Nonso Eagle: On being a creative director, leading the creative team at PiggyTech, and how he approaches design — #022
"I believe that design is one, whether it is product, motion, or graphic design. At the end of the day, the goal is to pass a message, solve a problem and make things easier for the end users."
Hi, thank you for joining us for another edition of our interview with African Creatives. In this edition, I spoke with Nonso Eagle, the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of PiggyTech, the parent company of PiggyVest, PocketApp, and Patronize. In his role, he leads the design and creative team that creates works that cut across product, marketing, social media, and every other touchpoint.
In this interview, you will get to know what led him to design, how he got started, what keeps him going, the major challenge he faces as a creative and how he navigates it, his favourite projects, the people that inspire him, the creative he would love to work with, and his goal to impact people through his work. You will definitely love and enjoy reading this!
Tell us about yourself
My name is Nonso Eagle. I am a designer and creative director.
I am currently the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of PiggyTech, the parent company of PiggyVest, PocketApp, and Patronize. In my role, I lead the design and creative team that creates works that cut across product, marketing, social media, and every other touchpoint.
One interesting thing about me is that I have a good memory. People—friends and family—always refer to me for past events because I tend to remember things.
And yes, Eagle is my surname.
Interesting! How did you get started with design? What led you to become a creative director?
As a young child, I used to draw. I did it as a way of expressing myself. But I really got into design in 2009 in my first year at Covenant University when I picked up how to use Photoshop from my roommate at the time.
After I discovered Adobe Suite and what I could do with it, I spent a lot of time watching tutorials, practicing, and creating stuff out of curiosity. Over time, I started to design logos and flyers for my friends and small businesses on campus.
I continued to design throughout my days on campus. In my second year on campus, I and a few friends started a business. As the only designer on the team, I was tasked with everything that had to do with design. And that sort of kicked off my design career.
After we graduated from Uni, we started another company together which evolved and grew into what we have now.
How would you describe the journey and your experience so far?
It has been pretty good.
When we started the company after graduating from Uni in 2014, there wasn’t a lot of distinction in the design field as we have now—and we couldn’t hire different people as well—so I had to do everything from UI/UX design, marketing design to print design and all sorts.
It has been nice to see the growth. Starting out this way has helped me learn a lot of things along the journey.
How would you describe what you do to a five-year-old?
I design the app they use and interact with.
What is your day-to-day routine? What does a typical day look like for you?
I work remotely mostly so I don’t have to go to the office every day. On most days, I wake up and check my emails to see if there’s anything I need to work on for the day.
After this, I get some work done which can involve reviewing designs from my team members or working on designs myself. On days when I have meetings, I’ll attend. Around 5-6 pm, I get off work.
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What is the most satisfying thing about what you do?
It has to be seeing people—the users—appreciate and interact with the work we do, because everything we do is for them.
What is the best career investment you have made as a creative?
It has to be the investment in how I see design. I believe that design is one, whether it is product, motion, or graphic design.
At the end of the day, the goal is to pass a message, solve a problem, and make things easier for the end users.
What are some of the challenges you face as a designer?
The major one is the lack of appreciation for the time and work it takes to create or design something. When you are good, people think what you do is easy and don’t want to give you enough time to create the good work you often create.
For example, when you say something will take you three weeks, somehow, they expect you to get it done in one week.
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How do you navigate this challenge?
I have learnt to compromise when I need to, but I won’t compromise on putting the focus on the message. At the end of the day, the users will not see the time it takes to get the work done. They only see the end result and can’t judge if you had something different or better.
Tell us what your workflow and creative process is like
The first thing I try to do is understand the brief. Once I understand the brief, I use keywords from the brief to find inspiration. When researching and looking for inspiration, I don’t limit myself to similar projects. I have found out that I can get ideas from other areas that are not similar to the brief. There’s inspiration everywhere.
After I am done with the research and have an idea of what I want the result to look like, I start designing. Once the design is done, I share it for feedback, implement any feedback, and share the final output.
What are the essential gadgets, tools, and software you use for work daily?
I mostly use Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. I recently started exploring Procreate for personal projects.
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How did the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown impact you and the work you do as a creative?
Before the pandemic hit, we were already operating a ‘Work From Anywhere’ model. At PiggyTech, we have always believed that you could get your work done anywhere. So, the pandemic didn't really change a lot for me when the lockdown happened.
Also, we have always lived close to each other, so it didn’t affect us and the work we did so much because I could just stroll to any of my friend’s place if I needed to.
How do you handle creative blocks and pushbacks as a creative?
I take a break and try not to think about anything design. Just do random things to de-stress and then get back to it and try again
What is the task you don't enjoy doing but you have to do?
I don't think there's anything I do that I don’t like or enjoy doing. But my least favourite type of project to work on is logo design.
What are some of the most exciting projects you have worked on?
My number one will be the design of the current version of the PiggyVest app. There was a version I designed in 2022 that didn’t even make it to production because I had to redesign the ‘redesign’.
Another one is a project I worked on in 2014 for Pushcv—one of our early startups. I worked on the branding and created a teaser video that led to over 500K signups at the time.
How do you stay creative and motivated to keep creating?
I like creating. I just enjoy it.
There’s also the fear of not making it in life, haha. I keep creating because I don’t want to be poor.
How do you relax and have fun?
I like to play FIFA. I also hang out with my friends.
Who are the creatives that inspire you?
Kanso Ogbolu and Malika Favre
Who is that one creative you would love to work with or collaborate with?
What brand would you love to work with?
What would you be doing if you were not a designer?
Something related to football; coaching or playing.
What advice do you have for someone who is at the early stage of their creative journey?
Have it at the back of your mind that design is one. No matter the field of design - graphic, motion, or product design - you choose to focus on, you can learn from other fields of design because the same design rule applies to all areas of design. Be open to learning, and find a way to incorporate what you learn into your work.
The second advice is for you to keep doing what you are doing. Don't stop. Just keep creating.
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What would you consider success and fulfilment in your career when you look back in the next 20 years?
Like Ezra tweeted sometime back, “I want to be unbelievably liquid”.
Beyond that, it would be contributing to making people's lives better through my work.
Whose story would you love to read about?
Adxnna and EbubeRPG.
Do you have anything you would like to plug in or promote?
Check out and sign up on PiggyVest and PocketApp.
Thank you for sharing with us!!!
Feel free to reach out and connect with Nonso on Twitter, and Instagram.
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to like and share the interview.
We need your input
Almost everyone is talking about AI these days. You almost cannot escape the conversation.
I am looking to speak with African creatives (artists, designers, filmmakers, and visual storytellers) who are open to sharing their thoughts on “AI and creativity for African creatives”.
What are your general thoughts on AI and creativity? How do you think AI will impact creatives and their work going forward? Do you think AI is going to take your job? Have you started incorporating AI in your work? (If yes, how? If no, why)
Please, reach out via thecreativesnote@gmail.com to share your thought. Thank you!
See you next time!!!
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