultant.

Is it challenging to start creative businesses?

This is a question which we often discuss at our meet-ups, as one of the main aims of the Collective is to support young/emerging creatives that are seeking to use their skills to run a sustainable business. Some of the issues that creatives face includes the absence of a centralised point of reference that offers clear and comprehensive information on running a creative business; few established creatives that mentor younger creatives, and generally a scarcity of innovative and positive creative role models that are leading the way commercially.

What are your plans for the Collective? Any upcoming ideas, concepts or events?

We aim to organise further meet-ups and a possible repeat of several successful workshops/talks that were run by collective members earlier this year as well as run the third edition of the Creative Circuit.

We are hoping to launch an annual or biannual independent printed publication that showcases the work of creatives (both members and non) on the island, and we would love to find a more permanent space that encapsulates the Collective’s spirit and showcases the creations of collective members.

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ISSUE 56

Dayna is a senior speech therapist by day and feature writer by night.

When she’s not busy fixing words, she is travelling the world to add to her fridge magnet collection.

MASTER your CREATIVITY The Edward de Bono Institute has been rapidly gaining worldwide recognition as a hub of creativity and innovation, here in Malta. In lieu of this month’s focus on design and creativity, Dayna Clarke caught up with the innovative hub’s director, Dr Leonie Baldacchino.

As director and senior lecturer at The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking at the University of Malta, Dr Baldacchino has been lecturing on entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation since 2008. She holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship from Warwick Business School (UK), an M.A. in Creativity and Innovation (Distinction) and a B.Psy.(Hons) from the University of Malta. Her academic research interests include the psychology of creativity and entrepreneurship; social, sustainable and inclusive entrepreneurship; and entrepreneurship education.

Can you tell us more about the Edward de Bono Institute?

The Edward de Bono Institute was set up at the University of Malta in collaboration with Professor de Bono in 1992. Initially, the Institute was concerned primarily with

teaching his thinking tools and techniques but, over the years, we expanded and diversified our activities into four interrelated subject areas, namely creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and foresight (www.um.edu.mt/create).

How are the thinking tools and ideology of Edward de Bono implemented?

The Institute shares Edward de Bono’s view that creativity is a skill that can be learned and improved through practice. His thinking tools and techniques, including the Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking, as well as a variety of other models and methods, are taught and implemented in our courses through a blend of theory, research, hands-on group work and discussions. Students are often required to apply what they learn to real-life scenarios, for example, by generating ideas for new products or services, designing improvements to existing offerings, and solving problems faced by organisations.

What is on offer at the Edward de Bono Institute?

Today our Institute offers a Master in Creativity and Innovation, a Diploma in Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a PhD research degree in the areas of Creativity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Foresight, and a variety of optional undergraduate study units.

The Master programme has been attracting local and international students from a broad base of disciplines for many years, and it has just been revamped in response to their feedback and recent advances in the field.

New study units include ‘Creative and Critical Thinking: Theory and Practice’, ‘Leadership for Managing Change and Innovation’, ‘Creativity and Innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industries’, and ‘Strategic and Entrepreneurial Decision-Making’ which will be delivered by a visiting lecturer from Lincoln International Business School (University of Lincoln, UK). This course also includes a Research Methods study unit and a supervised dissertation project, but students may opt to exit the programme without completing the dissertation. In such cases, they are awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Creativity and Innovation, provided that they have successfully completed the taught component (60 ECTS). This course is available both on a full-time and a part-time basis, with all lectures being held during daytime.

The duration for full-time students is three semesters while that for part-time students is six semesters.

The Diploma is a part-time evening course, aimed at individuals who would like to further their education and improve their career

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from a wide range of experiential learning opportunities through the many events and activities organised or supported by the Institute. These include the Global Entrepreneurship Week events in November, the World Creativity and Innovation Week events in April, and workshops with visiting academics from overseas. prospects or entrepreneurial capabilities but are not able to attend full-time day courses due to other commitments. Lectures are held twice a week from 5 to 8 p.m. over a period of four semesters (i.e., two academic years).

Moreover, we organise regular off-campus visits to a variety of organisations to enable our students to observe how the principles and theories learned in class are applied in practice.

The PhD offers qualified students the opportunity to specialise in one or more of the aforementioned subjects at Doctoral level. This course is offered both on a full-time and a part-time basis. The duration for fulltime students is three to four years, while that for part-time students is six to eight years.

A whole team approach

The optional undergraduate study units are offered to a wide variety of Faculties, Institutes and Centres at the University of Malta. They develop vital skills and attitudes that enable students to recognise opportunities and improve their future career options.

Opening doors for creativity Students enrolled in our courses may benefit

Lectures are mainly delivered by the Institute’s five full-time resident academics (including myself), with some involvement of part-time lecturers. Together, we make up a dynamic, multi-disciplinary team with varied and complementary qualifications, expertise and research interests.

What do you feel the biggest barriers are to prospective students wishing to study in this area?

There seem to be some misconceptions among the public, including some employers, about what the Institute offers and what value our programmes have in relation to the workplace.

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Many people associate creativity exclusively with the arts and are surprised when they are told that it may be found in any domain, including business. Others would agree that creativity is important in business but believe that it is the sole remit of those who work in creative industries or departments such as design, marketing or advertising. Creativity certainly plays a role in such contexts, but it is also relevant to all other kinds of departments, organisations and industries as it refers to the generation of ideas that are novel and useful in any setting.

Similarly, innovation is generally associated with science and technology, and is often believed to require breakthrough or radical change. However, innovation too may be found in all sectors and contexts, and it can derive from incremental improvements.

Innovation refers to the implementation of creative ideas to introduce products, services, processes, systems, policies, work spaces and business models that are different from and better than what was available before. It is a necessary step in any creative process because ideas need to be developed and implemented if they are to lead to any effects.

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Trailblazers MONEY interviews Franco Azzopardi, chairman and chief executive officer of Express Trailers.

“Leading a company means inspiring, motivating and imparting knowledge and experience to a group of people, towards achieving the highest-powered performance,” Franco Azzopardi, chairman and chief executive officer of Express Trailers, says.

“In my job, I wake up every morning with one objective, to strive constantly towards bringing the people together to work as a team without ever losing focus of our main purpose: that of adding value to our shareholders.”

How do you personally perceive the company?

I joined the company as non-executive chairman in 2011. My background was long years of experience in finance, corporate strategy, risk management, quality control, knowledge and people development. I had followed a conscious career trajectory modelled on Fortune 500 CEOs, from finance to the board room to the C-suite. One of my first tasks was to action an already drafted succession plan for Express Group. I knew I was joining a family business but what I found was a highly evolved company, whose founders, the Vella brothers, had built meticulously with passion, commitment and goodwill. Eight years down the line since my

appointment, I look at Express Trailers as an amazing success story built on a strong and reliable set of services and a unique obsession for customer centricity. Today Express Trailers is not only Malta’s leading logistics company but a pioneer thought leader and a game-changer, a company that continues to withstand the test of time, supporting Malta’s economic evolution, connecting it to the rest of the world and by acting as the vital link for thousands of importers and exporters operating to and from Malta. The company is differentiated to its peers through a conscious ‘built-to-last’ strategy strongly supported by its staunch credo in good governance, compliance and business ethics. This culture seeps down through all the strata of people, giving us a sense of camaraderie in the #WeAreOrange motto.

We tend to take transport and logistics for granted. Why is that?

Probably, it is because we got used to going out and buying whatever we need. When one goes to the supermarket, or a shopping mall or to a gadgets shop or a white goods seller, one tends to forget that all these things have been mostly shipped from abroad. We recently celebrated Santa Marija and recalled the famous Santa Marija Convoy. That was a logistics operation that saved Malta and its future generations. Malta is an island where its only resource is its people. We must import practically everything. As transport and logistics operators, we provide the missing link, not only to businesses but to all the population. Without logistics operators, business will be crippled but the country would be paralysed.

How does the company transmit its inherent value?

It’s not easy to communicate value to shareholders when a company is not listed on the stock market. When there is no transacted price-point, value will be a perception. What we do is we work very hard to sustain and to keep improving the perceived value of the company by investing in our three main business enablers namely, our equipment, our space and our people. Our bright orange coloured fleet was always at the forefront of any long-term investment and whenever the company looked at growth, this was always in terms of fleet resources because an upgraded and diversified well-kept fleet enables better and more efficient logistics operations that satisfy clients’ increasing demands. As long as we keep investing in new transportation vehicles in tandem with the best drivers, we will keep operating in the safest and most reliable manner.

The company’s value is also reflected in the people it attracts and retains. In fact, an indicator of the perceived value of the company is the low attrition rate in terms of resignations, and the high rate of feedback we receive when we announce vacancies.

We have worked hard with our strong management team made up of both family and non-family members. We focus a lot on our people, and we are investing a lot to offer them continuous training and education to turn them into true logistics specialists

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We focus a lot on our people, and we are investing a lot to offer them continuous training and education to turn them into true logistics specialists and better people overall

and better people overall. The HR function is more than just that. The lead person reports directly to the CEO and the journey together is that of Strategic Human Resource Management. The launch of our Express Training Academy last year and our recent massive investment in our new and modern multi-media The Link training centre, reflect the importance the company gives to its people, which ultimately return more value to our customers and our shareholders.

In many interviews, you refer a lot to the idea of logistics risk and its mitigation. How important is this for Express Trailers?

We have been building the Express Trailers brand on several pillars but perhaps one of the most important pillars is the management of business risk for our customers. All entrepreneurs face risks. We strive to be part of their solution. Whereas certain residual risks will always remain for the entrepreneur, a lot of it can be mitigated and this is what defines a transport and logistics company from others in the supply chain risks.

At Express Trailers, we look at risk at all levels of our service delivery and from a governance perspective, we constantly address this at board level. Our commitment is to remain equipped and experienced to give the highest level of confidence and peace of mind that if business people need a sound and reliable logistics operator, then they would be probably more sensible partnering

with a lower risk logistics company like ours.

As logisticians, we operate under the CMR convention, to which Malta is also a signatory and we have most quality charters in place.

Our company culture, its choice of people and equipment reduce drastically the risk of incidence of an event that results in business disruption and cost of replacing the cargo.

Businesses find a solid partner in Express Trailers. It comes at a price which is by far outweighed by the value and risk mitigation that gives businesses peace of mind. It needs to be noted that under the mentioned CMR convention embedded into Maltese law, unless a carrier is condemned of ‘wilful misconduct’, which is a very heavy-handed accusation, then the customer will only be entitled to around €10 per kg of cargo that was unfortunately lost or damaged. For this reason, we do our best to apply the highest best practices, applying all our long years of experience and investing in the best equipment keeping them in top maintenance condition. We believe this gives more peace of mind to our customer that accidents are kept to a minimum thus saving our customer the loss of profit, and the cost and time of recovering the damaged or lost cargo.

Where does Express Trailers stand with in terms of its international operations?

Internationally, most of our fleet is engaged on mainland Europe as we connect Malta to all the major markets. Indeed, we can deliver

from anywhere to wherever. Recently, in a bid to increase efficiencies, we have also acquired a company owning real estate in an important location very close to the port of Genoa where we are setting up our very own depot. We are doing this to supplement the Malta-driven demand and to also reduce the dependency risk. The local market will eventually correct itself, flatten or go down at some point. These are normal economic cycles which, however, could impinge on our performance. Genoa is strategically located for us because it is where most of the trailers going south or north, converge. This new depot, which will include warehousing facilities, a trailer park, a docking area, administration and a dormitory for our truckers, will help us optimise our truck and trailer movements.

How are you seeing Express Trailers’ future?

The future looks positive. Our business is largely driven by consumption and as long as there is a propensity to consume, business will be there. Pressure on housing prices can affect disposable income and therefore consumption patterns, but increasing population brings its own added demands on more imports. Exports are largely low weight and volume, less high value, which creates an imbalance in our tours. Genoa will help address the trade gap. Express Trailers has come a long way. It was no easy task. The going was tough, but the tough kept everyone going. Ultimately, hard work, courage, passion, dignity, determination and attitude were, and will remain, the main ingredients for this company’s future.

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New Work.

New Rules.

Speed. Complexity. Disruption. These are the things companies need to deal with every day if they want to survive and grow. They must innovate – and this requires a culture that fosters a new breed of hyper-collaborative teams. Read about how hyper-collaboration is redefining teamwork and me work.

Many teams today are adopting design thinking methodologies and agile behaviours to structure their work. By understanding their activities and behaviours, we can design spaces to help these teams work in new ways.

Teams are leading workshops, brainstorming, filling walls and whiteboards with content and coming together to share their ideas.

Team members sit together so they can stay connected and work faster. They also need moments of retreat from the group to focus, absorb information and process their own ideas.

There are different reasons why teams struggle. Many offices are still designed for linear work and do not enable the workflow, activities and behaviours required for design thinking and agile methodologies.

People feel a lack of control over their environment and struggle to balance their individual work with the demands of the team’s work. Usually spaces are designed with fixed furniture and walls that cannot adapt easily or quickly to the changing activities people do throughout the day.

Solving big problems requires big ideas, but it is very common to see that collaborative spaces are designed for sharing information which means people tend to sit, listen and participate more passively. These spaces quietly discourage people from becoming physically and emotionally engaged in problem-solving activities.

It is also often seen that an individual employee has multiple personal devices but less access to technology for group work.

When large-scale collaborative technology is available, the design of the space can become a barrier between people and the device, limiting their access and engagement with content on the screen.

The best workplaces support the activities of the team while nurturing the needs of individuals, thinking about the “Me within We”. Create a home where they can surround themselves in their project and display their

thinking and ideas. Quickly switch between team collaboration and individual focus work and reconfigure the space on their own as work flows and changes throughout the project. Physically engage with their content, change postures, move materials and gain new perspectives. Quickly toggle between digital and analogue tools for thinking, creation and collaboration.

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Oxford House, Triq L-Imdina, Central Business District, Birkirkara is open from Monday to Friday between 9:00hrs and 19:00hrs and on Saturday between 09:00hrs and 13:00hrs.

Follow Oxford House on Facebook or visit www.oxfordhouse.com.mt for more information.

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POLITICS

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Manuel is a political blogger who writes for The Sunday Times and manueldelia.com.

CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES: Why should you care?

Political analyst Manuel Delia says that the ‘contract’ between citizens and the ones we choose to rule us should be honoured; if not, it’s time to kick ass.

Illustration by ouch.pics

T H E D E S I G N & C R E AT I V I T Y E D I T I O N

Malta is not just a democracy. If it were, we’d take a vote on whether to abolish all taxation and it would probably pass. For a second you might think paying no tax would be a good thing. Until you remember you would not be that great at keeping the fences high around your little enclave in a zombie apocalypse where might is right. Someone must pay for security, not to mention social solidarity and cohesion. And then the little extras that make life worth living such as knowledge and culture Malta is not just a democracy. It is also a republic. That word’s contemporary meaning of distinguishing a polity functioning without a hereditary monarchy at the top is restrictive. Rome still saw itself a republic when it was an empire. Napoleon would not have distinguished between the two terms even as he posed with an ermine cloak studded with golden bees.

If being a democracy means ‘government by the people’, being a republic requires ‘government for the people’. Those who are temporarily entrusted with power must act in the interests of the common good, not of their own. The ‘res publica’ is literally the people’s business, not the governors’.

Enlightenment figures codified the relationship between the governed and the governors as a covenant, a pact. The

POLITICS

governed grant their governors power and prestige but they expect in return security and stability. Since the 18th century our expectations from our government have grown. There’s more to it than armies at the border. We expect policing even within our very own homes. We expect medical care. We expect schooling for all our children. And so on. Which is why we give massive power and authority to those from among us we choose to rule us.

But it’s still a contract. If, and when governors break that deal and think of themselves before they think of us, it’s our right to kick them out and choose someone else.

IF, AND WHEN GOVERNORS BREAK THAT DEAL AND THINK OF THEMSELVES BEFORE THEY THINK OF US, IT’S OUR RIGHT TO KICK THEM OUT AND CHOOSE SOMEONE ELSE

MONEY · 39

You’re in business. You may be the type that hires lawyers to write your contracts for you and sometimes you feel they’re charging you by word count as deeply esoteric and inscrutable clauses are added to your handshake and common sense. Don’t worry, most people are your type. That’s why we have lawyers. Most people are queasy at the sight of blood, which is why we have doctors.

Contracts you sign, with your suppliers, your clients, your regulators, your employees and so on stay on your shelf in the happy days. But you dust them off when you get problems. You resort back to the terms of your engagement when the engagement is not working anymore. Those illegible lines of arcana become your spear and your shield.

It is in disagreement that our humanity is best defined. We do not settle our disputes by determining territory according to the relative reach of our guns. We go back to our contracts and whether by agreement or by resorting to the arbitrage of the courts we allow those contracts to guide us to a solution.

That’s why you know you need to be careful about what goes in your contracts. You know you cannot let the excitement of a new business relationship let you assume it will always be rosy. Just because you like your new supplier – and since you’re signing them up you probably do like them – does not mean you can afford to overlook insisting on clauses in your contract for what happens if they cheat you.

Chemistry and emotional connection are important for a business relationship. But you still need the cold estimation of worstcase scenarios when sealing deals.

This is common sense, right? Business school 101.

Now the Constitution is your contract with your governors: not just the guys in office today of whom you might be, inexplicably, a fan, but of those who will follow them. You have no idea what they look like. And yet you know they’ll have the power to throw you in prison, to insure your retirement, or not to, to take a slice of your income and wealth of a portion they determine unilaterally and spend it as they see fit. →

40 · MONEY

POLITICS

ISSUE 56

You’re in business. You remember business school 101. Past performance is no guarantee of the future. Though you know you can learn some things from the past. Rights have been suspended, power has been abused, the people’s money has been wasted, even stolen. You know that for as long as you’re dealing with people, even the best of intentions can go wrong. When you engage an employee, it’s because you liked them at the interview. But who’s the employer who never got it wrong when hiring?

Now because this is a democracy you don’t even always get the government you choose.

How bad can that get? Business school 101.

When you sign a contract, you check it well or get someone to check it for you, especially if the other party produced a draft. You know that, right? You know you cannot trust your business’s liabilities and risks to its suppliers, its clients or its employees. You do know it’s your job to ensure the contracts you enter are fair and equitable and that they protect you if a day of trouble comes.

So how can you look away when the most important contract of your life is being rewritten by the governors you are trusting with your life? The Constitution governs the terms of your rights and the limits of any government that may rule over you in breaching them. If you think a debate on the Constitution is whether there should be the George Cross on the flag, they’ve succeeding in making you think this process does not concern you.

The debate on the national flag is as uninteresting and as cosmetic as you think it is. But surely you understand that the government’s power to take your property, your mobility, your access to knowledge, your children, your freedom, your money, even your life is a deal you should be keeping an eye on.

Business school 101. A deal is struck when parties have enough shared interests to find mutual benefit in working together.

The government and the Parliamentary opposition are not separate parties to the deal of Constitutional reform. Their interests do not merely have common touch points: they are identical. One side is the government today, the other side fancies itself the government of tomorrow. Relying on consensus between the main political parties for a Constitutional reform that benefits you is like trusting your suppliers of competing beers to fix between themselves the price they’re going to charge you irrespective of which of the two you’re going to buy from.

Would you let them write your purchase contract? It may be dull to see political parties

bicker and disagree. But it’s when they fix things in a smoke-filled room and come out smiling that you need to start worrying.

Malta’s Constitutions have always been handed to us by the British. Their concern was primarily their own and they kept for themselves the real decision-making power letting the rest of us think we were acquiring rights. Our own governors inherited that unchecked authority. That’s why we have so much brazen corruption. And that’s why when they get caught nothing happens to them.

But it does not have to be this way. It’s in your own direct interest to make sure this Constitutional reform makes things better, not worse, for yourself and your business, and your family, and your country.

If you’re still reading this, send Repubblika an email to repubblika.mt@gmail.com. Sign up and support an independent watchdog on this process that might just change your life in ways you do not like but can no longer control.

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FINANCE

42 ¡ MONE Y

Jordan is an economist and a portfolio manager for a local asset management company.

LOOKING BEYOND Jordan Portelli, investment manager at a local financial company, looks at the pros and cons of creative investments.

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Being creative in your investment portfolio is surely not an easy task. However, in today’s environment being creative might be an important preposition in achieving the desired objectives, in an ever more difficult market.

Traditionally, most local investors are inclined towards investments that generate an income, namely bonds such as the Malta Government bonds. However, recently we have also seen a wave of issuance from local corporates which are seeking financing for their business projects by tapping the local investor, as opposed to possibly banking facilities. Indeed, the local investor was and is still very supportive to local bond issuers, and this might also be due to the confidence of investors in the current robust domestic economic growth. However, moving out of the usual comfort zone and being more creative is an aspect which investors should take into consideration.

FINANCE

BEING CREATIVE

BY LOOKING AT OTHER REGIONS MIGHT BE A CONSIDERATION FOR INVESTORS WHEN MAKING INVESTMENT DECISIONS

MONEY · 43

regions, rather than solely being exposed to the local investment scene. The level of political uncertainty and possibly the lack of strong corporate governance are among the risks that investors might face when being exposed to such regions.

Creativity through sectors Creativity in investments could also come through sectors which investors might not be familiar with. For instance, over the past years we have been seeing some important commitments by investors in biotechnology and robotic companies. The former is involved in the use of biological processes which involve organisms to eventually manufacture drugs. While the latter involves companies associated with the development of automatic and robotic technology.

Over the past years both sectors saw a growing space of interest, given that many companies within both sectors continued →

Creativity in investments can take different forms in the investment world. However, creativity does carry pros and cons.

Creative through geographical positioning Being creative by looking at other regions might be a consideration for investors when making investment decisions. For instance, over the years selective emerging markets emerged as important contributors towards global economic growth, In fact, today’s share of global growth from emerging markets remarkably surpassed the 50 per cent level, as opposed to few years ago in which developed nations where heading the list, namely the United States.

Factually, selective emerging countries have over the years registered mid to high single digit growth figures, which undeniably were supportive towards generating returns for those investors who took the plunge and sought a weighting in their investment portfolio. A very practical example would be an exposure to Brazilian meat producers which hold a strong export element, and indeed over the years have offered investors premium returns.

Therefore, the high returns could be seen as one of the pros of opting to reach out to other

Illustrations by ouch.pics

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FINANCE

ISSUE 56

commodities, such as agricultural products which attracted investors’ interest over the years. Indeed, one of the interesting aspects of commodities, is that historically in times of high inflation shares and bonds tended to experience an erosion in value, while commodities have performed strongly. Thus, at times of a higher inflationary trend, not the case at all now, an allocation to commodities might offer a natural hedge against the fall in value of the more traditional investments. On the flip side, one of the cons of commodities is their abnormal volatility when compared to other investments.

to show important findings and prove important results. Namely, the biotech industry emerged to be an industry for buyouts from the big pharmaceutical players.

A case in point was the recent announcement

by Pfizer, the largest America drug maker, which announced that it would buy Array BioPharma for over $10 billion. Likewise, the increased demand by mainly manufacturing companies in search of automated systems, triggered remarkable demand by investors in the robotics industry.

Alternative investments (AI) The technical jargon would state that AI are financial assets which would not fall under the conventional investment world of shares, bonds or cash.

Another creative investment which recently increased in popularity amongst AI are arts and antiques. The said increase in interest led to the structuring of investment vehicles which track the underlying value of mainly arts. And yes, nowadays we are seeing investors considering an allocation in their portfolios to these types of investments, with one of the pros being the very low or negative correlation to the more old-fashioned investments. On the contrary, the more illiquid aspect of such AI is seen as one of the cons.

Interestingly enough, there exist investment vehicles, such as exchangeable tradeable funds, which give investors the opportunity for exposure to the said industry with low costs and diversification.

Locally, for many investors, property is considered as an alternative investment to the traditional aforementioned investments.

And it is a fact that many players within the industry which offer investment services, mainly over the past two years, have experienced outflows as investors turned to the property market to generate higher returns. In all fairness, this is a factual aspect given the current very low yielding and volatile financial market environment.

Ultimately, the above are a few examples of how an investor can be more creative in his investment portfolio. Surely, the current economic scenario is not helping investors in timing their investment decisions in the more traditional investments arena, however, central banks seem to be their supporting hand going forward for the time being.

However, being more creative will do no harm and it should be the norm going forward.

Undoubtedly, these are industries which can offer investors abnormal returns. However, on the flip-side, any undesired outcomes, namely from the biotech industry in terms of clinical tests, will hit harshly. Thus, yes they are creative opportunities, but the volatility consideration shouldn’t be ignored.

However, away from the real-estate market, there’s other AI which over the years have increased in popularity. For instance, commodities are one of the options in the AI world, with maybe oil being one of the most popular investments among investors. However, there other many other

Importantly one should be aware of the pros and cons of being more creative. Surely to many local investors, the creativity aspect was not one of the considerations in their investment decisions over the past years and thus being guided accordingly is imperative.

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T H E D E S I G N & C R E AT I V I T Y E D I T I O N

PROMO

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A Purpose-Built Environment For Purpose-Driven People In todays’ competitive world of work, there is an ever-growing recognition that employers who place a value on a healthy office environment and work life balance see the difference in employee retention, morale and productivity.

In contrast to the dark, stuffy cubicles of the past, or rambling empty hallways from inefficient retrofits, specifically designed office space is proven to bring a positive change to a company’s key assets: its people.

The Quad Business Towers is providing Malta with exactly the right ingredients for modern, functional office spaces, encompassing all the key aspects of a healthy workplace under its four roofs. Currently under construction in Malta’s Central Business District in Mrieħel, and set for completion in 2021, the towers are a unique development offering unparalleled services, amenities and convenience on the island.

The availability of versatile and functional spaces is a known key driver in office productivity. Office layouts at The Quad Business Towers enable tenants to provide their staff with open work areas, private focus rooms, meeting and lounge areas. Welldesigned ventilation and full height glazing

using a high specification glass brings fresh air and natural light into the office without glare or discomfort. The towers also benefit from professional high spec receptions and lobby areas, so that tenants and their clients have a positive building experience from the moment they arrive.

The four towers encompass a central piazza with spacious, open-landscaped areas aimed at providing a serene and calming environment. Mindful of the need for sustainable development, The Quad, forecased to achieve LEED® Platinum certification, recycled water shall be used for irrigation of these generous green areas.

Surrounding the piazza, The Quad Business Towers have also selected to provide the very amenities which will make that work life balance a little easier. Restaurants and cafes, a fully equipped fitness and wellness centre, childcare facilities, a stationery and printing service, and a leading supermarket are some of the facilities that will ensure

convenience is always at hand. Ample on-site parking facilities provide the most efficient and secure access for any person working out of The Quad, with secure bicycle storage and shower facilities also available.

Purpose-built office facilities provide significant operational benefits for companies over and above convenient amenities and quality of office finish. Tenants at The Quad shall benefit from the high levels of organisation throughout the logistics, security, management and administration of the development, which shall in turn allow them to present their organisations in the most professional way possible.

For more information about the amenities and services available at The Quad, you can visit www.thequad.com.mt/amenities.

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ISSUE 56

PROMO

BRIGHT SPARKS Matthew Grech is the managing director at Glow, a lighting supply studio specialising in architectural lighting design. He speaks to MONEY about his venture and his vision of lighting design for innovative architecture.

Can you tell us what drove you to start working in the lighting industry?

I completed a seven-year university Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in architecture in London, and came back to Malta in 2008 where I took some time to analyse what I wanted to do. At the time, the architecture industry and economy was not what it is today; in fact, it had just taken a downturn. I was doing some private, freelance architecture work whilst looking for the ‘right’ job to try and obtain my local warrant.

One of the projects that I was working on was the renovation of a large office façade which I wanted to illuminate in an advanced and innovative way. Meanwhile, I was also working on some interior projects which also needed new lighting.

I started researching about lighting and LEDs – a technology which had been around for a while, but was mainly used in aviation and other similar industries were they needed tiny lights. However, like many other technologies, LEDs were finding their way into the mainstream industry of every day lighting.

I was amazed at the overall saving on electricity costs and their environmental benefits; for example, a standard incandescent bulb needs to be replaced approximately once a year – think about the waste that this generates. ‘Energy saver’ bulbs last a little longer but emit a horrible light and are full of toxic chemicals which are then dumped in landfills. LEDs are small, clean, and efficient.

I realised that LEDs were the future in lighting and, coming from a business background

Photos by Chris Sant Fournier / MONEY

T H E D E S I G N & C R E AT I V I T Y E D I T I O N

I started pondering with the idea of getting into this new industry. I used the projects that I was working on to experiment with new LEDs that I had found on the market. I also visited international lighting exhibitions and started working with some European and Asian companies.

Eventually I began offering these products to other architects and designers and decided to upgrade my home office to a small studio.

We started working on projects for these architects and we slowly grew our product portfolio to be able to realise different kinds of lighting projects with varied budgets.

We now represent, and make use of, over 25 brands of lighting products ranging from low-end and white label goods from China, to the most high-end products available from all over Europe such as, Super Modular, Luce Plan and Flos.

You have undergone a re-branding exercise.

What's new?

Yes, after being in the industry for around 10 years, we thought that it would be a good time to refresh our brand and online identity.

It is easy to get stuck in the daily, mundane routine and forget the bigger picture, so the rebranding exercise also served to bring in fresh ideas and enthusiasm.

We are simultaneously launching our new website www.glow.com.mt where we explain the way we work and exhibit some of the best projects we’ve completed which we hope will help to attract more clients.

Which names do you work for and which brands do you represent?

We started out working with a few brands – the main one being Moltoluce who are still one of our main suppliers – and these brands become ‘your world’.

Over the years we have added brands to our portfolio, which is not always easy since most of the main brands would already have working relationships with other local companies; however, over time and with much effort, we introduced several brands including Super Modular and Luce Plan, and currently our latest big player is the renowned Flos.

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MONEY · 49

Can you give us an insight of how you go about your work in terms of operations?

The way in which we operate is the most important part of our service. We like to stick to our origins of being an architectural-based lighting design and supply company; being an architect myself, I try to look at lighting from this point of view which influences the way we work too.

We use 3D lighting software to visualise our work, as well as being able to check our lighting levels and present these to our clients. We also use architectural 2D drawing programs to work on architects’ plans and carry out lighting layouts. We are currently a team of six people in the office. Four are lighting designers, and two are qualified architects.

We have a person who is fully dedicated to orders and shipping, and the packing of goods is done in-house preferably by the person carrying out the project. Everything is packed and labelled in detail and with thought. This is very important as lights can get quite complicated so doing a good job from the start avoids having problems later, such as lights being installed without drivers or other mishaps which can easily happen in the mad rush on site.

Our bespoke service is the way in which we distinguish ourselves from the competition and we try to do this in the best way possible.

How is the landscape changing in the lighting industry?

When I started working in lighting LEDs were a new thing, now almost all lights are LED. In Malta, I think architectural design has come a long way in the last 10 years. We are seeing architecture which is designed well and looks appealing, and developers are realising that good design also pays.

Buildings have also become more

technologically advanced; possibly due to the fact that there are many foreign companies operating here. People are realising that good lighting can change the perception of a space if thought is put into it. Before, lighting was a bit of an afterthought, both in terms of design and budget as unfortunately this is where cuts were usually made.

However, clients are taking lighting more seriously and understand that this needs to be planned in detail in order to have a decent result. So, like other items in the costings of a project, lighting needs to have its allocated share to be successful and to add to the overall value of a project.

Any future plans?

Future plans would be to carry on doing what we are doing, and trying to work on better projects. We already worked on some of the most advanced offices on the island such as GIG Beach, Pender Gardens, Casumo and Catena Media, as well as many others. Our vision is never to become suppliers to the mass market or compete on high quantity wholesale deals, but to be the leaders in good quality lighting. Offering an unparalleled lighting design service and supply to the professional lighting sector.

ISSUE 56

MARKETING

50 · MONEY

Richard is the CEO of Switch – Digital & Brand, a marketing agency that forms part of ICOM, the world's largest network of independent agencies. [richard@switch.com.mt]

Rules of Engagement What is Experiential Marketing?

Experiential Marketing is everything you do that gives your audience an immersive real-life experience which allows them to engage with your brand in a way that makes sense for your brand. This means building or curating a remarkable experience at events and activations.

From something as simple as a promoter making you think about frozen pizzas by baking them in supermarket aisles, to Adidas sponsoring the FIFA World Cup – anything that puts brands in contact with humans can be considered to be experiential marketing.

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits to experiential marketing, but the main reason why experiential has become far more important in recent years is because of how the world is changing. People tend to value experiences over physical objects (and spend more on experiences than physical items).

What’s more: −−

−−

people see great experiences as currency for social media, they love having things to post about; experiences allow you to hit multiple senses - you add touch, smell,

Richard Muscat Azzopardi delves into what is termed as experiential marketing and shares three golden rules.

temperature, and taste over and above the usual sight and sound.

So what are events and activations?

We are passed the era of having your name printed on banners, such as "brought to you

by X" or "in collaboration with X" or, very obviously, "sponsored by X". As a brand, you get no tangible value as your name is only displayed on a banner, and your audience gets no benefits from your presence.

It is now all about activating the sponsorships – think of all the endless possibilities that you could tap into, in order to get people to actively engage with your brand.

A few examples to consider: Public events Events that you organise as a brand, that allow your brand to engage with external audiences. You can hold these at your own location (office, outlet or venue) or in a public space.

Internal events Events that you organise to help build your employer brand or to keep your workforce engaged. These can stem from classic ideas like team-building events and CSR activities, or be actively centred around getting your team to internalise the brand in a way that is beneficial to the team as a whole.

Activating sponsorships If you’ve put a lot of money into sponsoring events, you are throwing away your money unless you put a good amount of time and effort into getting the most out of it.

Plastering a logo all over the place won’t engage your audience – get them to take an action that makes the event memorable to them in some way. Get them to feel something different, and they’ll remember you.

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−− Post-event communications Once the event is over you have to ensure that people keep talking about the event, the experience and what they got out of it. You can use the media you managed to shoot at the event for your marketing needs, but if you can get people to keep on using your hashtags after the event then you can get residual benefits for years to come.

Activations or experiential marketing at conferences or fair participation Once you’re committed to a fair or convention you have to start thinking about the experience you’re going to offer on your stand or space. People tend to be overwhelmed, so they’ll only really remember the brands that have really made an effort to stand out.

Viral activations Events or activations that are held purely as a means to create viral content. Even though they are carried out in real life, the major benefit you’re trying to extract out of these is an interesting enough edit to help the story go viral on social media.

Influencer events These are events that are organised purely for the benefit of influencers, giving them the chance to interact with your brand in a way that leads them to create content about it.

As a result, all their followers will hear about your brand through their experiences, making it more of a genuine endorsement from a trusted source than a blatant ad. These are far more tailored experiences than a massmarket event.

So now that we’ve defined experiential marketing a bit better, what should we look out for when organising events and activations?

The three-experiential marketing golden rules 1. Stay true to your brand.

Don't do things just for the sake of shouting

your name – you'll be causing more harm than good. Start by planning your experiences around your brand values.

2. Don't miss out on opportunities.

Some brands organise great events and activations, but they don't talk about them.

When organising events and activations you have three main opportunities to communicate about them – the before, the during and the after. Maximising communications at each stage will amplify the experience’s reach and effectiveness exponentially.

How you do this will vary greatly based on who is invited and what you want to get out of the event, however if you leave it to chance then you’re missing the most powerful tool of them all.

3. Memorable experiences are worth talking about.

It's not only about giving away merchandise.

People like coloured hats and umbrellas, however, these will not win you any loyalty. At best, people will get to know you as the brand that gives excellent merchandise, but they will not think about how your brand stands out from the competition. People remember experiences that move them.

People will talk about remarkable experiences. People love brands that show them that they’ve understood them. You have to ensure that you’ve planned the value that your audience is going to get out of it and what they’re going to take away with them.

Even though we’ve listed these three golden rules separately, they are intricately linked to each other. You need to think of an experience that is memorable, worth talking about before, during and after the event in a way that makes sense to your business goals and to your brand. If you don’t align all three then you are running the risk of having a very expensive and time-consuming party.

And in the end...

−− Pre-event communications Start off by communicating ahead of the event itself. This way you can hype up the experience with people who are attending, generate curiosity and FOMO (fear of missing out) among those who would want to be there or simply giving the right information to the right people to ensure the event goes well. −− During the event Have a plan for how you’re going to communicate during the event and do your best to incentivise attendees to communicate about the experience in a way that works well for your audiences. Planning and communicating hashtags well is a good example of this.

Remember, experiential marketing should never live on its own. It should become an integral part of your communications strategy. It’s the only opportunity you have to hit all the senses to create a truly remarkable experience.

If you are launching a traditional and digital campaign, consider ways of including experiential as part of the communication.

If in your strategy you are including sponsorships to raise brand awareness, look into ways to activate those sponsorships.

And when all the work is done, sit back and watch as your brand is imprinted in people’s hearts and minds!

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FA S H I O N

52 · MONEY

THE RISE OF FALL Autumn doesn’t need to be dull. MONEY colours in the season with bold and bright gifts.

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1 - Nike React Element 87 Get Nike’s red-hot React Element 87 in an earthy colourway that the Swoosh is calling “Dusty Peach.” €131 / nike.com 2 - Suitsupply Havana To go full Italiano, pair it with a crisp white shirt, a subtle tie, and a piping hot shot of espresso. €379 / suitsupply.com 3 - Versace AO If Donatella Versace says you should wear it, you probably ought to. €750 / flannels.com 4 - Converse Chuck 70 Pony Hair Chucks are forever; giraffe-print pony hair Chucks are extremely right now. €95 / converse.com 5 - Wacko Maria As seen on the catwalks of Versace and John

Lawrence Sullivan, leopard print is a big musthave for the next season. €460 / mrporter.com 6 - The North Face The North Face's legendary Base Camp duffel now comes with two sets of straps (so you can carry it or wear it as a backpack). €135 / thenorthface.it 7 - Amiri Unleash your inner animal with this wolfemblazoned jumper from Americana-centric label Amiri. €789 / farfetch.com 8 - Celine Medium backpack in triomphe canvas and calfskin. €1100 / celine.com 9 - Rolex Air-King Oyster perpetual, 40 mm, oystersteel. €5,600 / elcol.com

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DESIGN

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FURNISH FANTASTIC MONEY adds style and substance to your home.

T H E D E S I G N & C R E AT I V I T Y E D I T I O N

1 - Poppin QT Privacy Chair Puts three high walls around you to block distractions. €1500 / poppin.com 2 - The Pols Potten Bricks Standing Book Shelf This shelf will look like a brick wall turned sideways when filled with books. €1600 / polspotten.nl 3 - Pro Idee Paper Bed Cardboard paper bed supports over 270kgs, while collapsing to ten centimetres thick. €400 / proidee.co.uk 4 - Hastens Be awake for the first time in your life.

Horsetail hair, wool and cotton are meticulously assembled, by hand of course, in a bespoke layer-upon-layer technique.

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5 - Elysium Chair The furniture designer, Dr David Wickett, set out to create a chair that would simulate weightlessness. In his pursuit, he carried out a PhD in bioengineering, writing an evaluation defining posture and gravitational force. €25,000 / davidhugh.com 6 - Dutch Bone This elegant chair features an updated Art Deco design with sturdy mahogany stained wooden legs tipped with fancy brass ferrules. €440 / form.com.mt 7 - Nebula by Flos In space, a nebula—made of dust—appears as a dark silhouette against luminous matter.

In the world of Joris Laarman, it takes the shape of a brilliantly crafted suspension lamp, luminous all the same. €9,750 / glow.com.mt

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L AST WORD

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The Bluesman is a Maltese sound engineer working in New York.

BATTLE OF THE SEXES The Bluesman justifies why the US has dropped to lowest levels in the World Happiness Report for 2019.

So once again, despite pessimistic gripes about the colder weather by those who seem to annually have a mental block when it comes to the cycle of seasons – and I’m not talking about a spice wheel – the weather creaked on to the next click.

Spring. Well, springish.

Certainly, springier than the previous couple of weeks.

Hot sunny days, warm rainy days, strong winds and thunderstorm days. Living up to the climate change we’re in the throes of.

Of course, in a few more weeks there’ll be the griping about the heat. What’s this, Florida weather? they’ll say.

It will get hot, no doubt. The concrete canyons of the City will magnify the heat of the day through radiation and hold it close through the night just in case the next day is a couple of degrees cooler. Here comes summer let’s be happy.

But wait. It seems people are not happy anyway. Not in this country according to the 2019 World Happiness Report. Whereas

15. New Zealand takes No.7 but Australia is 11th. Strewth Bruce! The key to happy living would be whether one has a stress-free lifestyle or not.

Illustrations by ouch.pics

Finland has retained its spot at the top of the list where it’s now the happiest country for the second year in a row, the US has dropped to No. 19 from No. 18 last year. The lowest it’s been so far. Out of the 165 countries surveyed there are five Nordic countries in the top 10. Pretty much all of Scandinavia. Even the UK with all the Brexit agonies and division ripping though it comes in ahead of the US at

Stress used to be sweating over the big stuff. ‘Mother, do you think they’ll drop the bomb?’ Now it’s ‘can I make it to the next paycheck?’

TV ads for coupons and discounts for prescription medication abound as people find their health coverage, if indeed they have any, has gaping holes in that the co-pay is at a cost which makes a person give pause and consider whether the money should be spent or held for other necessities.

Forty per cent of Americans couldn’t cover an emergency expense of $400. For a $500 outlay, it goes up to 60% who wouldn’t be able to scrape the money together. Enter the loan sharks and the quick loan merchants in their cheque cashing outlets or online charging usurious interest rates. Anybody needing another bite at this poisoned apple before paying off a current loan is destined

T H E D E S I G N & C R E AT I V I T Y E D I T I O N

to find him or herself in a descending spiral of debt. Ascending might be a better term, I suppose, given that the balance keeps climbing upwards. Nothing happy there.

There has been an effort started a couple of years ago to raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour. The minimum wage is set by US labour law and a spate of state and municipal laws. Employees are to benefit by being paid the higher of the applicable ranges. The last time this minimum was set was in July 2009. It was set at $7.25/ hour. There are jobs that pay more than this minimum of course but the bottom rung establishes the scale going up. Not to be forgotten is that those on that bottom rung still have to be able to afford to live.

Assuming a 30-hour work week, which a lot of corporations use as a ploy to avoid having to provide those pesky benefits like health, makes for $217.50 per week or $11,310 annually. Some states have already taken the first steps towards the $15 per hour. These are mostly the Coastal States and should reach the full amount in one or two years. Once there, the weekly total will be $450 or $23,400 per annum. This is still based on a 30-hour work week so it could be more at the top tier of fully employed personnel enjoying a regular 40-hour week.

Wait-staff are still waiting. Management relies on them earning tips and the mandated wage is only $2.13/hr. They’re also taxed on estimated tips [so remember to tip your bartenders and servers]. The Census Bureau reported the average income as $59K in 2016. An interesting snippet: hairdressers and restaurant staff earn roughly half of that, CEOs with large companies make roughly 361 times as much as the rank-and-file worker.

L AST WORD

MONEY · 57

The annual average every day, pretty much.

When Reagan spoke about ‘trickle-down’ he must have been referring to hair dye down his neck because there wasn’t any money showering on the people. This current administration couldn’t wait to attempt another proof of the trickle down concept and shot up another tax rocket hoping to watch the golden flecked leftover largesse float down on, at least, the fast-disappearing middle class. But computer says ‘nah’.

Giving massive tax breaks to the wealthy corporations usually means stock buybacks, giving a tax break to the low-income population means they’re going to spend it and put it back into the economy. Either way it’s going to the rich but in the latter case the working class folk at least get goods and services as a byproduct. But no happiness in your wallet.

Sometimes people assume that an issue is settled law. Roe v Wade adjudicated in 1973 seemed to be but is now suddenly under onslaught by the Right, where they have a majority in State Legislatures. Punitive laws have been passed, designed to cause reaction and legal action through the Courts until the issue makes it to the Supreme Court where they hope that having stacked the highest court of the land with hand-picked judges, the majority will rescind Roe. By the way let us not forget that President Obama was prevented from submitting his candidate for consideration, as was his right, to fill a vacancy. The GOP-controlled Senate refused to consider Merrick Garland, a moderate and respected jurist, as the nominee. Needless to say, immediately after the last election a Republican was swiftly seated. This was followed by the sudden resignation of Justice Kennedy, [whose son happened to be a global head of Deutsche Bank which loaned to the Trump Organisation when other banks wouldn’t] this paved the way for the turbulent installation of Justice Kavanaugh, another right-wing darling.

Overturning Roe v Wade may not be that easy, however, as the underlying constitutional principle regards the right to privacy and had already been upheld 7 - 2 in a prior case from 1965, Griswold v Connecticut, which was about marital privacy and contraception. This

was the connection that Norma McCorvey’s lawyer, on her second attempt, was able to use to take her case to the Supremes who ruled in her favour in another 7 - 2 decision.

Jane Roe and John Doe are pseudonyms used in legal cases where the real name is not disclosable. In a side note, the Wade in this case was Henry Wade who served as DA for Dallas from 1951 to 1987 and prosecuted Jack Ruby for the murder of JFK’s killer Lee Harvey Oswald.

To further enrage women, it took almost 100 years of activism for women to finally win the right to vote so it’s settled now, right? Done and dusted, yeah? Women are equal to men. Not so fast. After the vote was won, the Women’s Movement continued to pursue increased equality and towards the end of 1921 the National Woman’s Party began a campaign for an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing equal rights with men and by 1923 the Equal Rights Amendment was proposed. This was to provide equality of, and prohibit discrimination between the sexes. And there it sat for 40 years until the feminism flourishing in the late 1960s brought it once more to the forefront and finally its introduction in Congress. But it stalled once again as 38 states were needed to ratify it and only 35 states did. A seven-year deadline had been imposed but extended and then removed enabling Nevada in 2017 and Illinois in 2018 to join the ranks of the ratifying states.

Hopefully, before another 100 years go by, it will be done bar the shouting of course, as legal challenges are expected. No, the ladies have no reason to be happy. Only in a country ruled by lawyers does the obvious become subject to legal opinion.

58 · MONEY

NEWS

ISSUE 56

Research and development become office space solutions With over 30 years’ experience, Mascagni has acquired a wealth of knowledge regarding the basic fundamentals of designing office environments. These do not simply make the best use of space and volumes from an architectural perspective, but study also how people behave at their desk and their interaction in common spaces.

Branding luxury, from Miami to Malta Malta-based Hangar creative agency was recently commissioned to create a new brand identity and website for Brands Lab International (BLI), a real estate branding company founded in Miami, with offices in London, Munich and Lisbon. BLI works with luxury labels like Poliform, Martha Stewart and Salvador Dali to bring these brands’ design aesthetic, brand personality and expertise to real estate developments around the world.

BLI’s new brand identity and website needed to convey its sophisticated brand vision.

Inspired by architectural photography, Hangar created custom typography for BLI’s logotype, referencing building structures to convey a sense of substance and strength, as well as a custom brand pattern that reflects contemporary architectural shapes.

A restrained colour palette and clean, direct website design allow BLI’s projects and portfolio to take centre stage. The result is an elegant brand identity that translates across channels and geographic markets. With partners like Mercedes and Diesel, BLI’s own brand identity needed to comfortably stand out alongside luxury labels. And it does.

Hangar helps companies matter more to their customers and profit by putting people first.

Applying rigorous brand thinking to the pace of 2019’s consumer culture, Hangar creates

compelling brand identities, memorable marketing campaigns and insightful strategies. From pixels to packaging, Hangar also builds websites, apps and real-world products. Whether they are designing a user experience or an employer brand, Hangar’s work is research-led, results-driven, and human obsessed. Most importantly: their work works.

Designers, interior decorators and planners have always worked together with Mascagni to think with sensitivity and attention about how every office space should be furnished and reconfigured, listening to the needs of the client and finding solutions to their requirements.

For more information contact Oxford House Ltd on (+356) 2546 4000 or visit www.oxfordhouse.com.mt

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