Veteran designer Tobi Otun described his winning logo as simple and unique and noted his concept was “great” . These winning words – simple, unique and great are feats designers struggle with but Chidera nailed it on the spot.
We pulled him in for spotlight edition to dig deeper into his philosophy, motivating factor and love for design. Hold your seatbelts and Let’s dive in with 10 questions on the NGD spotlight with chidera.
1. How long have you been immersed in the design world, and what initially ignited your passion for it?
Not certain but it all started around 2019, got my first laptop and I needed something to do outside my studies but didn’t really get serious with it till late 2020 and 2021.
What I ignited my passion? Well, I just loved trying out stuffs then and in the long run I fell for design, yeah in love with design and also got to see how well the design world can profitable.
Chidera’s winning logo for NGD’s 2023 beginners challenge.
2. How do you actively work on improving your design skills and building your creative muscles?
Two ways; Research and Practice
My Research embodies several activities which involves me getting to learn design terms, principles, approaches, styles and anything I need to learn as they come, feeding my eyes with good designs from Pinterest, Behance, instagram, even on NGD group, watching youtube videos from good designers and also interacting with close pals who are great designers too. With this, I am able to practice. what I’ve seen and learnt and it has been helping to improve my skillset.
As it is known, Learning never ends! So I keep learning and practicing.
3. If you weren’t pursuing a career in design, which profession would you be pursuing instead?
Quite tricky, but I’ve always had an eye for anything that has to do with design, creativity and the likes, narrowing it down to photography, videography, coding and so on. Though I just graduated from a petroleum engineering department and so if I wasn’t pursuing a career in design, it’d be any of the above or better still any other tech related field.
Conceptualization for the Tinka Brand logo by Chidera
4. How did you come across NGD?
On the quest to get better at the skill, I saw a post from the NGD group in 2021, while going through my Facebook page and so I decided to try it out. Getting to see other designers on the group creatively doing amazing things..
5. Were you expecting your name to top the list or you were rudely shocked?
Yeah I was surprised, considering the fact that NGD is a large community that has a great number of good designers at all levels ranging from the beginner level and to the professional level so one can’t be so certain of winning a challenge as that especially in NGD.
6. The judge commended your design for its simplicity. Can you share some insights into how you achieved this aesthetic?
In a way complexity isn’t my thing. As to how I was able achieve that, I creatively played around what I was given i.e the brief, what the brand is about and what they represent. This in its entirety helped guide my research and approach to the Tinka brand design challenge
Here’s a brief breakdown
- Research – I look at the brand’s name and meaning then what elements could be used to represent these meanings and would not violate the brand’s purpose and values also resonating with their target audience. Put together my moodboard to help guide the entire process
- Sketch – With what I’ve researched I run random sketches as they play in my mind and see what would work for the brand
- Vectorization – Brought my chosen sketch to life, for Tinka I didn’t have to vectorize more than one sketch as I was sure the selected one was perfect for the brand
- Presentation – Build a visual system for the brand that aligns with their value system and all, my earlier research helped here too
Chidera’s elaborate thought process for the Tinka logo on paper
7. As a newcomer to the design field, do you prioritize skill development or financial gains at this stage of your career?
Skill development of course as this is one thing I’ve gotten to learn overtime, you don’t have to rush into wanting the financial benefits of the design skill to start coming in when you’ve not really mastered your craft. The best thing is to focus on mastering then success and the financial benefits would find you as long as you are positioned well and ready for it.
8. Is there a particular design tool or resource that you feel you need the most but currently don’t have access to?
At the moment a few ones which are stock elements/resources and hard cover design books but I try to find my way around them with what I can lay my hands on just as the books, I opt for soft copies for some of this books cause in a way I don’t have to get limited, I make do with what I have access to, use them to get better and strive for better tools and resources.
Two soft arrows utilized by Chidera express the brand’s commitment to reliable money transfer
9. Many newcomers consider design as a side hustle. Do you think this perception is justified, or do you believe it should be taken more seriously?
Well, it can be both either as a side hustle or the main deal but I certainly believe it should be taken more seriously as you can make a good living out of it just as every other career options out there, looking at well-known designers, the likes of Chris Do, Tola Alabi, Chukwu Adaeze Victoria, Julie Chiemerie and Ceaser Graphics, this should give anyone an insight as to how well they can make a good living out of design as a career
10. Where do you envision yourself in the next five years as a designer?
Next five years as a designer, I look forward to helping brands stand out, communicate and relate with their audience visually and also help other young designers find their way and find purpose.
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