3 female Nigerian graphic designers share their creative process
In the world that we live in, it’s no doubt that design is the centre of everything we do. As creatives, we know the process can be daunting. Bringing to life that perfect vision you have in your mind can feel like having to fit your fist into your mouth. (Don’t lie — you just tried it, didn’t you?)
In the midst of so much visual stimulation, heartfelt pieces filter through the noise to stand the test of time. Not only can it instantly draw the attention of bystanders, but design connects us with other creatives and very easily becomes the basis of kick-ass brands — think Glossier, Vetements and more close to home, Arami.
At this point, graphic designers are basically taking over the world. But we understand that honing in on your creative aesthetic can be difficult, and creative block is a very real thing that we all struggle with. So we spoke to 3 graphic designers about what makes their creative process special to make sure you know you’re never alone — even when your mind makes you think you might be.
Yasmin Idris of MaybeArt, 22,
Based in London, Architecture graduate from DMU,
As I usually work on projects I’ve created myself, I start by brainstorming the brief and subject matter. It’s usually a chaotic process as I tend to have complex ideas, so I map out a story that feeds into the brief. It could just be one word that inspires the entire concept, and I use that to form a visual narrative through a collage.
I’ll look over the common themes and ideas I have down before researching for tangible inspiration in books, movies, clips, tv and music. Once I have a mood board, I look to cinematography to inspire a colour palette (depending on my initial idea) and make sure that all through these stages, I’m continuously sketching.
I really struggle with imposter syndrome and anxiety, so I do my best to reassure myself and validate my ideas. Having a great support system to remind me how talented I am and how exceptional my ideas are is also very key to my process!
Then I move to photoshop. I like to learn different skills, so I always watch tutorials and play around with various tools. Sometimes this ends up way better than I imagined in the first place! If I’m painting, I’ll still start in photoshop but instead, I use it to map out colour and subject matter before moving over to paper.
Morountodun of MT Designs, 23,
Lagos Nigeria, Self-taught
My creative process is deeply rooted in my faith. I’m a Christian and the Holy Spirit is indeed my helper. He plants ideas in my head at any time and these usually stems from things I’ve heard, seen or listened to.
When I’m talking to clients, my mind automatically goes into “design mode”. I can’t physically draw but as they speak, my mind starts to sketch. The same thing happens when I’m creating pieces for IG
After this, I start curating the various aspects that will eventually come together to form the final piece. This includes fonts, pictures, vector images and colour codes. The time period for this varies depending on what I do or don’t find.
At this point, I might become inspired by something else — which actually happened during one of my more recent edits, “Today’s Edit: LIPS”. Nothing is final until I post it on Instagram! This is where it becomes clearer on what I want to create and it’s vibe.
I like to work with music, so after I’ve curated everything I play some music and get started. Photoshop and Illustrator allow me to have fun as I’m constantly discovering new things. Sometimes, I execute exactly what’s in my head and fall in love. Other times, it just doesn’t “hit” so I start trial and error, playing with opacity, exposure, contrast, blending modes, fonts, literally everything. The only constant is the initial image the Holy Spirit placed in my mind.
Once I’m satisfied with about 2–3 versions, I look at them on my phone. I’ll then send them to some of my best friends and ask them for their opinion (even though at this point I already know the one I’m picking LOL). Once I’ve gotten their feedback and I’ve analysed the piece to make sure it’s perfect (to me), I’ll post it.
Oluwakemi Aluko of Ewàolá Creative Studio, 22
Lagos, Self-taught
My creative process is so exciting because I’m an extremely visual person. I see the concept in my head, then I make a rough sketch of what I see. Sometimes, I curate a massive collection of images via multiple Pinterest boards that help decipher my idea a lot more.
Once I’ve made sense of the idea, I research the topic to see what elements or inspiration I can gain from learning more about it. I search to see if anything similar has been done and if it has, I make notes on how I can apply my and my client’s unique selling point into it.
My unique aesthetic is always inspired greatly by afro-minimalism. I then start to execute it by playing around with the concept until it feels right to me. I’ll then leave what I’ve done for a day — or sometimes for a week, and if it still looks fresh and exciting to me, I’ll share it with the world or deliver to my clients.
