When Rema, the Nigerian singer-songwriter, rapper, and self-proclaimed Prince of Afrobeats, dropped his sophomore album “HEIS” in 2024, it sparked a lot of conversations. Aside from the conversation around the sonic direction, the art direction for the album and set design for his live shows leading to the release of the project was a topic of conversation.

Rema, born Divine Ikubor, at the age of 17 first gained the attention of D’prince, who will eventually sign him in 2019 to Jonzing World, Mavin’s first ever imprint record label, through his entry—a 1-minute freestyle— in D’Prince’s “Gucci Gang” challenge. After the announcement of his signing to the label, he was then introduced to the world with a self-titled EP, ‘REMA’, which brought a fresh sound to the airwaves. And a big part of his visual aesthetic at the time was a ski mask and a teddy bear, which featured in his music cover arts, videos, and live performances.

However, in recent years, Rema has left out the teddy bear as a part of his costume and shredded the boyish and innocent aesthetic he portrayed in the early years (leading to Rave and Roses) for something more gothic and dark.

Read Also

For his second album, Rema tapped Nigerian multi-disciplinary designer, Niyi Okeowo, to design an identity for the album title. “We got the brief that [Rema] wanted something that would read the same, front and back [like a palindrome], but with gothic elements that would spell ‘he is,’” Okeowo, who collaborated with Boluwatife Sonaike on the project, told Native Mag.

The ‘HE IS’ logo, which early sketches were inspired by bats, was built on riot imagery, according to Okeowo. “We also noticed he had been leaning towards that anarchy, rager, and riot direction so it was a no-brainer. We had about seven versions of the logo,” Okeowo shared.

Interestingly, the bat imagery referenced for the identity, which has also featured in his videos and set design during live performances, ties back to Rema’s Benin origin and heritage (because bats are a notable feature of Benin City, with some people even associating them with the city's identity). Rema, who has always been vocal and proud of his Benin origin right from the beginning, even collaborated with Shallipopi, another Afrobeat sensation from Benin, on a song titled “Benin Boys” in the album, and continues to reference other Benin artifacts in his art direction across his music videos and stage designs.

Read Also: The Next Batch: Rowland Olamide on the inspiration behind Batch's first community project and collaborating with Tendril

Recently, in a series of posts on X, on the one year anniversary of the release of the widely polarizing and critically acclaimed body of work — that earned him his first Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Performance — Rema, in what he referred to as an ‘Author’s note’, reflects on the inspiration behind the album and the evolution of his sound and art direction.

In his first post, he wrote, “HEIS, the Anniversary. I expressed a lot of surface level reasons why I released this project over a course of interviews when it came out but, here are few ‘SYMBOLIC’ details that wrap around the ENERGY of the project I kept for myself but now, I’d like to share. Consider this an Author’s note.”

The album, he notes, needed to happen in 2024 because he was born in [the year 2000] a Dragon year — a concept rooted in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. “I hinted the dragon in Bounce cover art (which was the first song I teased the concept of my RAGE).” According to Chinese astrology, individuals born in the year of the dragon are often described as energetic, intelligent, and powerful.

Read Also

He further explained that the artworks that ushered in HEIS, his second studio album, reflected the death and evolution of the innocent and sweet boy that made Rave and Roses, his first album. “I showed signs from the Artworks leading to Ravage how my innocence (teddy bear & roses) was dying. In these covers the Teddy was either found in grave sites, burning, stabbed with arrows, trunks, surrounded with swords etc.,” he explained. “The roses were always found burning but I guessed y’all missed the message.”

He added, “On ‘Ravage’ cover art I showed you a brain with a glowing Pineal gland to hint an Awakening, and if you look close there’s a thin layer of hair connected to the brain from a ‘dead man riding a horse’ hinting the journey to resurrection, Divination & Ego death.”

Read Also

According to him, “Other hints are in ‘Rave & Roses Ultra’ Cover Art with symbols like skeleton riding a horse, the circle of life & mushrooms which grows after a living organism dies (extra hints are the dead versions of Rema in soundgasm cover art surrounding the mushroom).”

The album cover for HEIS, Rema notes, was inspired by Itachi in Naruto. “The Truth masked as illusion, Love buried under what y’all thought was betrayal (change of sound, smoking, looks, aesthetics & choice of color),” he shared.

Read Also

In one post, he noted that he told the label that the album didn’t need a fancy roll out. “It needed to feel like an underground project from an underground Artist. Only the core Ravers can carry this weight,” he shared.

The project, he says, was not for surface level supporters here for the ‘good time’. “I know how well they switch up when you don’t feed them their dopamine.” he explains. “This is for the people who are here for the ‘story’. I limited it as much as I could, no CD’s, merch or Vinyls yet. It didn’t need to feel sold, it needed to be discovered, hated, loved & respected in its own front.”

Upon release, “HEIS” broke the record for the biggest first day streams of a Nigerian album on Spotify at the time and emerged as one of the most streamed Nigerian albums on the platform in 2024, according to Mavin Records.

“HEIS did everything I wanted it to do,” Rema declared. “Culturally HEIS needed to happen...Who else could’ve done it? HOW DID MY LEAST STREAMING ALBUM PACK OUT EVERY SHOW? Did I crack a matrix code there? Is HEIS a phase or is it who I truly am?”

Acknowledging his true fans, he wrote, “True Ravers did play their roles while I walked this path. It cut through deep beyond music, y’all even pulled up to the shows on ALL BLACK outfits, leather boots & raged with me.”

He concluded, “Thanks to the peters, the John’s, the Thomas’s & the Judas who betrayed the course. You were all part of this story, Now I know.”

While a number of his fans who fell in love with his young, naïve, innocent, and teddy bear-carrying aesthetic are still stuck in that era, this author’s note puts a stamp on the closure of that era of his career as he evolves into a more energetic and bold young man carrying a lot of rage.

Read More

The project—curated by Daniel Orubo and Opemipo Aikomo, who recently left his role as head of design at Paystack—contains eight stories that explore the nuances of queerness through a Nigerian lens, imbuing each narrative with an air of hopefulness. “This project was born out of the desire to see more joyful representations of queer life in the media,” they note. “Too many mainstream queer stories end in tragedy, but Feel Good seeks to offset that troubling pattern by telling tales where our queer protagonists find love, family, and healing.”

One of the captivating things about the project is the website and cover illustrations for the stories. The website—created by Studio Null, a digital experience studio run by Isaac Fayemi and Seyi Oluwadare—presented the stories in a fun and refreshing format, while the illustrations—created by Ife Aminu, an illustrator and graphic designer—added more delight to the story.

Related

In a conversation with The Creatives Note, Ife Aminu talks about getting to create the illustration for Feel Good, how she approached the brief and how the illustration added more delight to the stories.

“[We] need something that would capture the stories better”

“I got a LinkedIn message from Isaac Fayemi, partner at Studio Null, telling me there's a project he thinks I will be a very good fit for,” Ife tells The Creatives Note. Prior to this message, she had only met Isaac once—at a conference where they said hello to each other, with him mentioning that “he would love for us to work together on a project. But I didn’t think much into it,” she notes.

So when she got the message, she responded and they set up a call. “On the call, he told me about the project and mentioned that it’s for a queer project and if it’s something I would be interested in,” she shares. “I was a little bit apprehensive at first but I took it on.”

Read Also: Boluwatife Sonaike: On finding digital art, translating ideas to visuals, and how he is always feeding his visual bank

According to Isaac, they had gone far into the website design but they needed someone who could illustrate flowers. “He said they had something but it was not working so he needed something that would capture the stories better and he thought that my style would suit what they were trying to go for better,” Ife tells The Creatives Note.

My deliverables, Ife says, were cover illustrations for each story, an end-of-story illustration that is significant to the story, and a cover for the entire book—that is, the homepage.

Finding inspiration in flowers

“To begin with, I was sent the eight stories to read,” Ife tells The Creatives Note. “I remember being really impressed when I read the first story—A bookish affair.”

She notes that she read all the stories again and again. And after reading them well enough, she came up with a timeline and drew a plan for how the project will go from beginning to end. “Afterwards, I took to Pinterest and every other platform I could find to source for inspiration and references,” she explains. “I was looking for how flowers are depicted, and I saw a bunch of really nice stuff.”

Read Also

After finding some interesting references, she came up with a mood board. “The mood board contained flower suggestions,” she notes. “I wrote initial thoughts for each story and the direction that I thought each story could take in terms of the flower I thought would suit the story.”

She adds, “I came up with two documents that I shared with the team. One was the initial thoughts on creative direction, and the second one contained the composition of the layout and style of the flowers.”

After sharing the documents, she got a green light from the team and got to sketching. “I got the go-ahead of the team and it was time to illustrate,” she shares. “So I did a sketch of my initial ideas for each story.”

The choice for the flower to illustrate for some of the stories, she says, was just random and for others, “it was based on my experience and what I felt at the time of reading the story.”

Read Also: Inside Creative Nestlings’ evolution: From a community to an African creative network and startup building for African creatives & entrepreneurs

For example, for ‘In The Jungle’, she chose Birds of Paradise because it felt right, while for ‘Feria’s Story’, she chose Orchid because the writer mentioned it in the story, but eventually had to choose another flower because, “apparently, orchid cannot stand on its own so it was hard for me to illustrate it,” she shares, noting that she had to change some of her initial ideas.

“The most profound story for me was ‘A Bookish Affair’. The story was set in Abeokuta and it reminded me of Bougainvillea,” Ife tells The Creatives Note. “Bougainvillea was the first flower that came to my mind when I read the story. And funny enough, the week before that, I saw the flower close to my house when I was taking a stroll. [Seeing it that day] reminded me of the neighbourhood I grew up in because we had them there.”

“For ‘Keep It For My Sake’, I used Cala Lily,” she notes. “For ‘Sink and swim’, I used Montsera because the author mentioned it in the story.”

She continues, “For ‘Wake Me Up When Love is Enough’, I used Hibiscus because the story reminded me of Purple Hibiscus.”

“For the ‘House of Akwusianubaogu’ story, I saw the plant and thought it would suit the story. So it's a bit hard to explain because there are some things that just sort of fit together. You just get the sense in your head that it fits and if it doesn’t fit, you will know,” she shares. “So I just went with my gut and instinct.”

Read Also

Sticking to the composition and layout

In addition to the flowers, the cover features an object central to the story in the middle. “For the composition and layout, we (Isaac and I) agreed that we would have the flower and an object that is central to the story in the middle,” she recalls. “It was simple so I stuck with it.”

After sketching the flowers, she set out to sketch the central object as well. “For ‘House of Akwusianubaogu’, I added a Gong [Ndi Ogene] because there was something about it in the story,” she shares.

“For ‘A Bookish Affair’, I added a tote bag because I remember a family member who had gone to the Ake Festival—where the story was set—coming back with a tote bag and books from the festival. So I drew from a personal experience for that story.”

The guitar used in the ‘Keep This For My Sake’ cover, she says, was inspired by Thomas Sankara’s wine-red and white guitar, which the story mentioned.

For ‘In The Jungle’, a story of two agberos, she says, she got the inspiration for the hand from the famous Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam painting. “I just used weed and lighter to tie the story together,” she adds.

Read Also: Bransolute's brand refresh for AjoCard conveys its vision to deliver financial services to the excluded

For ‘Feria’s Story’, she referenced the Stone Bench mentioned in the story. “I just put the stone bench at the centre with the leaves growing around it,” she explains. “I also added butterflies because it was mentioned in the story.”

“For ‘Sink and Swim’, I chose a window, a plant and a balcony,” she shares.

For ‘The Mathematics of Hooking Up’, she notes that she initially chose Crown of Thorns because the story was a bit tragic and still beautiful, but later changed it. “I changed it to Sunflower and added Ice cream because it was mentioned in the story,” she explains.

Bringing everything together

Once she was done with the sketches, she shared them with the team again. “Afterwards, I went ahead to illustrate them on Procreate before moving to Illustrator,” says Ife. “I developed the sketches into the final output we have now.” For most of them, she stuck to the initial ideas but for some, she says she changed and tweaked them.

For example, she mentioned that she changed the sketch with Orchid because it was hard to draw. “I feel like, after the human hand, the orchid is the next toughest thing to draw,” she says.

Read Also

For the end-of-story illustrations, she picked and illustrated things from the story. “People who read through the story will get it,” she notes.

The final thing she had to work on was the home page cover. “It took me like a week or two to figure it out,” she reveals. The formula she employed for the final cover, she says, was to pick one thing from each story and combine them.

The final cover, she notes, is also inspired by how expressive queer people are. “The hand has colourful pieces of jewellery because I feel like queer people are characterised by how very expressive and colourful they are in terms of accessories and how they present themselves,” she explains. “They wear nose rings, colourful hair, and jewellery.”

The colour of the nails, she says, is inspired and taken from the colours of the different LGBTQ flags, “because each [queer] group have their flag and colour,” she notes. “That’s why the nail colours are different.”

She adds, “For the background, I was going to go with black but it was boring, so I got on a call [with Isaac] to figure out a gradient that worked for it.”

Read Also: Vome Studio's identity revamp for Bentsi-Enchill modernises its visual identity without compromising its esteemed 20-year legacy

Once she was done with the illustration, Ife says, she presented the final output to the general team and they loved it. “I showed them the output and how we arrived at what we had and they just loved it instantly,” she shares. “I was really happy with the response.”

“We (Isaac and I) knew we had done a great work but hearing them say how much they love it was good to hear.”

“I really love how it turned out”

“This is my favourite project from 2023,” Ife tells The Creatives Note. “It was just so fun. I really love how it turned out.”

“There’s something about doing work that is tangible,” she says, because “You can see people interacting with it online.”

Read Also

The illustration just brought life to the entire story, Ife tells The Creatives Note. “The project was challenging. I had never done anything like this before. I took up the project to challenge myself and it did exactly that,” says Ife, adding, “I feel grateful that I am able to apply my work in this kind of medium.”

The reception since the project launched, she says, has been so great. Even though Ife thinks she doesn’t have a style, she notes that she has had people “who didn’t know I worked on it sharing with me saying this looks like my work and something I would do,” she says. “Apparently I have a style.”

Read More

Despite the challenges, many companies continue to forge on. And in a bid to reflect their growth and evolution, some of these companies embarked on rebranding or brand refresh projects, and we were there to document them.

From tech startups to media publications, telecom corporation and VC firm, here are 8 African companies that rebranded/refreshed their brand identity in 2024.

Read Also: “Closing the studio was a very tough decision to make”— Seyi Olusanya on closing Dá Design Studio

1) Topset (now Lingawa)

In November (2024), Nigerian edtech startup TopSet, which was founded in 2022 to improve academic performance for K-12 students, announced its rebranding as Lingawa, signifying its strategic pivot from academic tutoring to African language learning—starting with Yoruba and Igbo.

It announced the new name alongside a $1.1 million pre-seed funding, as it plans to expand its offerings with additional languages by connecting Africans in the diaspora and global audiences to African languages and culture through immersive language learning.

CEO Frank Williams shared that the name “Lingawa” is coined from the word “Linguistics” and “Wa” — a Yoruba word meaning “Our”.

“Lingawa isn’t just a word. It’s a blend, a harmony of meanings combining ‘Linguistic’ with ‘Wa’ meaning ‘Our’ in Yoruba, together which represents “Our Language,” he explained.

The new name, he said, reflects the company’s mission to ignite cultural pride and economic empowerment through African language learning. “Lingawa isn’t just a language platform. It’s a bridge. A keeper of our story. A celebration of who we are and where we come from,” he added.

Related

2) Bendada.com (now Condia)

In October (2024), Bendada.com, an Africa-focused tech publication named after its founder Benjamin Dada, a former solo creator turned media entrepreneur, rebranded as Condia.

Founded in 2018 as a tech blog mirroring Africa's growing ecosystem, the publication said it is now “a global publication with 100,000+ monthly readers,” and the move is a bid to reflect its growth and ambition.

“While the name Bendada served us well, we’ve spent most of this year pondering where we’re headed as a publication. It no longer reflected our growth and ambition,” it announcement noted.

According to Dada, who founded the publication, the plan for the publication has always been to change the name if “we made it past the five-year mark, a milestone where half of new businesses fail.”

For the new name, “we wanted a one-word name embodying our mission: connecting innovators to the best ideas on technology,” the publication shared. “Condia = Convergence + Ideas. Simple, yet powerful!”

The publication noted that while it has a new name, brand, website, and editorial focus, “our values remain: ⁠Accurate reporting, ⁠Human-centered storytelling, and Giving value.”

Related

3) Founders Factory Africa (now 54 Collective)

In August (2024), South Africa-based startup accelerator, Founders Factory Africa, announced it is rebranding as 54 Collective, a venture capital (VC) firm. The rebrand, it said, signifies a strategic evolution aimed at amplifying support for African entrepreneurs and fostering a continent-wide impact.

According to the CEO Bongani Sithole, Founders Factory Africa, which was founded in 2018, began as a corporate-backed model and has invested in over 70 start-ups across the continent, with more than one-third of its investments in Kenya.

“Today we have taken the next step in our journey. We have rebranded to 54 Collective. This transformation signifies a strategic evolution aimed at amplifying support for African entrepreneurs and fostering a continent-wide impact,” Sithole shared.

The name 54 Collective, Sithole noted, is a nod to the 54 countries that make up Africa, reflecting the pan-African aspiration of the firm. “Collective signifies the collaborative way that our experienced local teams of venture specialists and experts work with founders,” he explained.

“This evolution embodies growth with purpose, emphasising a commitment to supporting entrepreneurs across the continent and enabling them to build without boundaries,” he added.

With a physical presence in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, 54 Collective, which is a part of UTOPIA platform, a collection of funds across high-growth emerging and frontier markets, says it is uniquely positioned to leverage local expertise and networks to scale ventures.

Related

4) Vodafone Ghana (now Telecel Ghana)

Last year (2024), Ghanaian telecommunication company, Vodafone Ghana, announced its complete rebrand as Telecel Ghana, after the acquisition of a majority share by Telecel Group, an Africa-focused telecommunication service provider.

In March, the company launched Telecel Ghana—the new name and identity—a year after the acquisition, to complete the transition from Vodafone Ghana to Telecel Ghana. “The brand was first unveiled to employees at an event dubbed ‘Telecel Day’ at the Accra International Conference Centre,” the company wrote in its statement announcing the new brand.

Following the change in the brand name, the other two subsidiaries of the company also changed to Telecel Cash and Telecel Foundation. “All areas of operations have changed to Telecel,” the company noted.

The company also changed the name of its AI chatbot from ToBi to Jerry, with a promise to improve the intelligence of the chatbot to handle customer complaints much better than its predecessor did.

The company shared that its rebranding efforts included the introduction of the Telecel Play app, aimed at delivering a range of digital innovations and mobile financial services to customers.

Related

5) Whogohost (now GO54)

In March (2024), Nigerian web hosting company Whogohost announced it is rebranding as GO54 as it sought to expand across Africa.

Whogohost, founded in 2005, began its journey as a pioneer in African digital infrastructure, providing domains and hosting services to businesses. With over 300,000 domains registered and a customer base of over 100,000 businesses, the company said it has become a trusted partner for businesses seeking to establish their online presence.

The rebrand from Whogohost to GO54, the company said is a move to “adapt and expand our offerings to serve the evolving needs of our customers better.”

The ‘GO’ in its name pays homage to its roots, reminding it of its role as the driving force behind businesses as they venture into the online world. And the ‘54,’ it said, represents its ambitious mission to serve all 54 countries in Africa, uniting the continent in digital prosperity.

With big ambitions to become Africa’s largest digital infrastructure company, the rebrand to GO54 is a symbol of its commitment to bridging the digital divide and empowering businesses to thrive online.

“The name signifies two key things; our evolution beyond domains and hosting. The new name also signifies ambition. We are not just a Nigerian business. We are now building for Africa,” Toluwani Adejuyigbe, the CEO of GO54, said.

Related

6) Pade

In February (2024), Pade, a Nigerian HRTech company, unveiled a new identity—a refreshed logo, typeface, and colour system. The new identity, it said, is a reinforcement of its commitment to creating a fulfilling experience for African workers and employers.

Founded in 2020 as a people automation software, the company said it has evolved into a platform that is fully embedded in the people operations of change-making organisations.

“Like a ship entering uncharted waters, we realised that it was time to expand our horizons and launch a new identity that is representative of the role we play in the operations of our customers and the HR ecosystem at large,” the company wrote in its announcement. “To reinforce our commitment to you, we refreshed our brand elements across the board to reflect one thing when you interact with us; Our mission to make work simpler so that the lives of African workers can be improved.”

Seye Bandele, CEO of Pade, said he hurriedly sketched the former identity on a piece of paper and sent it to the designer who, in a few hours, sent it back. “The feedback on our previous brand was interesting, some said it looks like Beats by Dre, others said it was just plain ugly. Bottom line, our identity just did not connect with what our company had now morphed into,” Seye shared.

The company noted that the new identity—designed by Void Studios, which was led by Joshua Biyere and Chief Osaretin Avbuluimen—is built on the company’s value: GETs Fulfilled. [G–Growth, E–Empowerment, T–Trust, S–Simplicity].

“The checkmarks represent quality assurance and efficiency that Pade brings to your HR and payroll processes,” the announcement noted, explaining the meaning behind the new logo. “When you reorient the checkmarks, it becomes a growth chart that signifies our emphasis on personal, professional, and organisational growth.”

“Finally, the circle represents the world of work (including you and every other African business and employee),” the company revealed.

Related

7) What Kept Me Up

Last February, Nigerian film publication, What Kept Me Up, unveiled a new, lively, and refreshing brand identity (logo, typeface, and colour). What Kept Me Up—a Nigerian digital media publication that focuses on film and television—serves readers with news, reviews, trivia, and analysis from both visual worlds in Nollywood, Hollywood, and every other linked industry to Nigerians.

The new identity, the publication said, is its response to previous comments on its ‘branding’, and its way of saying it chooses its readers.

“We are choosing you. Yes, U, artistically and literally. Our approach revolves around you and what you like as a cinephile. Your constructive criticism and praises have shaped us in several ways as a publication that strictly covers film and TV in Nigeria,” the announcement noted. “On the note that many readers suggested that we enhance our branding, citing our ‘funny use’ of colours, steps have been taken to that effect.”

The new identity—designed by Iyebiye ‘Kaizen Kreativ’ Adeitan, a creative visual designer and illustrator known for designing film posters of successful Nollywood films such as Ayinla, Soólè, and Ilé Owó, alongside Joshua Ayoola, a brand identity designer—introduced new and updated colours, updated logo variations (logomark and wordmark), and ‘Open Sans’ as the new brand typeface.

“The goal was to make the identity more memorable such that when you see any element of the brand such as the icon or colour, WKMUP comes to mind,” Adeitan told The Creatives Note.

Related

8) Anchor

In January (2024), Nigerian Banking-as-a-Service company, Anchor, unveiled a refreshed identity—a new typeface, colour system, and website—in a move to harmonise its visual identity across all its brand touchpoints.

For the brand refresh, the company retained its existing logo mark but introduced new colours, bold typefaces, and a new, sleek, and user-centric website—made by CheckDC, a Nigerian-led design agency.

Ibrahim Otukoya, brand designer at Anchor, told The Creatives Note that the brand refresh was done to harmonise Anchor’s visual identity across all brand touchpoints. “We noticed a disconnect in the visual representation of Anchor across different brand touchpoints,” said Ibrahim, who led the brand refresh effort by the company.

“When I joined the company in February, I was asked to look into and do something about this visual disconnect happening. The first thing I did was try to harmonise the colours but eventually, the conversation ended in us needing to do a visual refresh.”

He noted that “We brought on CheckDC to work with us on the website and they did a great job with that.”

“There was a lot of back and forth before we arrived at what we have now. It was a lot of work but we are happy with the result,” he added.

Anchor's CEO and Co-Founder, Segun Adeyemi, highlighting the company's commitment to offering innovative, customer-focused services shared, “The rebranding at Anchor goes beyond the colour scheme and website, it's about redefining our commitment to innovation, trust, and customer satisfaction.”

Related

Subscribe to The Creatives Note and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and LinkedIn as we continue to cover and report on African businesses rebrand and brand refresh stories.

Want to get your rebrand/brand refresh and design projects featured on The Creatives Note, send us an email via thecreativesnote(at)gmail(dot)com.

Read More

“I lost a Prominent Client Today,” he wrote. “Posting the company's flyer without their consent. They said it's wrong for me to post the flyer without their knowledge. After an hour they terminated the 3 months contract with letter sent to my email box I just dey cry since Morning.”

He added, “I no sure say I go dey post again. This is very painful.”

Read Also

In response to a question from an X user whether the client had shared the particular design publicly or not, he said, ‘Yes, the client had shared it.’ So this is not a case of a designer sharing the project before the client, as that would have been unacceptable.

While a lot of the comments under the post tried to console him and told him he should have asked for the client’s permission before sharing, I found a few other interesting comments. One of them was a comment by X User Future Montage [@FutureMontage] who said he thought the post by the designer was a way of brand publicity. “Why are they angry that you posted?” he asked.

Funsho [@funshorfelix], a brand strategist and the founder of Bransolute, also echoed the brand publicity sentiment. “Trust me, the company wouldn't fire you if you got thousands of followers and probably brought them some leads,” he wrote. “While I'm livid about this, I think this could have been easily resolved with a verbal confirmation esp if there is information concealed on the flyer for private purposes.”

He added, “On the other hand, it might be that you dodged a bullet because why would I not want a marketing material to be promoted, this time by the actual designer? Anyway, dust your shoes, your big gigs are still ahead.”

Related: Bransolute's brand refresh for AjoCard conveys its vision to deliver financial services to the excluded

Another interesting comment is a comment by Leslie (Design ShugarDaddy) [@shugarDadddy] in response to him saying the experience has taught him not to post a client’s work without permission. “I think other things you can take away from this experience could be that 1. Always look at contracts carefully. 2. If you're going to be posting client work where permission isn't exactly clear or implied, ensure you remove everything that identifies the client,” Leslie shared.

The battle for ownership

A comment by Richard U. [@iamrichygold], a UI/UX designer, sparked an interesting conversation on who owns the copyright to a design. In his comment, he argued that “When you make a design and the client pays, it's no more yours. It becomes their property.” And according to him, you'd have to ask for permission to post it or add it to your portfolio. “They're right. Send an email and appeal it professionally. Don't beg them, apologize and be professional,” he added while offering to share a template for an email he can send to apologise to the client.

But according to Femigrey [@realfemigrey], a brand narrative designer, Richard’s assertion is wrong. “Please learn your rights - it doesn't become their property unless you've signed an agreement to transfer IP rights to them,” he wrote. “And unless you signed an NDA you can share your work. Design needs to be taken as a serious business.”

Read Also: Osun State faces public backlash for new logo; what is the outrage about?

However, Richard insists that the designer only has control of the source file “unless clients pay for this separately,” claiming that the finished design is the client’s property as long as the job is fully paid for. “Don’t lose a big client because you didn’t understand this simple rule. If you want to post it, modify the source file and remove their name,” he cautions.

In a rebuttal, Femigrey wrote, “Like I said - learn your rights and the business of design. We have a long way to go in this design space A full payment only transfers the right to exclusive usage - it doesn't transfer ownership. If there's a signed agreement transferring IP rights to the client - then it becomes their property and you should charge very well for that.”

He added, “The best you can do is ask for a time they're comfortable with you posting your work - out of courtesy. Probably in a case where they haven't launched yet, starting out or not - learn your rights and don't let anybody cheat you.”

Designer vs Client: What does the law say on ownership and copyright?

Now, the main question is: Between the designer and the client, who ‘owns’ the copyright to a piece of design? Take note of the keyword “OWN”.

What does the law say? According to Part III, Section 28 (1) of the Nigeria Copyright Act, 2022, on ownership, transfer and licences, “Except as otherwise provided in an agreement, copyright conferred by this Act, shall initially vest in the author.”

And in this case, the designer, who is the author, automatically owns the rights to their design unless there's a specific agreement in place that transfers ownership to the client. Therefore, a designer has the right to choose their own terms in regard to the transfer of ownership.

Read Also

However, there is an exception to this law. The exception is under a work-for-hire condition—where the designer is a full-time employee of an organisation. So any work the designer creates in this arrangement belongs to the organisation, that is, the client in this case.

But a designer hired as an independent designer or freelancer, unless specifically stated in their contract, is not a work-for-hire.

When does the client get ownership?

The client only gets ownership when there’s a written and signed agreement that explicitly transfers the copyright from the designer to them. This agreement should clearly outline the terms of ownership and any limitations on the client's use of the design.

Read Also: Geneza Store: How Geneza Brands, a Nigerian-led design studio, is creating an online store for premium and affordable design mockups, resources, and templates

But in a situation where there’s no agreement or contract between both parties, the copyright automatically belongs to the designer.

To avoid misunderstandings and potential legal disputes, it's important for designers and clients to have a clear written agreement that outlines:

Ownership of Copyright: Who owns the copyright to the design (designer or client)?

Confidentiality: Are there any confidentiality obligations for either party?

Rights Granted: What rights are being granted to the client (e.g., exclusive use, modification rights)?

Subscribe now

It's recommended to consult with a qualified attorney for guidance on contract drafting and dispute resolution (if one arises).

Read More

Last year, the team announced they were closing the studio, which came as a shock to many considering the reputation it has built over the years as one of the topmost brand design studios in the country.

Dá Design Studio, popularly known for its work for notable Nigerian startups and companies such as Paystack, Cowrywise, Rise, Mono, and Green Africa Airways, was pivotal and instrumental in shaping the conversation around brand design and design in Africa.

In the latest episode of The Hungry Creative Podcast, Seyi Olusanya, who led art direction and co-founded the studio with Damilola Marcus, opened up on why they made the tough decision to close the studio.

Even though the decision to close the studio made him feel like he had failed—because he had a dream to run the foremost design studio in Nigeria, which later expanded to in Africa, he says, the decision had to be made. “Closing the studio was a very tough decision,” Seyi shares.

“It was a mix of many things,” he says, before going on to highlight four major things that contributed to them making the decision.

Read Also: Seyi Olusanya on getting into type design, founding Afrotype, and collaborating with Google Fonts

The first thing he pointed to was the experience creating work for Nigerian startups and the state of maturity of the ecosystem. “When I say the state of maturity [of the ecosystem], I mean we were creating work for a lot of startups,” he explains. And what is required when branding a startup, he says, is different compared to when branding an established company.

“Branding does very different things for different companies based on the stage they are,” he says. “Startups need to be agile. They need to move fast. So if you put a lot of dedication and care into a brand system for a startup, two months after they launch, the product can change and you can’t fault them.”

He continues, “You can’t even be upset because [that is] the nature of startups. A startup is by definition, just starting up and they are trying to figure out product market fit.”

“They are trying to figure out who they are, what it is they bring to the market and what the actual value is, who their market is, what it is they are trying to do and many things.”

All these figuring out, he notes, they are doing on investors money. “There’s pressure to figure out all of these things, so you don’t expect them to treat systems that you design as sacred,” he explains. “If they need to break it, they will break it. Because the main thing for them is returns for shareholders. So it’s tough.”

Read Also: Geneza Store: How Geneza Brands, a Nigerian-led design studio, is creating an online store for premium and affordable design mockups, resources, and templates

While the issue seems to be recurrent amongst startups, he notes that they had success with startups who were more faithful to the system. Startups like Paystack and Cowrywise, he says, are some of their success stories because they found themselves early on and have only evolved from what they came to them with. “You will find that a lot of the businesses that still to some extent maintained the identity work that we did for them are people that found themselves early,” he says. “No shade to the people who didn’t. That’s the nature of the work.”

The second reason, he says, is the state of commerce. “It has to do with money,” he says. “Right now as a freelancer, I am making maybe 20X what I will make in a year running the studio in a month.”

He notes that running the studio started to feel like he was sacrificing a lot financially. “I always knew I could earn a lot more and at a point it started feeling sacrificial,” he explains.

Considering that he would get to a point where he might want to have a family and kids, buy a house and not worry about rent, or buy a car he’s been eyeing for some time, “It started feeling like I was sacrificing so much to keep the studio running because I knew inherently that I had the skill to earn the money,” Seyi shares. “So it didn’t make sense anymore.”

Read Also: Toby & Tye reveals gamp's new visual identity aimed at positioning it as a reliable lifestyle brand and not just a phone repair brand

Still, on the money matter, he adds that his co-founder Dami, who is also his wife, career as an artist was beginning to take off. “Dami always wanted to paint, not as a hobby but as a career,” he explains. “While we were running the studio, she would paint. And [her painting] started to take off.”

“She got signed and started exhibiting and catching the eyes of global curators … it didn’t make sense for her to be earning what she was earning in Naira when one painting would pay her salary for years.”

I guess we could also look at it that we had achieved everything we had set out to achieve, Seyi says. “I can put Pentagram on my resume and say I have worked with Eddie Opara and the largest independent consultants in the world,” he shares. “I [have also] worked with big startups in Nigeria—all of which were the dream when we started.”

He adds, “I can say we shifted the needle and advanced and matured the conversation around brand design and design generally in this space.”

Read Also: Geneza Brands' new brand identity design for Coinchip symbolises trust and financial safety as it reimagines what it means to invest in crypto

The last reason, which he says is very touchy and personal for him, was how running the studio was beginning to affect the relationship between him and Dami, his wife. “It became a little bit tense for us in our relationship,” he explains.

Unlike Dami who was good at separating their personal relationship from the work they do, he couldn’t. For example, “Once it’s 5 pm, even if we were having a tense argument about art direction—because we are both passionate about our work, she switches off,” he says. “She [would] go to the living room to watch TV and expect me to sit down with her to watch it like we weren’t just arguing [about work]. But I was bad at it. Design for me is so personal. I think about it every time.”

“It was getting to a point where that was the majority of our relationship,” he explains. “We had a relationship before the studio. So there was the nostalgia of ‘this is not what you promised me.’”

So because of this and the other reasons I mentioned, we had to make the decision to end the studio, he says. They figured that pursuing their work separately would ease the tension in the relationship and allow for their “actual relationship” to boom. “This for me was the biggest reason,” Seyi reveals. “Every other thing was secondary.”

He adds, “I envy couples that work together. I am amazed at the work it takes to do that.”

Read Also: Vome Studio's identity revamp for Bentsi-Enchill modernises its visual identity without compromising its esteemed 20-year legacy

Since closing the studio, Dami has gone on to pursue her career as an artist and work on Bawsty, a clothing brand she co-founded. As for Seyi, he has been consulting with businesses and also launched his typeface collaborations with Google Fonts through Afrotype, a typedesign studio he operates out of Lagos.

While Dá Design Studio may not be operational any longer, the impact of their work in the startup ecosystem in Nigeria and beyond will continue to be felt. Their contribution to the development and evolution of the design ecosystem will not be forgotten as well.

Have a design story, news, or tip to share? Send them to thecreativesnote[at]gmail[dot]com.

Read More

Subscribe now

Most Africans have to turn to imported second-hand cars because the design and manufacturing of affordable cars are not commonplace on the continent. While countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and Ghana offer assembly plants for international OEMs, there aren’t dedicated design studios, according to Daryl K. Chirombo, an Industrial designer from Zimbabwe.

“There is a plethora of reasons why this may be. A gander within the African context illustrates how profound challenges stretch out before us,” says Chirombo, a first-class graduate of Industrial Design and Transport and Automotive Design.

For the Luxurious Urban Mobility - LUMO concept, Chirombo, who won the second prize in the Mureza Auto Car Design & Innovation Talent Quest for Africa in 2021, attempts to answer the question: What if things could be different?

“The idea for this design project was centred around a dream phrased as a question, a “what if” situation if you may. What if something aesthetic that would be low volume, bespoke with the bells and whistles known as the Luxurious Urban Mobility - LUMO concept could be created as a future vision from Africa to the world?” Chirombo shares.

Read Also: African Flags and Who Designed Them (Part 1)

Using design, he says, he wants to solve the problems around unemployment, sustainability and technological lag. “With every design project, there has to be relevancy. We live in a world where sustainability is a topic that requires serious thought and consideration particularly when it comes to design and making. Being an African native, my home country is somewhat lagging behind technologically,” says Chirombo. “This concept idea aims to explore different sustainability measures from material philosophy to propulsion technology and perhaps bring awareness within the African community to the possibilities that come from the utilisation of composite natural fibres and bioplastics in Industrial design.”

Looking at his home country Zimbabwe as a case study, he says, rampant levels of unemployment are the norm. “With such an environment one is motivated to try and navigate a way to create employment or better yet bring awareness of the benefits that technology can offer,” he says.

By looking at alternative materials, we can open doors to new design and manufacturing possibilities for the African environment, says Chirombo. “For example, with the availability of waste avocado pits, and vast expanses of land, flax seed farming and bioplastic production, there could be a potential future industry that would open up various channels of employment, spawning processing factories and manufacturing plants,” he explains. “Bioplastics and flax fibres in conjunction with bio-resins could lead to the production of sustainable products that can improve the lives of people.”

In the note below, Chirombo shares his design approach, philosophy, and rationale.

Design Approach

But why is this design important in our world? I am of the thinking that design is a subject that affects our daily lives. It is a subject integral to our survival and comfort. Therefore, in my opinion, bad design inconveniences us. In a sense, it slows us down as a species. We live in a world of throw-away culture and in my view, the reason for this is due to badly designed things that are cheap, non-aesthetic, carelessly made and which do not last.

To combat this, I am of the opinion that there is a strong sense of timelessness and value in simplicity; both in aesthetics, form and function. That said simple things tend to be quite complex. However, if we focus on what matters and develop on that, the result has the potential to be great.

Part of my design philosophy revolves around the idea of provoking emotional responses, ensuing a sense of fulfilment in ownership of a product. For the most part, creations made in Africa are very ornamental and decorative. Consider the handmade pots, carved wooden sticks, carved stone sculptures, wire art, traditional instruments etc. In my view, one has to somewhat counter this Idea, to create a product that serves a purpose efficiently and effectively without too many decorations but still feels modern and African. A philosophy of creating useful desirability.

Read Also: Geneza Store: How Geneza Brands, a Nigerian-led design studio, is creating an online store for premium and affordable design mockups, resources, and templates

Africa is known for its craft. However, in most cases, there is an apparent lack of precision in the final outcome. I guess that is acceptable for ideas pursuing an abstract feel or a handmade feel. However, for this design concept, precision was of utmost importance.

Taking inspiration from sculpture, I employed a form language comprising soft fluid volumes for the exterior design of the vehicle, echoing a muscular feel matched with sharp precision lines that accentuate the design. As a vehicle that would achieve high speed, aerodynamic considerations were important. Therefore, influences from motorsport are implemented around the vehicle. I wanted to keep the design silhouette clean and simple, so I integrated a flying buttress and an active rear wing with an F1-inspired double diffuser.

The philosophy of useful desirability is further explored with the vehicle having a removable roof giving the user two vehicles in one. To pay homage to African textiles I have included some geometric elements within the headlight details and some interior details. The majority of the vehicle body construction material of choice is flax seed fibre with other hard points made from aluminium alloys. I chose to explore flax seed fibre material as it consumes 75% less energy than that of producing the components in carbon fibre and it is a green and sustainable material. However, the main monocoque tub is made from carbon fibre for its proven use regarding safety and rigidity as seen in motorsport racing.

Read Also: Is it a design problem or a customer’s problem?

The interior design is meant to compliment the sculptural exterior offering a more product- techno design approach but maintaining a strong aesthetic. The interior pays homage to traditional materials like wood, metal and leather which are materials used in various African crafts. A touch of gold on the techno steering wheel blends tradition and modernity.

The inspiration for the seat design hails from African royal traditional thrones and traditional neck jewellery worn by royals. In the modern world, we live in, it is important to have connectivity, therefore I employed a wide-screen OLED touchscreen that displays the vehicle information complete with media controls and Apple car play.

The vehicle uses cameras instead of traditional mirrors which provide a 360-degree view for enhanced visuals and vehicle security.

Read Also: 10 African digital products and platforms you should know and use as a creative/creator

Mobility Design

Electric mobility is the next evolution and it is vital in our society, however, if load shedding has taught us anything, it is that as Africans, we cannot solely operate electric vehicles due to energy constraints in our power generation infrastructure. The solution I have chosen to propel the vehicle is a hybrid system that utilises bio-fuels and synthetic e-fuels such as those being developed by German OEM’s to power the ICE on the rear axle in conjunction with an electric motor and battery system to power the front axle.

However, understanding that infrastructure in developed countries supports EVs customers would have a choice between an ICE engine and a full EV variant.

Key Fob Design

The idea behind the key fob design is that of returning to the roots of craft. Africa is renowned for its sculptures emanating from stone and wood. In the same breath, the Lumo vehicle is placed as a luxury super sports car therefore, the main ticket to activating and entering the luxurious experience offered by the vehicle is the key fob. Considering that Africa is rich in mineral resources, such as diamond and gold which are considered to be also luxurious items, the thinking behind the key fob was to create a jewellery piece utilising materials that aren’t usually found in a key fob. This idea would give employment opportunities to those in the jewellery-making industry.

Read Also: How To Build Meaningful Relationships As A Creative

However, because the meaning of luxury has transcended into modernity it was vital to integrate technology into the jewellery. The key fob will be milled from recycled aluminium for the outer case. The gemstone will be cut from goshenite a common stone in Zimbabwe and the insert sculpted stone will be made of soapstone found in South Africa. To further enhance the idea of jewellery, the logo will be embedded within the soapstone and will be made from gold. On the other side of the key fob is the control centre which will be an OLED touch screen with a toughened sapphire glass cover.

Travel Companion Design

As mentioned earlier the Lumo is meant to be bespoke, complete with accessories. Within this framework are two products. The earbuds and the travel carry-on suitcase.

(a) The suitcase design echoes the philosophy of useful desirability with a strong focus on sustainability and simplicity. The construction material of choice for the main form is reinforced flax seed natural fibre to give a lightweight and strong result. The form language is consistent with the product-techno feel of the vehicle interior, with elements such as the steering wheel, paddle shifters, key fob and earbuds case following the same foundational form language.

Read Also: Sorunke Quadri (Qvxdri): On being the 'art guy' as a kid, discovering digital art while studying architecture, and wanting to be a household name

The bag will be smart. It will have a fingerprint reader as the main way to unlock it. It will be linked to an App that will also unlock the bag with Face ID, and passcodes in the App. The bag will feature inbuilt GPS tracking for peace of mind. To maintain a clean look, the hinges will be mounted inside the bag.

The silicon and recycled aluminium wheels are removable for a smaller form factor. The bag will feature an Airline safety regulation conforming 50 000 mAh battery pack for charging external devices. The handle will be created from bio-plastics derived from avocado pits a fruit that we consume regularly in our households and restaurants. The grip surfaces will be made from silicon with unique textures to provide a soft but durable feel.

(b) The earbud design borrows heavily from simple African geometric design. The idea was to create a form that is familiar and recognisable as an earbud. With inspiration from a doctor’s ear scope and a gold bar, I crafted a simple but effective form. Furthermore, this form factor allows for a bigger battery resulting in longer playback. One of the earbud innovations is a health-related one, that of an ear wax sensor, utilising the projection and subsequent return measurement of sound waves within the ear canal, which will alert the user through an App that it may be time to clean up.

Read Also: Fungi Dube: The scientist turned creative entrepreneur elevating Afrikan narratives through modern design

The exterior of the bud also features a rose gold-plated ring to further echo the luxuriousness inside which, a button to operate the buds manually is situated. The area in which the speaker and ear wax sensor are located is bulky to allow more room for sound to resonate and create good levels of bass since some earbuds suffer from a lack of it. The material of choice is bioplastic for lightweight in a gold-like brushed surface finish that exudes luxury. The outer case is made from recycled brushed aluminium for durability with a recycled silicone rubber insert that houses the earbuds.

Read More

Founded in 1990 with the mission to provide its clients with excellent market-leading legal services, Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa & Ankomah has built its reputation working on the most complex transactions and disputes for foreign investors, local companies, statutory entities and the government in Ghana.

For this project, Vome Studio set out to “modernise the firm’s visual identity to align with contemporary branding standards without compromising its esteemed 20-year legacy.”

“They came to us with a deliverable list of what they wanted. They wanted some visual design work done and like many clients, they came with the tangible things they wanted to get from the project because it is easy to cost for those things,” Joshua Cleopas, founder and creative lead at Vome Studio, tells The Creatives Note.

“But on looking at the brand, we found out that there was a more deep-rooted issue: they didn't have a brand or visual identity that ties to the reputation they have built for themselves in the past 20 years.”

Read Also: Geneza Brands' new brand identity design for Coinchip symbolises trust and financial safety as it reimagines what it means to invest in crypto

While the firm had a logo, it didn’t have a brand system that guided how it spoke or looked. “They only had a logo they were recognised with. They didn't have any system that dictated how they should approach their tone of voice or a system that dictated how they think about their entire look and documentation,” he says.

“As a law firm, they work with a lot of documents and everything looked different. For example, the look of a presentation document depends on the person preparing the document. The only thing that tied these documents together was the logo—which, in this case, served as a stamp.”

They didn’t realise this because they were so good at what they do as a law firm that their brand identity lived off the reputation of the company itself, Cleopas notes.

Read Also: Toby & Tye reveals gamp's new visual identity aimed at positioning it as a reliable lifestyle brand and not just a phone repair brand

“After reviewing this, we noted that there was a disconnect between how they were on the ground and how people saw them online,” he explains. “So we told them we needed to move a step back and fortunately for us, the person interfacing with us on the project was a very open-minded person.”

With this new information, they pitched a comprehensive brand revamp to the stakeholders, who were receptive to the idea. “We had to approach it with care because of the legacy the firm had built. We had to maintain a connection with their existing icon, so we didn’t change everything entirely.”

The New Identity

Rather than a complete overhaul, Cleopas mentions that they chose a nuanced redesign approach. “For the project, we decided to improve the original logo, which was inspired by the ‘Nea Onnim’ Adinkra symbol representing knowledge and wisdom,” he says.

“We simplified the icon and made it optically correct. We also took away the box to reflect their openness and forward-thinking approach.”

Read Also: AFCON 2023 Identity: A Beautiful Story of Strength and Unity through Football

The logotype was also improved. “One of the things we changed was the logotype and the way the name was written. In the old logo, the first character of each name was bigger. Also, Bentsi-Enchill was underlined and emphasised and it didn’t look like Letsa and Ankomah were equal partners. We removed the line and made the characters uniform to make everything look like a single unit,” he explains.

“We also improved the colours and selected Lora and Inter as the brand typefaces.”

They loved the new direction, says Cleopas. “Once the new identity was approved, we extended it to their website and other brand collaterals—creating an identity system and a very extensive style guide,” he shares. “We also created Canva templates and trained the in-house team how to use the templates.”

While the project itself took about two months, Cleopas notes that they have continued to advise and occasionally work with the team when needed to extend the identity expression. “I was invited to the in-house launch of the identity and the feedback was great,” he shares.

The success of this project, Cleopas says, rests on the strength of the collaboration between both teams, and the experience with this project underscores the significance of this relationship. “This collaboration was seamless and actively championed by Abigail Nikoi, the Head of Business Development and Marketing, and her Assistant Kate Oklu,” he tells The Creatives Note.

“Their proactive approach made the project seamless and served as a bridge between our team and theirs, greatly expediting project completion.”

Designers need to prioritise collaboration and communication, as they are indispensable ingredients for every design project's success, Cleopas adds.

“After launching the new identity about two years ago, a lot of law firms in the country also went to do a ‘rebrand’. It’s been interesting to see.”

Check out the full case study.

Read More

Founded in 2018, AjoCard is focused on making it easy for the underserved and unbanked to manage their money and make payments securely and conveniently.

For this project, Bransolute set out to convey AjoCard’s goal to “empower individuals to manage their finances through an agency banking model and actualise their vision of ‘Banking for Everyone.’”

“AjoCard approached us for a brand refresh towards the end of 2022,” Funsho Felix, founder and chief strategist at Bransolute, tells The Creatives Note. “They have been in existence since 2018 and had done some work internally. But they were at the stage where they needed an agency to partner with them on design.”

Read Also: Geneza Brands' new brand identity design for Coinchip symbolises trust and financial safety as it reimagines what it means to invest in crypto

Bransolute was the design partner AjoCard needed for their next phase. “For the project, we designed their new identity and worked on their website. We also extended the new identity across all their brand touchpoints,” says Felix.

“Working with the founders and key stakeholders, we crafted a creative strategy that resonated with the brand. We arrived at a stable foundation that will serve as the foundation for the evolution of the brand’s creative ecosystem.”

After defining the strategy, Bransolute proceeded to design a new logo. “Because the brand had some brand equity, we knew we were going to retain some of their brand elements,” Felix shares. “A drastic change will be a lot of change for their customers.”

While they were going to retain some of their brand elements, the logo needed a complete change. “The old logo was sort of cliché. It needed to be changed,” says Felix.

“We designed and presented a new logo—which will be the reference point for every other thing we design—to the stakeholders but from the feedback we got, we had to go back to the drawing board.”

It took three presentations to arrive at the winning logo, says Felix. “They loved the third idea we presented. The presentation was a stunner. You could see the excitement on their faces,” he shares. “It was exciting to get their buy-in.”

The New AjoCard Identity

The new AjoCard identity is inspired by the refined strategic brand promise: ‘Banking for everyone.’ “The logo embodies this concept, portraying a vibrant and playful persona,” Felix notes.

“For stakeholders, it encapsulates the revitalised business strategy and a culture of dynamic growth. For customers, the symbol signifies a commitment to consistently easy banking, exciting innovations, and an abundance of positive experiences.”

Read Also: AFCON 2023 Identity: A Beautiful Story of Strength and Unity through Football

The new logo is a combination of three things: the brand initials to represent their values; palm branches to signify their forward-thinking approach; and an abstract rectangle to represent the unbanked—which are the target customers of AjoCard.

“While we tried to retain the existing brand colours, we increased their hues to freshen them up,” Felix shares. “We also added more complimentary colours.”

For typography, a new typeface was chosen to complement the new logo.

“After this direction was approved, we went on to design other brand collaterals and assets,” says Felix. “We designed a new website as well.”

Before handing over to their in-house team, we designed a comprehensive brand guide and created templates as well, says Felix. “We made sure to document everything they will need and trained them on how to use them,” he adds.

“It’s exciting to see the new identity we designed on their terminals,” Felix remarks.

“Thank you for the great job… [the bransolute] team delivered on time,” Titilola Feyijimi, COO of AjoCard, shares.

Check out the full case study.

Read More

On February 11, 2024, the men's team of Côte d’Ivoire, the host nation of the 2023 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, came from behind, in a scintillating performance, to beat the men’s team of Nigeria to the title, making them the latest champion of the biggest national football competition in Africa.

According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body of African football and organiser of the competition, the final match between the two nations was televised in more than 170 territories, making it the most-watched AFCON in the history of the competition.

Patrice Motsepe, the president of CAF, also noted that about two billion people globally watched the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) - which has been described as the most exciting AFCON ever. “We have had close to two billion people watching AFCON globally. We should be proud as Africans and the next one will be even better,” he said.

Last year, in preparation for AFCON, CAF and the Côte d’Ivoire Local Organising Committee (“LOC”) unveiled a new identity for the tournament, being the first time in over a decade the identity was changed.

“This is the first time in over a decade that CAF has given the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations identity a new look – once again demonstrating CAF’s commitment in making the event in Cote d’Ivoire next year the best in living memory of the competition,” the announcement noted.

The new AFCON identity - which was designed by Designwerk, a London-based independent, full-service creative agency - pays homage to the richness of the Ivorian culture and the continent of Africa as a whole, while beautifully representing the essence of African football and the splendour of the host nation.

Read Also: Toby & Tye reveals gamp's new visual identity aimed at positioning it as a reliable lifestyle brand and not just a phone repair brand

Speaking about the significance of the identity at the time of the unveiling, General Secretary of CAF, Veron Mosengo-Omba said, “The unveiling of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 identity marks an exciting milestone in our journey towards the tournament in 2024. We are aware that we are getting nearer and nearer to the big moment in January next year.”

AFCON 2023 Identity: A Beautiful Story of Strength and Unity through Football

The new AFCON identity, inspired by the vibrant tapestry of African heritage, tells a beautiful story of strength and unity through football and captures the spirit and unrivalled energy of African football. “At its core lies the majestic elephant tusk, which holds dual meaning; the symbol conveys the strong representation of Cote d’Ivoire, symbolising the nation’s rich footballing history and its vital role in hosting this prestigious tournament,” the governing body wrote in its statement.

“The six tusks represent the six groups that will compete in the competition, embodying the diversity and unity that Africa exudes.”

The identity also features five balls, elegantly showcased to symbolise the African Cup of Nations trophy. “These spheres signify the pinnacle of achievement, the ultimate prize that awaits the victorious team at the culmination of their relentless pursuit of glory,” it explained.

“A colour palette carefully chosen from the flexible hues of Côte d’Ivoire adds a visual spectacle to the logo. The vibrant shades encapsulates the vivacity and diversity of the host nation, captures the captivating allure of the host nation and the cultural richness that permeates every aspect of Côte d’Ivoire.”

Read Also: Geneza Brands' new brand identity design for Coinchip symbolises trust and financial safety as it reimagines what it means to invest in crypto

Designwerk, the agency behind the new identity, notes, “Some brands have incredible power. Power to influence. Power to inspire and excite. Power to move people deeply. When the Confederation of African Football came to us with a new project, we knew that we were dealing with the mother of all powerhouses: The African Cup of Nations.”

It adds: “As the biggest football competition in Africa, AFCON holds a unique and deeply impactful place in the continent’s culture. It was our privilege to create a brand that unifies and celebrates the very best of African football, bringing together the fans for whom AFCON represents the ultimate pride and glory.

“Developed from hundreds of sketches in three key elements, the new identity takes its cues from the elephant’s tusk and the structure of the competition itself.  The result is a symbol that feels modern without losing soul, that flexes in feel without compromising on meaning.”

The identity was designed to express energy, says Designwerk. “Movement is at the heart of the brand – from the swift skill of the players, to the swell of a cheering crowd and the rhythm of their celebration. To instil this energy in our creative platform, we isolated four graphic expressions unique to AFCON football: the Drums, the Song, the Cheers, the Dance,” DesignWerk explains.

The mark was paired with a san serif typeface that represents the bold simplicity of the Zaouli dancing masks, and captures the bounce and dynamism synonymous with African football. “To top it off, we customised the A – a slight nuance that brings strong presence to the wordmark and allows us greater scope for typographic applications and animations.”

Check out the full AFCON 2023 case study.

Read More

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, a lot of industries and ecosystems were disrupted. It is said that the lockdown accelerated the adoption of some technologies that would have taken much longer without the pandemic.

Following the lockdown, the cryptocurrency industry experienced a boom. Because of this boom, a lot of people became more interested in blockchain—the technology powering cryptocurrency.

With the success of crypto, developers and blockchain enthusiasts became more interested in how blockchain is being used in other industries beyond the finance industry—cryptocurrency.

In 2021, John Dada, a multifaceted entrepreneur and blockchain professional, founded Creath Innovations, a company dedicated to driving the growth of the blockchain industry in Nigeria—and the world at large.

Creath Innovations is said to offer a comprehensive suite of blockchain services, including blockchain development, smart contract writing, community management, and blockchain marketing, among others.

According to Banjo Segun, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Creath, Creath was formed from ‘Creative Tech Hub’. “We are a blockchain tech company passionate about building tech products,” Banjo told The Creatives Note.

Led by John Dada (CEO), Banjo Segun (COO), and Hussain M. Auwal (CTO), the Creath team is made up of 15+ professionals working “to introduce the benefits of blockchain to the masses by making it accessible, user-friendly, and easy to integrate into everyday life.”

Read Also: 10 African digital products and platforms you should know and use as a creative/creator

Art Meets Technology

As technology continues to disrupt every industry, the Art industry is not left behind. With the help of technology, new solutions are being built around how art is viewed, interacted with, and collected.

In August 2022, Creath partnered with an Art Gallery in Lagos to host an art exhibition infused with technology titled, ‘Two Brothers And One Lumbo’. The artworks on exhibition—made by ten contemporary Nigerian artists—were displayed as QR codes. To view each piece of art, you had to scan the QR code with your mobile device, and to purchase any of the artworks, collectors paid in USDC on Creath’s Art Marketplace. All purchases were accompanied by a physical copy of the artwork signed by the artist.

The Creath Art Marketplace is Creath’s first product and is set to launch to the public in Q1 2024. It is an art marketplace and a digital gallery built on the Ethereum blockchain.

“The Creath Art Marketplace—a digital gallery for artists, curators, collectors, and art lovers—is a platform that leverages blockchain technology to empower creators and collectors in the art space,” Banjo shared. “Creath allows artists to create, showcase, and sell their unique artworks on the Ethereum network.”

According to Banjo, collectors get the original copy of the artwork alongside the digital certificate of ownership of the artwork collected. “We will send a physical copy of the artwork collected to the collector,” he shared. “We also offer digital tokens as part of our offering.”

Read Also: Yinkore: On using art as an escape from pain, transitioning from law to art to do what she loves, making her salary in a few days, and showing up consistently

Digital Meets Physical

At Creath, curation is at the core of what they do. One of the unique things about the Creath Art Marketplace is that the artworks displayed are curated. “The artworks on our platform are curated. Our curators ensure that all the artworks we display and exhibit undergo due and proper vetting. With this, we make sure the work we display and exhibit truly belongs to the artist,” Banjo explained. “While we utilise technology in our process, the core of our operation is curation.”

Unlike typical digital art marketplaces, Creath offers artists the opportunity to exhibit their art in physical spaces. “Artists don’t just display their art on our platform, they also get the opportunity to participate in digital exhibitions (in the metaverse) and physical exhibitions we curate,” Banjo shared. “We have an upcoming exhibition in 2024 titled; ‘Emerging Expression’, where we will be exhibiting 100 student artists.”

Beyond hosting exhibitions where curated artists get to exhibit their works, Creath is also keen on supporting and spotlighting artists through its podcast: Creath & Creatives podcast. On the podcast, they interview a diverse range of guests including digital artists and contemporary artists like sculptors and painters. They delve into their creative processes, inspirations, the challenges they have faced on their journey, and lots more.

Read Also: Nengi Uranta: On being a multidisciplinary artist, attending law school, and her love for cinnamon rolls and lego flowers

The Creath Art Marketplace

On Creath Art Marketplace, collectors do not just get to support their favourite artists, they also get cashback on their purchases. “Collectors make use of the Creath Governance Token (CGT) to purchase artwork on the marketplace. To purchase CGT, they deposit USDC, a digital currency that is fully backed by U.S. dollar assets. And for every purchase, they get a 7% cashback,” Banjo explained. “They can decide to withdraw this or stake it for investment.”

On the artist side, Creath make money when they make money. “The artist gets 80% of the sales while we charge 20% for administrative purposes,” he shared. “Additional advantage for artists is that they can make up to 10% from secondary sale of their artwork.”

Banjo emphasised that Creath is keen on solving the problem of artists not making more income from secondary sales of their artwork. With the marketplace, artists can continue to earn from sales of their artwork in the secondary market, that is, they continue to earn from future transactions involving their artwork.

Read Also

The cryptocurrency industry has seen a lot of growth and an increase in popularity in recent years. But despite the increasing number of players in the crypto space, a lot of people still see cryptocurrency trading as complex, inaccessible, and expensive.

To tackle this challenge, Coinchip designed an app for everyday individuals looking to kickstart their investment journey into the cryptocurrency ecosystem regardless of their crypto literacy.

For this project, the Geneza team set out to interpret Coinchip’s brand values and establish it as a unique brand in the competitive cryptocurrency space. “In our strategic approach to branding, we undertook the task of interpreting the brand's goals and conceptual ideals. This involved navigating the highly saturated cryptocurrency market, characterised by numerous platforms sharing similar objectives and structures,” Joy Baridilo tells The Creatives Note. “Our challenge was to establish Coinchip as a unique and standout brand amid this competitive landscape.”

Joy, a motion designer on the Geneza team, says “We initiated the branding process with comprehensive brainstorming and ideation sessions, carefully analysing the competitors' landscape.”

Serving as a DeFi intermediary, Coinchip uses spare change from a user’s bank account to build an automated, robust crypto portfolio for the user. With as low as $1, any user could begin making profits from crypto trading without stress. “Our focus was on identifying distinctive aspects of the brand, particularly emphasising uniqueness in elements such as logo design,” says Joy.

The Coinchip Brand Identity

The name Coinchip was birthed from the brand’s vision of helping users own digital stock using little chips of their coin or spare cash.

“The logo, resembling a secure vault, was meticulously crafted to symbolise financial safeguarding, aligning seamlessly with Coinchip's mission. As a cryptocurrency platform, Coinchip is dedicated to enabling individuals to unlock the potential of their idle funds through intelligent investments,” Joy explains.

Geneza replicated this uniqueness in Coinchip’s brand color palette, using Chartreuse and Black as the primary brand colors. The brilliance and simplicity of both colors guarantee visibility in an industry dominated by blue hues.

Staying in character, Lilac, Vivid Sky, and Light Coral were selected as secondary brand colors. All of which share the same quality—Simple brilliance.

Read Also: Toby & Tye reveals gamp's new visual identity aimed at positioning it as a reliable lifestyle brand and not just a phone repair brand

For the typography, Geneza selected Garet, a modern geometric typeface characterised by a contemporary, friendly, masculine tone. Its distinctive oval shapes are derived from the optically perfect circle and closed counters. Garet is an easy-on-the-eye font with just the right amount of character and formality.

Establishing Trust Through Its Identity

While Coinchip’s mission is clear, establishing trust in a platform for investment has become a formidable task as the crypto investment market grows increasingly crowded. Investors are understandably cautious due to heightened security concerns, prompting them to carefully scrutinise where they allocate their funds.

“Our team effectively addressed this challenge by enhancing the visual identity. We strategically positioned the brand as a secure and trustworthy entity, exemplified through the implementation of the vault concept logo and accompanying illustrations,” Joy explains.

Hyperdrive: Coinship’s Motion Style

For the brand motion design, Geneza captured the futuristic, forward-thinking, innovative approach to crypto trading by adopting a design style called Hyperdrive, an exciting concept from science fiction relating to faster-than-light space travel.

“I found immense satisfaction in overseeing the creation of the motion designs. Specifically, we developed a distinctive motion style named 'Hyperdrive,' drawing inspiration from the concept of faster-than-light space travel found in science fiction,” Joy shares. “This choice was deliberate, intending to communicate sophistication, technological expertise, and unyielding security. The aim was to align our visual elements with Coinchip's ambitious goals and aspirations.”

“Working alongside Geneza to bring to life our vision for Coinchip was an absolute pleasure. The synergy we experienced throughout the entire process elevated the collaboration to a level far beyond that of a typical contracted project. Instead, it felt as though the Geneza team was integrated into our organisation, functioning as our internal design agency, and actively involving our design team from inception,” says Tolu Saba, Lead Designer, Coinchip.

“This collaborative approach yielded a brand identity that surpassed our collective expectations. Our brand now resonates more powerfully with our intended audience, and the feedback we’ve received from our test groups have been overwhelmingly positive.”

Check out the full case study.

Share

Read Also

The new identity is said to be a part of a transformative rebranding journey by gamp. In what is said to be a very collaborative effort between the Toby & Tye team and gamp’s team, the project was led by Tobi Adesina, the founder of Toby & Tye.

“They were intentional about every aspect of the brand. And they were very curious and weren’t afraid to ask us questions,” Tobi tells The Creatives Note. “They didn’t just tell us what they wanted and expected us to execute. They were open to new ideas. They gave us the floor to convince them even though some of that took time. But they were ready to listen and it made the whole engagement very interesting.”

gamp is said to have started out as a phone repair shop that repairs and fixes gadgets. They pick up the gadget, repair it, and deliver it back to you. They had been in the market for several years, but their presence remained relatively unknown so they enlisted the help of the design agency, Toby & Tye, to fix that.

“With this redesign, we set out to position them as a lifestyle brand and not just a service delivery brand,” says Tobi. “After the brand audit exercise, we realised that the devices people use are a big part of them. For example, most people can’t go a long time without their phone.”

People use their laptops and phones to get work done, stay productive, and have fun. From watching videos, tweeting, texting, chatting, communicating, and streaming matches, these gadgets are a big part of people’s personal lives. If anything happens to the device, it interrupts their whole life.

Read Also: Geneza Store: How Geneza Brands, a Nigerian-led design studio, is creating an online store for premium and affordable design mockups, resources, and templates

“Our analysis and strategy session led us to come up with the tagline; ‘never a break’, which summarises what they do,” he explains. “Never a break is a double entendre that reflects gamp's unwavering dedication to meeting their customers' needs by repairing broken devices and also shows that gamp guarantees uninterrupted service because they have an option that offers you a device you can use temporarily while they repair your own device.”

The new positioning allows gamp to be able to participate in ongoing conversations as they are a part of people’s life because of the guarantee and safety they provide for their customer’s devices; which are a big part of the customer’s life.

The Visual Identity

The initial logo was crafted from a simple device icon and was not recognizable and failed to reflect the company’s commitment to exceptional customer service.

The revamped gamp’s visual identity system created by Toby & Tye uses a vibrant palette, versatile typeface, and minimalist design. It also introduced a new style of imagery that embodies the brand’s youthful and daring spirit.

The brand’s font collection, Plus Jakarta Sans, features three distinct styles—a commanding Bold, a self-assured Regular, and a versatile Sans. With these options, the brand can consistently convey its brand message across various media channels.

Read Also: African Flags and Who Designed Them (Part 1)

The traditional green color of the brand was retained to solidify its presence and position in the industry. Furthermore, they expanded the color palette to include three primary colors and five secondary colors to be used as accent colors in other applications and treatments such as imagery and illustrations.

Also, they left “the box” behind, a bold statement about the rapid growth of the brand and a mindset that cannot be confined. The word “gamp” is also presented in lowercase to communicate accessibility, openness, and transparency.

“The actual design work and experimentation took about 3 - 4 months but we spent a lot of time tinkering with the strategy and had to revise the vision, mission, tone, language, and the brand archetype to make sure we nailed it,” he tells The Creatives Note.

Read Also: Opay reveals new logo and declares the dawn of a new era

“When we first started out, we were known as just another phone repair shop. But we always knew that our mission went far beyond that. That’s why we’ve taken this bold step to communicate our deepest commitment with this new look. Our goal remains the same—to humanise your device experience,” says Bolu, the founder of gamp.

Subscribe now

“We have evolved beyond simply fixing devices; we now focus on understanding the purpose behind your precious tech and how it integrates into your life. We recognise the vital role that devices play, and we ensure that unexpected events don’t hinder productivity, entertainment, and social connections by simplifying device ownership and maintenance for individuals and businesses alike.”

Check out the full case study.

Share

Read Also

One of the things that sets you apart as a designer is how you present your work. Over the years, one of the ways designers have stood out amidst a sea of designers is how they chose to present their ideas and work. No matter how good you think the idea behind your work or the work itself is, failing to present it well will lead to the work not getting the kind of reaction you sometimes expect it to get.

A must-have in your presentation artillery as a designer is mockups. Mockups help you contextualise your work as a designer. Imagine trying to show a client what a design will look like when produced or printed without having to produce one. That is where the use of mockup comes in.

Simply put, a mockup is what you use to prototype an idea without having to really produce one. It is useful in getting buy-in and approval from a colleague, client, or boss.

Knowing you have to use a mockup is one thing, finding a unique mockup that is right for your design and presentation is another. While there are hundreds of mockups out there, finding a mockup that is unique, affordable and stands out as a designer can be daunting, and when you manage to find one, most times, it is expensive.

Read Also: How Naija Comm, a global community of creatives and social enterprise, is empowering Nigerian creatives and professionals in the creative industry across the world

Beyond mockups, finding affordable and useful resources such as contract templates, invoice templates, and design presentation templates that are locally relevant while starting out as a designer, most especially in Nigeria and Africa generally, is a herculean task because a lot of them are not readily available. You will often see articles and pieces of advice on the need to learn how to write proposals as a designer but there are not a lot of locally relevant resources and templates on how to structure one and what to include in your proposals when you need to write one.

An online store for designers by designers

In the last few years, Geneza School, an online design school led by Bolanle Banwo Osadolo, a brand identity designer and design advocate from Lagos, Nigeria, has trained thousands of students in design—brand design, product design, and motion design—across the world. Over the time of training students, one challenge was found to be common among most students—finding quality mockups and design resources.

With every challenge comes an opportunity. So Bolanle tasked her team at Geneza Brands, a design studio she leads, to build a product to tackle this challenge. This gave birth to Geneza Store, which they refer to as “the home for premium mockups and design resources at unbeatable prices.”

Geneza Store was built for designers by designers. “One thing we had in mind when we started to build the store was that we wanted to push out quality products and creative resources,” Charles David, the project lead for Geneza Store, told The Creatives Note.

“Currently we have a bunch of premium mockups and we are working on creating other resources for brand designers [and designers generally] because we noticed that there's no platform where Nigerian [African] designers can get resources like contract templates—that describe the contract and what the client should expect, and pricing templates—that guide them on how to price a project and prepare an invoice for it.”

Read Also: 10 African digital products and platforms you should know and use as a creative/creator

The goal of Geneza Store is to create and make available templates that designers can use, easily edit, and guide them on whatever they need to do. “We're working on making available resources like brand guide templates because we found out that a lot of the time, people just starting out in design often have trouble creating one from scratch because they don't have an idea of what should be in a brand guide even though they aspire to create and do good and quality work generally,” he said.

The resources on the store are said to be carefully created and curated. “Our founder, Mrs. Bolanle Banwo, always say, ‘If it's not good enough, we're not going to put it out’,” he explained.

“You will never see us put something that's substandard on the platform. The mockups are easy and intuitive to use and customise. I am happy to say that we were able to hit on that. We have received feedback that attests to the fact that we did a great job.”

Creating the first set of resources for the store

According to Charles, creating the resources for the store was a long and tedious process as they had to do a lot of research. “We have been trying to set up the store for a while. At first, we were just experimenting. We went through a lot of iterations and had to scrap some and rework them. There are a lot of mockups that we created that we didn't even put out because they didn't meet the standard we had set at the onset of the project.”

While he led the project, Charles mentioned that he worked with two 3D designers who created the mockups. They created two types of mockups: the object and scene mockups. Examples of the object mockups are the iWatch and headset mockups which were pretty easy to create. However, the scene mockups proved to be quite tricky because they had to look like an actual photograph even though they were software generated. “Though leading the project was pretty tedious, it was a learning experience because I was learning about mockups generally at a very fast pace. It took about 3-4 months of working tirelessly and receiving feedback and critiques to improve and make sure everything came out right,” he shared.

Read Also: Mary Afolabi: On early influences, her knack for colour, managing teams and clients, and how learning integrity has shaped her career — #018

Charles revealed that the reception since the store launched has been great. “I saw senior designers share it and as the person who led the project, I felt very excited because of the positive reactions to what we've created. We've had people from other countries use these products,” he said.

Other resources currently available on the Geneza Store other than mockups include a social media design template, a brand guide template, and a portfolio website template.

“We're trying to bring the quality of the expensive mockups and resources to people and make them affordable. I believe the prices are subsidised compared to what is charged for quality resources out there. We're not trying to overprice them but make them affordable,” he shared, speaking on the prices of the resources on the store.

What to expect going forward

At the moment of this publication, there are no free resources on the store but Charles confirmed that they are working on releasing some free resources soon. “We don't have any free resources on the platform at the moment but there are plans to add free resources like brand icons, pricing resources, and design proposal resources on the store soon.”

Subscribe now

“We are also working to add more mockups. We have plans to create and add mockups from real photographs, unlike the 3D-generated ones we have currently.”

The team’s plan is to continue to add more resources and expand its library of resources so that designers can have access to high-quality design resources at affordable prices.

Read Also

Beyond being a visual symbol of identification for the people of a country, the national flag can serve as a patriotic symbol that signifies hope and inspiration for the people. The national flag represents the ideology on which a country was built. It also signifies a time in history and thus carries a lot of historical meaning for the people of the country.

The national flag can be used as a symbol for decoration, a signalling device, or a military association. The flag is also used as “a general tool for rudimentary signalling and identification, especially in environments where communication is challenging (such as the maritime environment, where semaphore is used).”1

The study and design of flags

Historically, the origin of the flag is unknown and it remains unclear when the first flag was raised. But the 17th century saw the birth of several national flags through revolutionary struggle. Political change and social reform, allied with a growing sense of nationhood among ordinary people, led to the birth of new nations and flags all over the world in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The study of flags is known as Vexillology. It is from the Latin word Vexillum, meaning ‘flag’ or ‘banner’. Vexillology is the study of the history, symbolism, and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general. A person who studies flags is a Vexillologist.

A Vexillographer is someone who designs flags, and the art of designing flags is called Vexillography. Someone who is a hobbyist or general admirer of flags is a Vexillophile.

Creating a compelling and visually striking flag design requires careful consideration of design principles. Simplicity is a fundamental aspect of effective flag design, ensuring easy recognition and reproduction. Flags are often seen from a distance, so bold, contrasting colors and clear shapes are crucial for visibility. Complex details and intricate patterns may diminish legibility and make flags less distinctive.

African Flags and Who Designed Them

For the first part of what will be an ongoing series on African flags and the designers who designed them, we will be looking at seven (7) African countries.

1) Nigeria

Nigeria is situated in Western Africa and is regarded as the most populous African country with an estimated population of 224,044,365.2 There are more than 250 ethnic groups with the three largest ethnic groups being the Hausa in the north, Yoruba in the west, and Igbo in the east, together constituting over 60% of the total population.

Who designed the Nigeria Flag?

Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi, a Nigerian artist and designer, is credited with creating the national flag of Nigeria. The flag which was adopted in 1960 consists of three vertical stripes of green, white, and green. The green stripes represent Nigeria's agricultural wealth, while the white stripe symbolizes peace. He was born on 10 May, 1936.

In 1958, the Government organised a competition for the design of a new flag, open to all Nigerians at home and abroad. Then a 23-year-old student of electrical engineering at Norwood Technical College in London, Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi entered the competition which he came across in a newspaper advert.

According to him, He mailed his submission to Lagos a short time later, and in October of the following year received a letter inviting him to the London office of the Commissioner for Nigeria in the United Kingdom, where he was told that his green and white design had been selected. He had won 100 pounds ($281 in 1959) as well as a place in Nigeria’s history books.3

On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule, and the new flag was hoisted for the first time, symbolising a new dawn of freedom and self-determination.

2) South Africa

South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 6th most populous African country with an estimated population of 60,440,916.4 According to a recent census by Statistics South Africa, population estimates were 80.7% Black South African, 7.9% White South African, 8.8% Coloured South African, and 2.6% Indian South African.

Who designed the South Africa Flag?

Frederick G. Brownell, a South African State Herald and heraldic artist, is renowned for designing the current national flag of South Africa. His design, which was adopted in 1994, features six colors and incorporates elements from various South African communities, representing unity and diversity. He was born on 8 March 1940 and died on 10 May 2019 at the age of 79. He won numerous awards during his lifetime.

Brownell was South Africa’s state herald from 1982 to 2002 and his duties included approving the design and registration of coats of arms, badges, and flags. He first started toying with a design for the new SA flag after former FW de Klerk announced in parliament on February 2, 1990, that Nelson Mandela would be freed.

He was attending a congress hosted by the International Flag Federation in Zurich in 1993 when he had a light-bulb moment during “an interminable” meeting. He flipped over the conference programme and started sketching. Three arms came in from the flagpole side of the flag (the "hoist") and became one.5

He said the first drawing was of three arms in “convergence and unification”. “It was just an idea about how we could represent coming together … streams flowing into one another, whether cultural, linguistic or whatever … a unifying of people’s cultures, something that could bring the people of South Africa together,” he said.

3) Angola

Angola is located on the west-central coast of Southern Africa. With an estimated population of 36,735,608, Angola is the 7th most populous country in Africa. Ethnically, there are three main groups, each speaking a Bantu language: the Ovimbundu who represent 37% of the population, the Ambundu with 25%, and the Bakongo 11%. Other numerically important groups include the closely interrelated Chokwe and Lunda, the Ganguela and Nyaneka-Khumbi (in both cases classification terms that stand for a variety of small groups), the Ovambo, the Herero, the Xindonga and scattered residual groups of San.

Who designed the Angola Flag?

Henrique de Carvalho Santos, also known as Henrique Onambwé is credited to have created the Angola flag. The process of cutting and sewing the first version of the flag was done by Joaquina, Ruth Lara, and Cici Cabral on November 11, 1975. He was born in Porto Amboim, in the province of Cuanza Sul on 5 May 1940. He is a nationalist who served as the Minister of Industry of Angola. He served in the Directorate of Information and Security of Angola (DISA) before becoming the Minister of Industry.

The national flag of Angola was adopted when Angola gained independence on November 11, 1975. It is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half with an emblem resting at the center. It features a yellow half-gear wheel crossed by a machete and crowned with a star. It is based on the flag of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which fought Portuguese colonial rule and emerged as the ruling party of Angola following the Angolan Civil War.

4) Morocco

Morocco is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. With an estimated population of 37,857,259, 6 Morocco is ranked 11th based on population in Africa. Moroccans are primarily of Arab and Berber origin. The descendants of the original Arab settlers who continue to speak Arabic as a first language currently form the single largest population group in North Africa.

Who designed the Morocco Flag?

Mulay Yusef, Sultan of the Alaouite Dynasty who ruled the kingdom between 1912 and 1927, is credited to have designed the flag. The Moroccan flag used during the Alaouite dynasty, between 1666 and 1915, was a simple red banner with no markings. The current flag was adopted on November 17, 1915.

The flag is made up red with a green interlaced pentangle. The pentagram represents the Seal of Solomon, an Islamic symbol. The five branches also represent the pillars of Islam.

5) Ghana

Ghana is a country in West Africa. With an estimated population of 34,150,449,7 Ghana is the 13th most populous African country. There are more than seventy ethnic groups and about 80 languages spoken in the country. Major ethnic groups include the Akan at 47.5% of the population, the Mole-Dagbon at 16.6%, the Ewe at 13.9%, the Ga-Dangme at 7.4%, the Gurma at 5.7%, the Guan at 3.7%, the Grusi at 2.5%, the Kusaasi at 1.2%, and the Bikpakpaam a.k.a. Konkomba people at 3.5%.

Who designed the Nigeria Flag?

Theodosia Okoh, a Ghanaian stateswoman, artist, and designer, is credited with creating the national flag of Ghana. She was born on 13 June 1922 and died on 19 April 2015 at the age of 93. Her design, which was adopted in 1957 when Ghana gained independence from British colonial rule, features three horizontal stripes of red, gold, and green, with a black star in the center. The flag represents the nation's struggle for freedom and its commitment to African unity.

President Kwame Nkrumah, the president at the time, was attracted to her design because of the interpretation of the colours. The red colour was used to represent the blood of forefathers who led the struggle for independence and shared their blood. The gold colour represents the mineral resources mostly found in the Ashanti region of Ghana, helping to harness the wealth of the country. The green symbolises Ghana's rich forests and natural wealth. The black star of the Ghanaian national flag is a symbol used to represent the emancipation of Africa and unity against colonialism.

Mrs Theodosia Okoh received a number of awards such as the Grand Medal (GM) from the nation during her lifetime. She received a citation from the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and the National Sports Awards in 2004, as well as an award from the Sport Writers Association of Ghana and an award from the TV Africa series Obaa Mbo.

6) Mozambique

Mozambique is a country located in southeastern Africa. With an estimated population of 33,941,494,8 Mozambique is the 15th most populous African country. The main ethnic groups in Mozambique are the Makua, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups.9

Who designed the Mozambique Flag?

Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane, the founding president of the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), is said to play a significant role in the design of Mozambique's national flag. The flag was adopted in 1983. It features horizontal stripes of green (teal), black, and yellow, with a red triangle on the hoist side. The symbolism behind the colors and shapes represents the nation's agricultural wealth, the country's minerals, African solidarity, and bloodshed during the struggle for independence.

It includes the image of a Kalashnikov rifle with a bayonet attached to the barrel crossed by a hoe, superimposed on an open book. The rifle stands for defence and vigilance while the open book symbolises the importance of education, the hoe represents the country's agriculture, and the star symbolizes the spirit of the international solidarity of the Mozambican people.

It is one of four national flags among UN member states that feature a firearm, along with those of Guatemala, Haiti, and Bolivia, but is the only one of the four to feature a modern firearm instead of cannons or muskets.

In 2005, the country sought a new design for the flag and held a competition. A winner was selected, although the flag has not been changed to that design and remains the same as the design of 1983.

7) Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a country situated in Southern Africa. The country now known as Zimbabwe was originally known as Southern Rhodesia from 1895 to 1980. It was also known as Zimbabwe Rhodesia at some point. With an estimated population of 16,681,766,10 Zimbabwe is ranked the 26th most populous African country. Zimbabwe has 16 official languages: Chewa, Tonga, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa.

Who designed the Zimbabwe Flag?

The initial flag of Zimbabwe Rhodesia (Southern Rhodesia) was designed by Flight Lieutenant Cedric Herbert, a member of the Rhodesian Air Force now known as the Air Force of Zimbabwe.11 He was also a member of the Rhodesian Heraldry and Genealogy Society. His design featured three horizontal stripes of red, white, and green and a vertical black stripe bordered with white on the left side. An emblem of the Zimbabwe bird was pictured in gold.

Cedric Herbert started his basic studies at the Abingdon School. After finishing High School, he completed one year as an apprentice Draughtsman and photographer in the Photographic Sciences department with the Atomic Research Establishment in Harwell Berkshire. He immigrated to Southern Rhodesia in 1953 and joined the Royal Rhodesian Air Force in 1955 as an Aerial Photographer.

In 1968 he completed with distinction the City & Guilds Of London Certificate in Photography. Cedric Herbert also attained the International Correspondence Schools London Certificate for Advertising Layout and Illustration in 1973.12

After Zimbabwe’s independence from the UK in April 1980, the current design of the Zimbabwe flag was hoisted. The new flag has seven equally spaced horizontal stripes in green, yellow/gold, red, and black. It also has a Zimbabwean bird sitting on top of a red five-pointed star within a white triangle to the left of the flag. While the designer of the new design is unspecified, the initial design did not include the Zimbabwe Bird. This was added at the suggestion of Cederic Herbert, who pointed out its uniqueness and history.

According to the interpretation of the flag, green represents vegetation and agriculture, yellow/gold represents the country's mineral wealth, red represents the bloodshed during the war of the liberation, black represents the black majority, the white triangle represents peace, Zimbabwe bird represents the national emblem, and the red star represents the nation's aspirations.

Subscribe now

Read Also

This picture was shared by Twitter user Otunba with the caption;

“I know I am not old, but this is funny.

For the past 3 days, I’ve been using this as my body cream.

I noticed it was unnecessarily sticky and all, but I just felt maybe that’s the texture as it was my first time.

I just found out that it is a body wash!”

https://twitter.com/otunba_od/status/1675821021620731904

There has been mixed reaction to the tweet but they can be summarised into two. One reaction is that “It’s a design problem” while the other reaction is that “It’s not a design problem because ‘body wash’ was written on it. It is a case of him failing to read what was written on it.”

While both camps can be said to have reasonable arguments, it is important for companies and designers to try their best to avoid situations like these. This is a call to designers to be more inclusive and customer/end-user minded when designing products like these especially those that can have huge negative side effects if misconstrued by a customer.

This conversation has made it clear that a number of people don’t read everything on a product package but one thing it did not do is take into consideration that there are a number of factors that can be responsible for it. Dumebi, an experienced designer, captured it well in his tweet;

Some people we design for,

1. Can’t read/just lost their glasses

2. Are dyslexic

3. Will be distracted when interacting with the product

4. Might be a child

5. Have learning disabilities

https://twitter.com/Dum3bi/status/1676229332568612866

Another thing to note is that humans like and tend to depend on familiarity, similarity, and patterns generally which also come into play when buying products. This phenomenon is known as the Consumer’s Mental Model. So it is your job as a designer to anticipate what they will look out for and ensure that your design is clear, accessible, and lacks ambiguity such that it communicates the right thing taking into account different types of customers and users. Elements such as images, illustrations, shapes, colours, and texts are very important and as such be meaningful and relevant to the product. They should also follow the appropriate hierarchy, arrangement, and placement to avoid issues of misinterpretation and mis-categorisation.

Tola Alabi, another experienced designer, made an interesting submission when he tweeted that;

“To a man they all look like body cream. A woman sees things differently. It's not a design problem, if the target audience don't have a problem with it. My dear men, Dove and the likes aren't targeting you. They understand their audience and their audience understand them.”

https://twitter.com/ta_alabi/status/1676304606773538816

While this take gives an interesting perspective to the discussion, a thread of a lady and other ladies sharing the experience of their confusion with this product and other similar products indicates that the assertion may not be entirely accurate.

A Twitter user Samson Adebayo shared this and people seemed to agree that it ‘solved the problem’.

“Had 15mins to spare and I grabbed my iPad and redesigned the dove packaging without omitting any element from the original packaging… Just my own quick approach to solve the ‘problem’.”

https://twitter.com/Kvngspice_/status/1676318907131392001

No matter the side of the argument you are on, you will agree that if a ‘tangible’ number of customers and users have the same complaint about your product, it is important that you as a business owner or designer look into it and address it.

This image was shared by Twitter user Anna with the caption;

“Fruit Juice?”

https://twitter.com/annabrands_co/status/1676160461350359042

If someone offered you this pack without saying what it was, you would have probably opened and drank this without reading what was written on it. But if you drank this, you would have drank a liquid dish soap.

In this case, the consensus is that “This is a bad design”. The reason is clear; the shape and form of the container and the choice of the image used follow after that of popular packaging for yogurt and juice drinks. The packaging mimics that of a popular consumable product packaging and therefore packaging a non-consumable product like a dish wash soap in this case, goes against the established consumer mental model. Without reading the text, 99% of people who saw it assumed it was a new brand of yogurt/juice.

Another Twitter user Brennasaid posted the picture below with the caption;

“This is literally one of the dumbest places to keep undrinkable chemicals I’ve ever seen in my life…”

https://twitter.com/brennasaid/status/1676022393293221892

I understand that as designers we want to break the rules and think outside the box but we should not do that to the detriment of the consumers. It is important to understand and think of the impact design decisions can have on the customers, the product, and the business if they turn out to be bad.

A lesson in all these conversations for designers is that when designing for product packaging, they should think beyond just aesthetics and think more about accessibility and inclusivity while also backing their designs with market and customer research.

It also brings to the fore, the importance of product packaging and why businesses should be more intentional about them. It makes clear why businesses should pay more attention to product packaging as it can make or break the product. A good example is the case of Tropical which lost about $30,000 million in revenue due to a failed packaging redesign; in this case, was not even harmful. We have also seen cases of companies getting sued due to bad design decisions.

In summary, product packaging design (form, shape, and visual outlook of the package) can make or break a product, therefore it should be of top priority to businesses and designers.

Read also