When two companies, with a combined 15 years of experience, saw how many businesses were struggling to transition to the digital space, they wasted no time in grabbing the opportunity with both hands. This resulted in Colour Me Zalto, a company that blends graphic design and marketing to help businesses navigate the digital world.
The name is a combination of the Colour Me Foundation, which is owned by Faith Edmunds, and Zalto Designs, owned by Zanele Nkosi. Nkosi, the designer of the pair, started designing in high school and graduated with a Diploma in Multimedia Design and Production.
“Designing fostered a love of fashion designing in me, but due to certain unforeseen circumstances I had to change,” she said. “I found out about multimedia design and production through City Varsity. That attracted my attention immediately, and I knew then that this is what I wanted to do.”
Nkosi worked as a creative consultant for ThinkFast Virtual and as a Digital Media, Graphic Designer, Brand Manager and Junior Account Manager for Cheeky Media. She founded Zalto Designs in 2019. Edmunds studied Advertising Management and later studied Business Management and Sciences. She said that her career as a marketing strategist began in 2012 when she started Cosmic Events and Marketing.
She moved on to work with different clients including Ocean Basket, Budweiser, Capello, Vaaltar FM Radio and GEM Heartbeat Foundation before establishing Colour Me Foundation in 2018. Colour Me Zalto was formed and launched this year, and it has already worked with a number of clients including J Beauty Parlour and Opulence Scents.
Nkosi said that their services are best described in the context of the digital economy. “The harsh reality is that we are moving into the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Covid-19 has accelerated the process and forced businesses to readjust the way they do business,” she said. “We offer the client the comfort of doing business the way they are accustomed to but in a quicker and more convenient way, helping them build closer relationships with their customers which is what technology fosters.”
Edmunds told Vutivi News that their industry knowledge and efficiency made them stand out. “We both have had the privilege of working with some of South Africa’s renowned brands,” she said. “We are both very strong-willed and focused on the vision we have set for ourselves.”
Edmunds said that when the company initially started out, one of the main problems were customers not paying. But the two women quickly worked out how to avoid this situation. “We always make sure we have a work contract with our clients and because most of our services are digital we can go back and “switch off” the light, that is to take down the social media pages and any other digital tool we provide,” she told Vutivi News.
One of the reasons thousands of SMMEs in South Africa have had to shut down over the years, especially since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, is because of an inability to go digital.
