Tag Archives: autostyle

Blast from the Past – Autostyle Overview

6 Jan

Way back in 2006 I created this little company overview to pitch us to potential suppliers, publishers and the like.

Earlier today I posted it on Slideshare.net to share the document with more clients.  At time of this post, Slideshare.net has it featured on their Automotive category

Islam and Online Sales (ecommerce)

17 Jul

This is an interesting issue.  Over the years I have asked various scholars and received fairly mediocre answers.  Personally with the Autostyle online store, it was started with the correct intentions.  Sure one of it was to improve turnover but also to provide a service to our customers with:
1) online catalogue,
2) easier & quicker way to order,
3) safe online enviroment to purchase,
4) door to door delivery,
5) servicing customers who cant drive to our store.
However, in Islam one cannot sell a commodity without owning it.  For you to sell a tyre, you must own the tyre and then sell it to whoever. I suppose using this logic the world economy would be in a better place right now. (more…)

Web hosting Recommendations

19 Jun

Recently I have been subjected to a spate of emails and telephone calls from friends and strangers asking me to host their website.  I’m no web hosting guru, and do not plan to be one.  Yes I have a the odd dedicated server, shared hosting and so on which I use to host my own sites and a few close clients.

Everyone else? Allow me to recommend a few companies.  The first two I can personally testify to their excellent service and competitive pricing.  You get what you pay for and the $1.99 rubbish from the so called companies, well that can only end badly. (more…)

Autostyle Show Posters – from 2003 till today

10 May

The Autostyle Motorshow is a favorite in Durban’s motor enthusiast calender. Every year we hold a street festival outside our Umhlanga-Ridge store.

Back in 2003 we had this silly idea of a motor show and if 20 cars pitched, we were happy. Were we shocked when the day came, at 10am there were well over 100 vehicles and thousands of people dropping their jaws at Durban’s finest automotive rides. Rest assured the show was a huge success and immediately we planned for the next year.

As the years went by, it grew exponentially, we learned from previous years mistakes and fortunately I seem to have grown a bit in graphic design skills.

Below is a collection of each years poster. 2008 & 2009 were done in Photoshop while the rest were in Corel Draw.
I cringe today when looking at the first few years. Personally I think 2008 & my version of 2009 are the best of the lot.

These posters are somewhat of a juggling act trying to keep all sponsors happy by placing their logos, adding as much information about the actual event as well as making it as visible as possible. These get displayed on street poles, magazines, newspapers, leaflets and store windows.  2009 Autotrader came on board as a title sponsor and had their designers update the poster accordingly. The last image below is the Autotrader version while the second last is mine.

Click on the images to view a larger version:

2003 1st June (Custom) 2004 30th May (Custom)

2006 4th June (Custom) 2007 3rd June (Custom)
2008-01junepostercustom.jpg

2009 31st may naeem (Custom) 2009 31st May autotrader (Custom)

Interviewed on Ideate.co.za

9 Apr

ImageA few days ago, after the last HeavyChef session, Fred from Ideate mailed me a short interview.

About Ideate: Fresh new ideas. It’s about small business. It’s about South Africa. It’s also about money, innovation, progress, and gob-smackingly brilliant concepts. Most importantly, it’s about the people who come up with these concepts. We aim to examine the crazy, hyper-charged world of the small business owner, the serial entrepreneur – and hopefully learn a few things on the way.

Read the full interview here
http://www.ideate.co.za/2009/04/09/1-min-with-a-superhero-naeem-mayet-from-autostylecoza/