group of third-year graphic design students and a group of Kayamandi high school learners came together to uncover and discuss the particular skills needed to survive in the small township of Kayamandi. Visual documentation and eventually typographic layouts evolved out of the discussions between student-learner partners. The skills, researched by student-learner pairs, ranged from perfecting a street-wise walk and making routine neighbourhood visits, to balancing domestic and academic duties and trusting one’s own ability.