Nigeria is not home only to the largest black population on earth; it’s also home to global talent making an impact on the world.
Academics and investment gurus, however, dominate the spotlight when the question of Nigerian talent is considered. There’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Trade Organization, Aliko Dangote, the richest African, and Hakeem Olajuwon, the NBA superstar.
So where are the creatives? By creatives, I mean graphic creatives, not literary creatives like Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Adichie. Sure, these are notable names exporting the brilliance of Nigerian talent, but nonetheless, creatives in the graphic world are doing the same, and today’s post is focused on creatives making headlines via Graphic skills.
The Hunger for Black Creativity
European and American stardom dominated the entertainment industry for decades. The world is, however, weary of creativity from the west, and Africa is its new destination.
Hence, creatives like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido are unprecedented leaders in global music.
It’s exactly the same for graphic designers, due to these two main reasons:
- Global brands with a focus on Africa seeking African creatives to help connect the dots and captivate audiences.
- The growing need for Africans to tell the African story.
Top 5 outstanding Nigerian creatives: NGD Picks
1. Kolawole Olanrewaju
In 2015, Nigerians were motivated to vote by a hilarious yet thought-provoking video by Kolawole Olanrewaju, head of Komotion Studios.
In his video, Kolawole creatively depicts a Boko Haram leader stating the 2015 elections as useless until his demise from above via a voting thumb. The video, while a good laugh, encouraged Nigerians to take positive action.
Who is Kolawole?
Head of Komotion Studios, a creative production company in Nigeria with skills in 3D animation, visual effects, and motion graphics. He worked for 8 years with Insight Communications and then launched Komotion Studios for creative and modern storytelling through graphics.
2.Juliet Godwin
In 2023, Presidential aspirant Peter Obi commended the creative illustrations from Julie Godwin, a Nigerian illustrator. Her creative work captured the key features of unity and progress giving Nigerians a glimpse of Nigeria after a fair and credible election.
Who is Juliet?
Juliet Godwin is an illustrator with roots in your favorite community for growth – Naija graphic design. The creative started out as a photo editor and quickly converted her love for drawing into illustrations. She soon managed the Creative Group NGD, often using personal finances to sponsor challenges in the group. Juliet currently works as a freelancer with global bodies renowned for vivid creativity in her works.
3. Fisayo Fosudo
If you watch YouTube videos for tech reviews, then you know the one Nigerian who gives you reviews relevant to your locale – Fisayo. His achievement isn’t just his global name in the tech community, its the elevation of content production in Nigeria; prior to his entry, a gap occurred in the content production space in Nigeria for tech videos. Fisayo emerged in 2016 and revolutionized the scene videos comparable to famous tech Youtuber, Whostheboss
Who is Fisayo ?
Fisayo is a graduate of Unilag with an economics degree. Before venturing into content production, Fisayo worked as a graphic designer with Max where an idle camera taught him the basics of film production. In 2016 Fisayo dared his life savings and since then gathered over 400.000 YouTube subscribers.
4. Oladimeji Ajegbile
A creative at first, Oladimeji is known for his intriguing videos on social media espousing the benefits of personal brands to creatives. His most notable features are his Tedx talk, a global event for speakers, and the NBC morning show, an American morning program.
Who is Oladmeji?
Oladimeji Ajegile is a creative director at Hepta brand where creative solutions are engineered for businesses in the private and public sector. He soon started an Instagram channel which has since then catapulted the introvert as he calls himself into the spotlight.
5. Franklin Ozomah
Franklin is a powerhouse in the movie industry, helping Nigerian movies gross half a billion Naira.
In 2017, he won the toronto Film Festival award for his movie poster “The Sensation.” The Toronto Film Award is a global event assessing creative works in the movie industry worldwide and in this prestigious event, our homeboy Rex bagged an award as a statement to his skill.
Who is Franklin?
Franklin hails from Delta State and began his graphic journey as a graphic designer. He soon noticed a gap in the movie industry; substandard -movie posters. According to Franklin posters then showcased only the faces of actors. This contrast to customized Hollywood posters disturbed Franklin. He contacted movie directors, and a single poster became two, then three, and multiples till this day.
6. Steve Baba Eko
In 2023, a Nigerian branding industry got shortlisted for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The festival, over 70 years old, is witnessing a first time record as the Nigerian agency is the first Nigerian agency grabbing its prestigious golden Lion award. The brain behind the success of this brand is brand expert Baba Eko.
Who is Steve?
Baba Eko is a product of Nigerian University, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, with a degree in Theatre Art.
The owner of the now-global brand has a track record of creative directing with brand agencies like British Ogilvy and 141 Worldwide. After turning 40, Baba Eko claims he viewed the world with different eyes and decided to start up his own agency with just 8 people. Dedication and hardwork have propelled the brand in less than 15 years from a startup agency to one of the top 40 global agencies in this year’s Good Report’s Publication.
Spot the Pattern for Immense Success
Here are 3 secret ingredients displayed by the creatives on our list for reaching their peak
- Commitment. Designers like Fisayo spent life savings on the purchase of high-quality gear, and some like Julie spent over 24 hours in her unity design.
- Perseverance. Baba Eko’s X3M agency pulled 11 hard years before making its global acclaim at the Cannes Lions list and Good Publication’s top 40 reports.
- Offerings. Fisayo ventured into content production to fill in the content gap for local tech reviews, Franklin AKA Rex for standard movie posters. What gap will you be filling?
These key ingredients of perseverance when things don’t work out immediately, offering unique value and dedicating time and effor tto your skill will make you outstanding.
Feeling inspired and want some more juice? Then check out our spotlight for rising creative stars from students turned mentors to theologists turned graphic designers, these rising stars have amazing stories to inspire you further. Catch up now.
This is great. I like it