Okay, so I said I was going to write this, and I meant it. I also said I’d try to be vulnerable and detailed, and listen, I’m going to try my best not to spiral into a TED Talk, but I cannot make any promises. Grab something to eat. (Preferably from Chowdeck. Obviously.)

How I Even Got Here

Let me be very honest with you: joining Chowdeck was not a plan. It was not a calculated career move. It was not me sitting with a Notion doc and a vision board at 2am. It was a DM. Damian slid into my Instagram, one conversation led to another, and suddenly, I’m on a call with Damian, Lamina, Amaka, and Victor, and it felt less like a job interview and more like catching up with people I’d known for years. Then Femi joined to seal the deal, and honestly? That was the moment I knew.

Day One Was Not What I Expected. At All.

January. Offsite. The entire team in one place. First day meeting everyone, and I’m just processing. Taking in faces, names, energy, vibes, the sheer amount of talent in one room. By day four, though? I was singing karaoke with the entire company. Full send. No fear. That’s how you know a team is built differently: you can go from stranger to karaoke partner in 96 hours.

Came back on Monday and hit the ground running. I mean running. Same day I joined back, I’d already put together the visual direction for our first campaign, shared it, and the response was unanimous heat. That was my first work at Chowdeck. Rukky, our insanely talented illustrator, and I locked in immediately, and it was seamless, zero awkward adjustment period, just work, good work, fast.

The Onboarding That Humbled Me (In The Best Way)

Here’s what nobody tells you when you join a food-tech company as a designer: you will talk to real customers. You will handle real complaints. You will respond to 400 (FOUR HUNDRED) people on Intercom. And, wait for it, you will physically deliver food.

When the support lead dropped that task on me, my face said everything. Egbami. I sat there looking at the screen like “deliver meals? Me?” The knowing laugh my manager and the team let out, that laugh was older than me, I swear.

But I did it. I got through the customer support side, answering messages, solving problems, managing people who are both hungry AND angry (a truly terrifying combination). If you’ve never spoken to a hungry, impatient Nigerian at 1pm on a workday, consider yourself protected. Customer support reps are warriors. Unsung, absolute warriors.

The delivery side, though… tried once. Nearly lost my mind. I was using Uber to deliver food, and Chowdeck’s own system was judging me because I was moving too slowly. Death. But you know what? That experience wasn’t a punishment; it was an education. It showed me what it actually takes to get one meal from restaurant to door: the riders out there navigating Lagos traffic, the ops team coordinating everything in real time, the customer support handling every single edge case. That context changed how I design. You design differently when you’ve felt the product, not just seen it.

The Twitter Moment (Yes, We’re Addressing It)

I made my announcement. Twitter found out I’d joined Chowdeck. And then, because the internet is exactly what it is, some people decided that, because I announced on a particular day, I must have only just started working. As if designers don’t work before they tweet. As if I sat in the office doing nothing for weeks, waiting for my “announcement moment.”

For the record: I had been working since I joined. The campaigns you were already seeing? That was me. Rukky and I had been building. The internet was confidently wrong, as it often is, and we all watched it from Slack, laughed, and kept moving.

The chaos came and went. The work stayed.

Valentine’s Day: My First Real Campaign War

Valentine was my first big campaign, and I want to be very clear, I was not ready for what it would take, but I showed up anyway.

This wasn’t just designing a flyer and sending it to someone to print. This was end-to-end: visual direction, campaign system, working with billboard managers, briefing printers, managing production timelines, understanding file specs, and doing print prep. Things I knew in theory suddenly had real-world weight when a wrong misalignment meant a ruined billboard at 6am.

I made mistakes. I made jerseys that didn’t make it to production. I got pushback on billboard executions. And here’s what I learned about being a Senior Designer: pushback is part of the job. Your job is not to be right the first time every time. Your job is to receive that feedback, understand it, and turn it into a better solution faster than anyone expects. I did that. The final output was genuinely insane. Chikamso joined the team and added fuel. What we pulled off together was the moment I knew: this team doesn’t play around.

Ramadan & Lent: Religion, Design, and Rabbit Holes

Coming off Valentine's, I had approximately zero rest before we were deep into Ramadan and Lent campaign planning.

This one required a different kind of care. Religion is not a playground. Colors mean things. Symbols carry weight. We had to be precise, not just aesthetically but culturally and respectfully. So we went deep. Dug into the visual language of both seasons, built patterns that actually spoke to the periods, expanded the system across every touchpoint: product, app, in-app banners, social, OOH.

The campaign landed well. The team came out of it stronger, tighter, and more confident. That felt good.

The Chowdeck Design Philosophy (What I Actually Learned About Designing for Real People)

One of the most important things working here has taught me is this: you are not designing for other designers.

You are designing for someone hungry. Someone who has three seconds of attention. Someone scrolling past your banner while arguing in a group chat. Someone who won’t read more than five words if you give them six. That person is your audience. Not the design Twitter person. The actual human who needs to know “there’s a discount, click here” without having to think about it.

That understanding shaped everything: the brutalist system we landed on, the thick strokes, the bold colors, the short and direct copy, the striking illustrations, the comical energy. We design to interrupt and inform, not to impress.

Everything Else We Built (In Brief, Because My Thumbs Are Tired)

Between February and now, the team shipped:

International Women’s Day — built a visual system that honored without being performative.

Chowscore & Bills — found a way to make financial features feel fun, which is honestly a design superpower.

Live Tracking — designing for a feature that’s inherently anxiety-reducing. People want calm and confidence.

Group Ordering — social feature, needed social energy. That was a fun one to crack.

Brand Ambassadors — creating a visual language that works for external faces of the brand.

Grow by Chowdeck — a different audience, a different tone. Business-facing. Had to shift the register.

Transport, Relay, King Glab — each one has its own world, each one requiring us to extend the system without breaking it.

All of these with Promise, Rukky, Tomi, Feyishara, and Damian holding it down. This team does not miss.

Chowstore: The Project That Stretched Me Beyond What I Thought Was Possible

Chowstore was the moment I had to learn the difference between good design and right design.

We explored. And explored. And explored again. I designed what felt like 200 logos (okay, not literally, but emotionally, yes). We were trying to create a fresh identity, a new name, a new visual world. After all that exploration, we came back to the Chowdeck mark and stayed with the name: Chowstore. And it was the right call.

That process taught me something I’ll carry forever: exploration is not failure. Getting to the right answer through 200 wrong answers is still getting to the right answer. The printers were on my neck throughout. Deadlines were aggressive. My attention to detail was tested daily. I survived it. Barely. But I came out the other side sharper.

What I Actually Learned (The Unsexy But Important List)

• Managing expectations. Upward, downward, sideways. Everyone needs to know what’s happening before they need to ask.
• Showing up regardless. Some days, the inspiration is not there. You show up anyway. The work ethic outlasts the mood.
• “No” is rarely the answer — find the version of yes. Before you say something can’t be done, map out what can be done instead.
• Overcommunicate. Then communicate again. Then once more for safety.
• Escalate fast. If something is on fire, say so early. Don’t be the person who waits until the building collapses.
• Own your work. End-to-end. Not just the fun parts.
• AI is a real tool, not a cheat code. We’ve integrated it into our process, and it’s made us faster, not lazier. Big difference.
• Correct mistakes immediately. Don’t park them. Don’t sit with them. Fix and move.
• Document everything. No, actually, everything. This one deserves its own paragraph. Hold on.

The Documentation Thing (Genuinely One of My Favourite Parts)

Okay, I need to talk about this because I don’t think enough people appreciate how rare this is.

At Chowdeck, we document everything. And I mean everything. Drafting a brief? Document it. Working through an idea in your head? Document it. Campaign just launched? Document it. Random creative direction that might not even go anywhere? Document it. Post-mortem after a project? Absolutely, thoroughly, painfully documented.

I came from places where documentation was the thing everyone agreed was important, and nobody actually did. Here it’s just… culture. It’s the default. Nobody has to be asked twice. And what that means in practice is that nothing lives in someone’s head alone. Knowledge doesn’t disappear when someone’s offline. The reasoning behind decisions isn’t lost six months later when a new person joins and asks, “Wait, why did we do it this way?”, because it’s written down somewhere.

For a team moving as fast as we do, and we move fast, we pushed something like 9 features in a single month, that documentation culture is the invisible backbone that keeps things from collapsing under the speed. It forces clarity before execution. You can’t document a vague idea; the act of writing it down makes you pressure-test it. And it gives the whole team a shared memory that no single person has to carry.

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I do. But genuinely? One of my favourite things about working here.

Okay, But Was There Any Fun? (Yes. Embarrassingly Much.)

I feel like this whole article has been “work work work campaign campaign campaign” and while that’s accurate, it’s not the full picture.

Going to the office genuinely brings me joy. Like, actual serotonin. Seeing everyone’s faces in the morning, the random sidebar conversations, the Slack chaos, the moments where someone sends something in the channel, and the whole office reacts at the same time, that stuff is irreplaceable. You can’t manufacture team energy. Either it’s there, or it isn’t. Ours? Very much there.

And then there’s the viral moments. I will not pretend I don’t enjoy it when the work hits. When a campaign/tweet drops and the replies start flooding in, people are screenshotting and reposting, the comments are going crazy, that’s fuel. That’s the thing that makes you want to go harder on the next one. Some people act like caring about reach is vain. I disagree completely. We make work for people. When people respond to it wildly, that’s not vanity, that’s the whole point working. And yeah, I enjoy it every single time. Immensely.

The bigger rush, though? Being on a team where everyone is operating at a genuinely high level. I don’t have to drag anyone. Nobody is waiting to be told what to do most of the time. Promise, Rukky, Tomi, Feyishara, these people show up. Every day. Fully. There’s something about being surrounded by people who are just good at what they do that pulls something out of you, too. It raises the floor for everyone. And it makes the wins hit completely different because you know the work that went into them.

Genuinely, being around superstars makes you want to become one. That’s the environment here, and I don’t take it for granted for even one second.

Real Ones Who Made This Worthwhile

Amaka, Lamina, Rue, Adeola, Oyinkansola, Olumide, Debs, Mr Kay, Franklyn, Boluwatife, Ilesanmi, Victor, Sauban, Fiyi, Sam, Jerry, Oba, Essien, Seun, Qudus, Demola, Dekunle, Emmanuel, Favour, Nas, Michael, Okeke, Ted, Tomilola, Cynthia, Hayley Elewee, and everyone else who made the first six months feel less like a job and more like something I’d actually choose every day.

Damian’s words always ring in the back of my skull. My immediate team, Promise, Rukky, Tomi, Feyishara, we are doing actual heavy lifting and hard, gruesome work, and that combination is rarer than people realize.

So. Where Are We?

I’m tired. I’m proud. I end most days genuinely spent in a way that only happens when you’ve done something real. The work is high-volume, high-visibility, impactful, and constantly evolving, and I wouldn’t trade that for a slower, more comfortable lane.

Six months in and I’m still learning, correcting issues fast. Still building.

If you’re a rockstar brand designer or motion designer reading this, yes, we’re looking. Come work with us.

To the next six months: let’s get it.

I seriously don’t know how to start this. It’s going to be long, exhaustive, and probably a bit self-indulgent, but I promise it’ll be worth the read.

I started 2025 with one clear intention: to top everything I did in 2024. Every single facet of my life, career, friendships, health, faith, family, travel. I wanted to level up across the board. I remember sitting down in January with the goal-setting template Aderinsola made (that I paid for, mind you), writing down everything I wanted to achieve. Looking back at that list today, I’m genuinely shocked. I met almost every single goal. And the wild part? I hadn’t looked at that list since January. I have this weird habit of setting goals, forgetting about them, and then somehow achieving them in hindsight.

My motto this year was simple: “Show, don’t tell.” And honestly? I showed TF out, no crumbs left.

Let me break down how this year unfolded, category by category.

Friendships: Showing Up When It Mattered

I got more intentional with my friendships this year. I planned monthly catch-up calls with each of my close friends. It worked for a few months before life got in the way, but even when the calls fell through, I made sure I stayed in touch, at least once a month. I hung out with people, invested time, money, presence, and prayers into the friendships that mattered.

I also made new, beautiful, genuine friendships. I met so many cool people who eventually became family. And that taught me something important: you haven’t met everyone who’s going to love you yet. There are still people out there who will show up for you in ways you can’t even imagine.

A few friendships fell through this year, and that hurt. But it also reinforced how valuable real friendships are. I made an effort to revive some of those connections, some came back, some didn’t. And I had to learn to be okay with that. I did my best. Shit happens.

But the wins? The wins were beautiful. Friends showing up for me when I was sick, at the hospital, at my event. Friends celebrating me, hyping me up, praying for me. This year, I won with friends.

Self-Care, Health, Fitness & Travel: Investing in Myself

The Gym Became My Anchor

I joined the gym this year, and it became one of the best decisions I made. On days when I was running crazy from life, the gym grounded me. It wasn’t just about fitness, it became a mental health tool. I took it seriously, made friends there, and built a routine that kept me sane.

Running Became a Lifestyle

I’d been running on and off for years, but this year I took it to another level. I ran almost every day. I made friends on the road. It became a part of me. Those early morning runs gave me the best starts to my days, clarity, peace, and gratitude.

I Explored Lagos Like Never Before

I picked up this habit of doing or visiting new places every weekend. I wanted to experience my city differently, and it paid off. I had spa dates, treated myself to fine dining experiences with friends, and just enjoyed the simple pleasure of discovering something new.

I Treated Myself Every Month

I made it a rule: every month, I gift myself something, no matter how small or big. I worked for it, so I deserved it. Whether it was a new shoe, a piece of clothing, or just a fancy gadget, I didn’t fail to appreciate myself.

Journaling Saved Me

I had always journaled, but i became more intentional about it this year. It became a release for pent-up emotions and feelings, and it made me more grateful. Looking back at those entries now, I see how much I’ve grown.

I Prioritized My Health

I took my health seriously this year. I ate fruits like my life depended on it, you literally can’t visit me and not find fruits in my house. I had a few health scares, but I came out of them stronger, all thanks to God.

I Traveled (Sort Of)

I traveled to Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Togo this year. Well, we passed through Benin and Togo, but I’m counting it. I had the most beautiful birthday as well. I spent a few days at IITA with an amazing friend, and it was the best time in the world.

Career: The Year Everything Changed

I had a couple of career goals at the start of the year, but six months in, nothing had materialized. I was frustrated, honestly. But you know what they say: a lot can change in six months.

And bruh, a lot changed.

The Promotion

By July, I got promoted to a Senior Brand Designer role at Cowrywise. The recognition felt surreal.

I Started Telling My Story

I’d always wanted to do more storytelling around my work and creativity, but I never really made the effort. This year, I changed that. I started posting more on Instagram, behind-the-scenes content, day-in-the-life posts, process breakdowns. People got more interested in me as a person, not just as a designer. And that shift was everything.

I Got Featured on The Hungry Creative Podcast

One of the emotional moments this year was getting featured on The Hungry Creative podcast. Bruh, that episode had the biggest views ever, both on Instagram and YouTube. I got to talk about my journey, my process, and what drives me as a designer. The response was insane. People I didn’t even know started reaching out, telling me how much the conversation resonated with them. It felt like validation that my story mattered.

LinkedIn Went Crazy

I’m closing the year with 10,000 followers on LinkedIn. 677,746 impressions. 34,707 engagements. Talk about work rate. I wasn’t even trying to be a LinkedIn influencer, I was just sharing my journey, my work, and my thoughts. But the algorithm blessed me, and the community showed up.

I Organized My First Event

This was one of the wildest highlights of the year. I made fictional designs for a “design’s not dead” event and posted them online. Partyvest saw it and said, “Let’s bring this to life.” We were gunning for 30 people. We got over 50 paid registrations and over 40 people showed up. Social media went crazy. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever done.

I worked on some of the most interesting projects of my career and got paid well for them. I had so much fun with my work, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted, to do cool stuff I enjoy while making money from it.

I Spoke at UDC

I had my first major speaking engagement this year at UDC, the biggest design conference in West Africa. The turnout, the feedback, the appraisals, it was all insane. I felt like I was finally stepping into a bigger version of myself.

I (Finally) Started Building My Website

I also finally started building my portfolio website. Only God knows how long that’s going to take me, but at least I started.

And Then I Resigned

After two years at Cowrywise, I resigned. It was a sad goodbye. Cowrywise gave me wings to fly. The culture, the people, the freedom, the impact, I’ll never forget it. But life goes on. And I’m excited for what’s next.

Self-Growth: Refining My Craft

I committed to studying at least 1–2 design projects every day from top design studios around the world. It refined my taste and sharpened my eye for great work. I read books on marketing, layouts, systems, branding, and design. I consumed knowledge like it was oxygen.

I also picked up Duolingo again and was doing great, 235-day streak learning Mandarin (xie xie, by the way), until I lost the streak. And then I immediately abandoned it. Classic me.

Side Quests: Exploring Other Passions

I Started Learning How to DJ

I’ve always had impeccable taste in music, so why not learn how to mix? I started taking DJ lessons this year, and it’s been so much fun. Music has always been a love of mine, and now I’m learning how to create experiences with it.

I Got Back on Set

I was on set with Deji Oluokun for a modeling shoot, and it refueled my first love for the craft. Modeling has always been a passion of mine, and being in front of the camera again reminded me why I loved it in the first place.

What This Year Taught Me

2025 taught me that a lot can change in a year. Six months in, I felt stuck. Twelve months in, I felt unstoppable.

This year taught me the power of:

• Resilience — Keep going, even when nothing seems to be moving.
• Prayers — I prayed more this year than I ever have, and I saw the results.
• Community — Friendships, family, they all carried me when I couldn’t carry myself.
• Hardwork — There’s no substitute for putting in the work.
• Audacity — Sometimes you just have to bet on yourself and go for it.

Looking Ahead

I don’t know what 2026 holds, but if it’s anything like the second half of 2025, I’m ready.

My motto for next year? “Keep showing.”

Because the work speaks. The results speak. The impact speaks.

And I’m just getting started.

Cheers to 2025. What a ride.

Picture this: a blank Figma canvas. 72 hours to launch. My brain? Emptier than the artboard.

The team needs illustrations for our new Stocks product. Stocks. Risk. Charts. My mind? Blank. Then it hits me, just like a rollercoaster. The ups, the downs, the stomach-dropping thrill of it all. I present the concept the next morning, the room goes silent, and then: “This is it.”

We launched with a whole campaign, teasers, a photoshoot featuring me, and social media absolutely lost it. The result? A spike in product signups in the first week.

That’s been my year at Cowrywise, one year and eleven months of turning panic into campaigns, finance jargon into stories people feel and love, and imposter syndrome into an Outstanding Hire award.

How is it already my one-year workiversary? Time flies when you’re constantly creating at the core of a leading brand’s design direction, where design isn’t decoration, it’s how we make wealth-building simple for millions of Africans.

Let me take you through what I’ve learned.

Making Money Fun for Nigerians

When I joined Cowrywise last January, the imposter syndrome was real. I looked at the brand and thought, “They’re already doing amazing things. Where do I even fit in?”

But instead of just fitting in, I decided to stand out. I started doing things nobody sent me to do —classic self-starter energy. By mid-year, I’d earned the Outstanding Hire award, and by July this year, I leveled up to Senior Brand Designer.

My mission became clear: turn all those scary finance words into visuals and campaigns people actually get, and love. My focus shifted from creating beautiful visuals to designing for strategic business impact. I wanted people to think of Cowrywise and feel that fresh, “I’ve got this” vibe. It’s all about empathy, relatability, and a touch of class.

The Projects That Defined Year One

Looking back, a few projects perfectly capture the madness and magic of this year.

Stocks by Cowrywise
I already told you about the rollercoaster panic. What I didn’t mention: I also modeled for the campaign shoot. Watching my face on our social channels while the signups rolled in was unreal. This was proof that deliberate, bold marketing works when you’re willing to take creative risks.

“Lagos Never Sleeps”
Remember our billboards? We broke the internet once, then decided to do it again. The insight was simple: if Lagos as a city never sleeps, why should your money? I illustrated iconic Lagos landmarks, and the conversation exploded, our most-engaged outdoor campaign to date. Cultural insight plus bold design equals magic.

Special Days: My Creative Playground
From Valentine’s to Eid to April Fool’s, these became my moments to flex both design and copywriting skills. The challenge? Making finance feel human, timely, and real. How do you tie money conversations to Workers’ Day? You get creative, and you make it matter.

App & Play Store Glow-Up
The storefront is often the first visual touchpoint for new users, so I led a complete revamp of our App Store and Play Store assets. Everything became cleaner, more us, and way more compelling. The result? A significant increase in conversion from store visit to download in three months. I even wrote the copy with Feyi, turns out I design and write fire.

The Real Tea: Year-One Mantras

Achieving these results wasn’t accidental. It was built on principles I now live by:

Collaboration is my superpower
Never design in a dark room alone. Our best campaign ideas started as random jokes in the Slack channel. I’ve dragged growth marketers and CX team members into Figma files for quick feedback. Hearing a customer’s story adds the empathy your design might be missing.

Proactive hustle beats assigned tasks
I stopped waiting for briefs and started creating my own. If I saw a gap in our visual story, I’d mock it up and post it on #media-assets. I became the designer who always had something cooking in Figma. This isn’t about being a workaholic; it’s about owning your corner so much that you’re planting seeds for the future.

Rest is a creative tool, not a reward
I learned this after a few burnout episodes. I now have non-negotiable “screen-off” times. I hit the gym, disappear for weekends, dance terribly for fun. My best ideas? Always away from my desk. Your brain needs time to connect the dots. If you’re always “on,” you’re just recycling old ideas.

Your job is a slice of life, not the whole pie
I made sure my work wasn’t my entire personality. I traveled, went on fun dates, took on random passion projects. This outside life fuels my work. The conversations I overhear, the colors I see in a market, the frustration of a bad user experience elsewhere, it all informs my design. You can’t design for real people if you’re not living an authentic life yourself.

Show, don’t just tell
Be the person known for remarkable work, relentless reliability, and undeniable excellence. Do what you say you’ll do, and document your wins. The receipts are essential.

The Shift: From Aesthetics to Culture

This year forced a major mindshift. I transitioned from a designer focused on aesthetics to one who builds culture. It’s no longer just about making things look good; it’s about designing for global relevance and making financial empowerment a tangible part of African identity.

Cowrywise hasn’t just built a product; we’ve built the country’s most recognized fintech design culture. That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of brutal intentionality, relentless innovation, and plain hard work.

The Biggest Challenge

Let’s keep it real, the hardest part was juggling multiple campaigns, each with insane timelines, unique systems, and zero room for error.

My saving grace was learning to blueprint every campaign before the first pixel was placed. A crystal-clear roadmap kept me steady through the chaos. Sometimes I look back at a launched project and think, “How did we even pull that off?”

The bar here is set astronomically high, and the mission to simplify complex financial jargon is no small task. But we consistently deliver. That’s a testament to my teammates, and my own stubborn refusal to be outworked.

I absolutely live for that pressure. There’s a certain thrill that comes with near-impossible challenges. It’s electrifying. That fire keeps me giddy, doing work I love, in a culture that fuels me.

Year Two: The Audacious Goal

What’s next? Audacity.

I’m going to make Cowrywise the first African fintech brand that people just collect their merch or brand assets. Not because we gave it away, but because the design and cultural relevance makes it genuinely desirable. Think Supreme, but for financial empowerment. Think art meets accessibility meets African pride.

I want to raise the bar so high that we’re not just competing with other fintechs, we’re setting the standard for what brand design means across the entire continent. I want every campaign to be a cultural moment, not just a marketing push.

Because when Africans see themselves reflected in powerful, world-class design, it does more than sell, it inspires.

To continue making Cowrywise the undisputed top-of-mind brand through design that doesn’t just speak, but roars, making life and money easier for every African we reach.

If Year One was about proving I belong and what’s possible, Year Two is about breaking more glass ceilings and shattering the galaxies.

Watch me.

Gracias.

I’ve wanted to write forever, but how do you have a hold on a mind that’s juggling brand projects, unanswered texts to your executive mom, and the ghost of last night’s date? Somehow, here I am, alive, creating, and leaning into God’s plan for me. Thankfully, He’s still holding me together. Thank God for that.

This year? Zero major wins, just me clinging to childlike wonder like a life raft, because the alternative is delusional depression, and nah. You’ll find me running into the cold on random mornings, gym-curing existential dread via Bulgarian splits, or starting 20 shows and finishing none (Elite! The Bear! Love, Death & Robots! Black Mirror, Regular Show, Dark, Sense 8— I watch based on how i feel in that moment).

Oh, and I’m mourning friendships. Not dramatically, just… noticing the quiet gaps; but I’m also surrounded by the best support system I could ever ask for.

How I Design (When I’m not losing it)

1. Impulse + silence + cold garri (no sugar — fight me).
2. A certain bathroom ritual (don’t ask).
3. Endless mood-boarding — Pinterest, Cosmos, stalking Koto, Pentagram, Wolf Ollins, etc, like it’s my job. (It is.)
4. Explode onto my canvas. Scream. Laugh. Nap. Cry. Repeat.
5. Voilà, sometimes magic happens.

I design on impulse like it’s a stress response (…is it?). Boredom? Emotions? Pent-up energy? All fuel. I create like my sanity depends on it, because maybe it does.

Songs on Repeat

• London Summers — Odeal
• Be Glad — Naomi Raine
• Uvalo — Kelvin Momo
• Seance from the Sinners Movie
• It’s fine — Tash
• Happy Head — Obongjayar
• Would appear to be jazz — Bolden

Good music saves lives.

This is me — writing badly until I (maybe) write well. No promises, but I’ll drop chaos here occasionally. Till next time, ✌🏾.

When the unexpected hit in June with a layoff notice, my job hunt turned into a quiet yet tenacious quest for the perfect opportunity.Navigating this tricky phase meant laying it all out there, warts and all, as I embraced the “building in public” principle. LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter — you name it, I was there, consistently posting my designs, day in, day out, having engagements or not.

The game-changer? It happened when I decided to finally tackle illustrations head-on. You know, that skill I’d been side-eyeing for ages. The year unfolded with a commitment to self-improvement, even diving into a Spotify project just for the sheer joy of creating. Sure, there were moments of frustration, posting designs that seemed to vanish into the void. But, lo and behold, fate decided to throw me a bone. It was during one of those doubtful moments that Cowrywise’s design lead slid into my DMs, impressed by my work. Cue the beginning of a rollercoaster ride towards a potential role.

Fast forward to a Friday that brought an unexpected DM, setting the stage for a call on the following Monday with the design lead. Eager to impress, I had designed illustrations even before the meeting — a move that turned out to be a game-changer. The design lead was impressed, but brace yourself for the plot twist — constructive feedback followed. Did it throw me off? Absolutely. Did I let it sink me? Hell no. I revamped my resume after a challenging call with the growth lead the next day.

Recognizing the need to shine not just on the screen but also on paper, I strategically laid out my achievements. Prayers and gratitude became my secret weapons as the fear of competition loomed large. Another breakthrough on a Wednesday: an invitation to meet the CEO at the office on Friday. Talk about a plot twist. Without missing a beat, I dived into researching Cowrywise, whipping up copies and illustrations aligned with their brand guide.

Come Friday, punctuality and preparedness were my wingmen. Meeting the CEO and the growth lead, I showcased my work, leaving a lasting impression that prompted the CEO to bring up the big talk about compensation. Boom! The deal was sealed, marking the beginning of a brand-new chapter. Weeks later, I was part of the Cowrywise team, going through onboarding, and even joining in on a team retreat, cementing my spot in the company.

Now, let’s get real about the lessons learned.

1. Build a Personal Brand:

• Establish a strong online presence across professional platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
• Showcase evolving skills openly and authentically, embracing the ethos of “building in public.
• Use these platforms to highlight personal and professional growth, making your journey relatable to a broader audience.

2. Proactivity is a Game-Changer:

• Be proactive in showcasing your skills by diving into projects that align with your passion and professional goals.
• Implement preemptive design efforts, creating a portfolio that stands out even before potential opportunities arise.
• Regularly revamp your resume to reflect your latest achievements and skills, ensuring it remains a dynamic representation of your capabilities.

3. Research, Research, Research:

• Prioritize thorough research about potential employers before any interaction.
• Understand the company’s goals, values, and culture to align your skills and experiences effectively.
• Utilize insights gained from research to tailor your applications, interviews, and interactions, showcasing a genuine interest in the organization.

4. Know Your Potential Employer Inside Out:

• Delve deep into understanding the company’s industry, competitors, and market position.
• Familiarize yourself with the company’s recent achievements, challenges, and key personnel.
• Align your personal narrative, skills, and achievements with the company’s needs and goals, demonstrating a genuine and informed interest.

5. Strategically Present Your Achievements:

• Strategically present your achievements, focusing on outcomes and impact.
• Highlight not only the technical skills but also the soft skills that contribute to your effectiveness as a professional.
• Tailor your presentations to resonate with the specific needs and culture of the organization you’re targeting.

6. Be Adaptable::

• Embrace constructive feedback as an opportunity for growth.
• Demonstrate adaptability by promptly implementing feedback into your work and professional approach.

In conclusion, my odyssey to the brand design role at Cowrywise is a testament to the power of consistency, resilience, and seizing opportunities. To fellow job seekers, embrace the process, learn from every experience, and let each setback fuel your determination. The right opportunity may be just around the corner, waiting for you to showcase your skills, talents and uniqueness.

Overview

Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record-Breaking Cook-a-thon was a groundbreaking event celebrating culinary expertise, African cuisines, resilience, and community engagement.

To make the event truly remarkable, it required seamless integration of captivating branding elements that aligned with the event’s theme and aspirations. As a designer, my role was to craft unique tags, tickets, and media walls that would elevate the overall brand experience and resonate with the audience.

In this case study, I will take you on an extraordinary creative journey, unveiling the secrets behind the design process.

Design Process

1. Setting the Stage

To establish a cohesive and captivating visual identity, it was essential to align the design elements with the event’s theme and Guinness World Record-Breaking aspirations. The cooking event aimed to celebrate African cuisines, culinary expertise, and community engagement.

2. Creating Tags and Tickets:

a. Conceptualization: To begin the design process, I engaged in a thorough brainstorming session to generate ideas that would embody the essence of the event. Taking into account the event’s Guinness World Record-breaking aspirations, I aimed to create tags and tickets that conveyed a sense of prestige while also capturing the culinary spirit.

To further inspire and guide my creative direction, I curated a moodboard centered around food themes. This moodboard served as a visual collection of images, colors, textures, and patterns that resonated with the culinary world. It included photographs of delectable dishes, vibrant spices, kitchen utensils, and elements from various African cuisines.

By immersing myself in this visual landscape, I gained a deeper understanding of the visual elements that would resonate with the event’s theme.

b. Design Elements:

i. Imagery: To vividly represent the culinary focus of the event, I strategically integrated vibrant illustrations of iconic food items from diverse cuisines. By incorporating these illustrations, I aimed to visually highlight the wide range of flavors and cultural richness inherent in the culinary world, establishing an immediate and relatable connection with the audience.

ii. Typography: Choosing an elegant, yet bold font helped convey the grandeur of the event. A sans-serif typeface was used to convey professionalism, and ease of access while sighting it from a distance

iii. Color Palette: I used the color palette the brand was known for, blending bright reds, and black. For the illustrations, I used a mix of yellow, green, and orage which are food-themed colors. These colors evoked a sense of passion, authenticity, and the richness of flavors associated with cooking.

iv. Branding Elements: The event logo, featuring a stylized chef’s pot combined with the Guinness World Record seal, was prominently placed on the tags and tickets. This integration further solidified the connection between the event, its goal, and the world record-breaking achievement.

3. Crafting Media Walls: Media walls play a crucial role in any high-profile event, serving as a backdrop for photo opportunities, interviews, and brand visibility. The media walls for the Hilda’s cookathon were designed to make a bold statement while showcasing the event’s brand identity. Her picture was made the center of attraction with the sponsors’ logos surrounding her.

Results

Designing the tags, tickets, and media walls for a Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record-breaking event required a harmonious blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and attention to detail. By meticulously crafting these design elements, I was able to create a cohesive visual identity that embodied the grandeur, culinary expertise, and global celebration of the event.

From the captivating illustrations to the integration of the event logo and social media engagement, every element played its part in elevating the overall brand experience.

Conclusion

Crafting a captivating branding experience for a high-profile event like Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record-Breaking Cook-a-thon required a strategic and creative approach. By aligning the design elements with the event’s theme and aspirations, I was able to create a cohesive visual identity that resonated with the audience and elevated the overall brand experience.

If you are looking to make a memorable mark with your next event or project, let’s collaborate and bring your vision to life.

Reach out to me: samuelobasola@gmail.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/obasola-akintola-1370771b4/

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