The Future of African Design: reviewing the past, analyzing the present, and seeing beyond.

On the 13th of May 2023, I was opportune to speak at the Untitled Design Conference on the topic, The Future of African Design: reviewing the past, analyzing the present, and seeing beyond. It was a beautiful experience and a conversation I was glad to have with 500+ African designers in attendance.

In this medium article, I’ll share my thoughts from my presentation.

I would like to begin this conversation with the question, “What is the future of African Design?”. As you ponder on what the answer to this could be, I’ll take this time to briefly introduce myself. My name is Chisaokwu Joboson, and I’m a brand designer from Africa. The last word is important in my introduction as I take pride that I am from Africa — a place of origin I share with over 10,000 other designers globally.

Reviewing the past

Africa boasts of a vibrant tapestry of diverse cultures with unique design traditions, which have been passed down through generations, forming the foundation of African design. This becomes visible in our patterns, abstract motifs and illustrations, vibrant use of colour, and symbolism. African design is firmly rooted in its rich heritage. It goes so deep it is even said that Africa is the birthplace of design with historical backing dated to 3000BC East African civilizations. Africa’s design legacy is as varied as it is profound. These ancient design traditions continue to inspire and inform contemporary African designers, providing a deep sense of identity and authenticity.

We see African design present in the textile patterns we have, and in the industrial products we create, some of the identities we see, the illustrations and motifs, etc.

The earliest representation of African design; dates back to ancient Egyptian civilization.

Analyzing the present

However, there has been change over time. The motherland which is said to be one the birthplace of design as far as history would have it, happens to be behind in the global design space. According to the current World Design Rankings which rates countries with the most and best design worldwide, Africa, a continent rich in diverse culture slides down the list. And is underrepresented too; with South Africa taking the 32nd position and Egypt at 46th, then Tunisia, Morocco, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon. We might say the ratings don’t mean much, but such ranking points to a certain pattern: most countries at the top have their design influenced by culture. And we’re drifting away from ours. We are mostly creating based on what design is said to be by other nations aside from ours. And while there’s no denying that we do it so well, imagine the magic we could create if we focused on African design.

World Design Ranking of the top countries, with the designs of most of them influenced by their culture

World Design Ranking of the African countries on the list

African design is slowly fading out as not many African designers are conscious of it. If you googled “African design” right now, what you’ll be faced with are mostly textile patterns and crafted products. Fair, one would say, but surely there should be more to it. How can Africa stir the waters in a constantly evolving world of design?

Seeing beyond

As we look towards what the future holds for African design, there exist some creative individuals paddling the ship and showing us and the rest of the world how it should be done. The future of African design is visible when we see the works of Fungi Dube, a brand designer from Zimbabwe who is elevating Afrikan narratives through modern design. The future of African design is evident when we see the works of Samuel Jolayemi, a visual designer from Nigeria who reflects our African childhood memories using characterized illustrations of perspective in a such way it resonates with the African audience. You’re probably thinking about someone else who is contributing to African design. Yes, them too.

Works by Fungi Dube, a Zimbabwean Brand Designer

Works by Samuel Jolayemi, a Nigerian Visual Designer

However, the future of African design is not for a few. African design is in need of more. Quoting the words of a former president of Ghana, Late Kwame Nkrumah,

“I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.”

We need to get back to our cultural roots and find new ways we can elevate African design. And this is not a calling that will have us logging into our company’s workspace to “wombolo-nize” the client’s design system because “Mama Africa” — no, it’s not the aim. But at some point, we need to come together and start asking ourselves questions like how we can design UI interfaces and create product interactions that feel close to home, how we can build visual identities in modern times that speak to the African people, ways we can get the typefaces we use in design to contain glyphs in some of our indigenous languages, what an Afrocentric motion design could look like, etc. There exist many possibilities for African design.

And so we go back to the beginning of this conversation where I asked what the future of African design was, and the answer is you. The future of African design is you. It’s left for us to contribute to the work being done in reviving African design. And not only is the future of African design you; the future of African design is now, the moment we decide to take action.

Thanks for reading. Daalu.

The future of African design is you. The future of African design is now.

The link to my presentation slide can be found here. The live recording of my talk can be watched here (begins at 25:34).