I'm sure you've noticed by now that each #KnowItAll (that's what we call each other internally) has their own personalised icon. And yes, we do feel like superstars because of it.
It has been a YOUKNOW tradition for over 6 years to award our staff with custom illustrations of themselves on their 6-month "workaversaries" to show them how awesome they are and to immortalise them in official YOUKNOW history. But how did it all begin? And who is the mastermind (or master-hand) behind these illustrations?
About 6 years ago, our CEO Kelvin Jonck found himself scrolling through Superbalist (CityMob at the time) and came across this tangerine-coloured poster of 'The Dude' from 'The Big Lebowski'. A longtime lover of all things pop culture (as is evident in our office décor), Kelvin bought himself a print and hung it up proudly in his home.
He loved it so much in fact that he began to use a picture of the print as his icon on social media. 'The Dude' has long hair and a beard as did Kelvin at the time. "People always thought it was me," he said, "So this got me thinking, who's the artist?" After a bit of research, Kelvin discovered that his name is Bruno Morphet.
Bruno Morphet is a DJ and owner of a design company in Cape Town called Plan B Design. After reaching out to Bruno, Kelvin discovered that 'The Dude' was just one of many pieces that Bruno had created inspired by pop culture characters. Another one of Bruno's eye-catching pieces is of 'Dr. Gonzo' from 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' - also in his signature brightly coloured, simple, and flat style. With our office aesthetic, it made sense to have Bruno create icons like these for each of the YOUKNOW staff.
Since then, a "hall of fame" has grown on one of the office walls, displaying icons of all the past and present #KnowItAlls that have contributed to the growth of the company. "Not only do these icons add to the gratitude for people who put passion and time into the company but they also give employees a bit of identity within the YOUKNOW world," says Kelvin.
These icons truly bring us together as a unified force to be reckoned with, which is especially important in times like these where we don't often go into the office.One feels a sense of comradery and belonging - even whilst sitting at home on Zoom calls. They've also contributed to the evolution of the YOUKNOW culture and emphasised one of our key values of putting our people first.
Together with the talented illustrator Bruno Morphet, life has been given both to our online presence and our passion for being part of the YOUKNOW team.
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