Social Media Week Lagos may have come and gone, but the excitement still lingers among attendees. The privilege to learn, connect and take loads of selfies with like minds in a free and relaxing atmosphere makes it a unique experience; one that I’m not willing to trade anytime soon.
It was my first time as an attendee and a speaker. The ambience was soothing but I couldn’t keep calm. You don’t get opportunities like this every time. Social Media Week Lagos is dubbed the biggest tech and innovation conference in Africa with over 20,000 people in attendance every year. It’s…
AND RECONNECTED ME WITH MY FIRST LOVE.
I was once overwhelmed with work that I thought the only right thing to do was take up a bed space at a local hospital. And I did. Well, maybe not me.
Perhaps the symptoms grasped and forcefully dragged me to Ward 8. Truth is, I couldn’t have walked into that hospital of my own free will. It took nervous breakdown to get me there.
You see, I could avoid all this but I didn’t. I can’t wrap my head around taking a break voluntarily from work. I felt it was a terrible idea to take a chill pill while…
Many have asked how I profit from being a typographer, and I’m always eager to tell them I do it for a loss.
I lost my voice as a child. I could hardly string words together due to a severe speech impediment. For years, I was underground, in the shadows, painting words in my head.
As a teenager, I was dyslexic. Though, there were no diagnosis pointing in that direction, but my behaviours displayed symptoms of dyslexia.
So each time I'm lost for words, I paint imaginary pictures. I spend more time to put words together; first in my head…
It’s been a fierce and funny battle this weekend as some Nigerian banks took time off financial papers to trade insults and exchange banters over a tweet that spilled the beans.
Sterling Bank, popularly known as one-customer bank, created a buzz with an artwork closely accompanied by a savagery tweet that subtly smeared the image of a few banks within the country.
As at the time of this writing, Sterling Bank ranked top on Nigeria Twitter trend with over 44,000 mentions. And the hash tag “Bankwars” has become #1 since Sterling pulled off what would be remembered as one of…
While growing up, we used to have a neighbour who worked for Nigeria Airways. I had no idea what her job entailed at the time, but I remember spending countless hours in her apartment browsing through beautiful souvenirs and merchandise she brought from work.
Everything was custom made, even the wrappers of chocolates which made us rush towards her every evening had Nigeria Airways logo on it. …
It’s an illusion. Perfectionist designers are desperate designers. They are often miserable. I know because I was a perfectionist myself. I still am but with better control.
Many designers spend endless hours adding finishing touches, yet, an art is never finished. You just have to know when to stop. Of course I'm not telling you to avoid important details; I'm only saying the quest for perfection is a mirage. And whatever looks perfect is subjective.
If a project looks great, go ahead and publish it. Adding unnecessary details to perfect it makes it ugly. …
I’m aware there’s a Logo March going on, and I must confess, I’ve seen loads of awesome logos that blew my mind. Identity designers in Nigeria are really raising the bar. Kudos guys!
However, there are few of us still struggling to get it right. Thankfully, you were not deterred to throw in the towel. You are going all the way to complete the March. That’s commendable.
Now I’m moved to share my tips and tricks with designers who desire to become identity professionals. Hopefully, it will help give some directions as regard topnotch logo design.
This post is a compilation of my Instagram #LogoTrick series. Do enjoy and feel free to ask questions in the comment box.
Flat is functional
I’m sure you wonder why most notable companies are going flat with their logos. The…
Look back. Take a closer look. You are likely to find happiness there.
Revisit the past. Yes, sometimes it’s hard but go find out why you had to abandon the so called childish behaviour to chase something ‘extraordinary’, according to the society.
I loved to write as a kid. I had no other choice. I couldn’t pronounce words properly due to dyslexia. So I learned to express myself on paper. It didn’t have to make sense. I just scribbled anything. It was probably the only thing I did well without condemnation - making a mess of my notebooks. …
It’s a bitter pill. But the people who usually administer this drug are not necessarily doctors, a lot of them are impatient patients.
So, I learned early in my career to filter out. I can’t afford to waste precious man-hours responding to irresponsible critics. Besides, many of the so called ‘constructive criticisms’ out there are inherently destructive. And yes, it drains you of all positive energy.
However, there are a few constructive criticisms worth paying attention to. At some point, I had to learn to swallow my pride in order to swallow the bitter pill. Sometimes, these pills are thorny…
Pardon me, I don’t mean to scare you. But trust me, no client wants to work strictly by your terms and conditions, especially as a designer.
Clients want to be part of your decision. They want to be carried along. It’s not all about you. Think about it, they own the project. Hence, they desire an inclusive contract — one that does not keep them in your prison.
We all know how stubborn and egotistic creatives can be. They hardly take into consideration what others want. And their contracts often reflect who they are — insensitive. …
Yemi Fetch
Lettering Artist & Creative Designer
