Inside Life Of A Nigerian Creative
Today, we look into the life of ‘Wùnmí Adébáyọ̀, an Artist, Historian, Printing Consultant, Author/Writer, Photography Aficionado, and Businessman.
Can we meet you, please?
My name is ‘Wùnmí Adébáyọ̀
Would you like to share briefly your experience with Design?
I started getting interested in design (computer-based) around 2006, having been a computer engineer, I began to take interest in the colourful images displayed
What are you most proud of about yourself in your career journey?
Well, I hope I don’t sound immodest. The very fact that I can create a design from an idea and it becomes a product useful to many people is perhaps my moment of pride.
Outside of Design, what other thing interests you?
Please bring back the design you left outside! That’s on a lighter note. Design is a combination of many fields in design you’ll find psychology, sociology, material science, mathematics physics to mention a few. Outside design, I am interested in History (laser focused on Africa), Politics and Socio-Economics and making money.
How do you balance creativity with meeting clients’ needs and expectations in your design projects?
Well if the question is from the design angle, design is as much solving problems as it is aesthetics. So the balance between creative and business expectations is in the solution-driven mindset, will my creative exploration solve the clients’ problem? Or become an impediment to it.
What was your first design gig like?
I really can’t remember this because when I started it wasn’t about gigs. My focus was on the creativity.
Can you describe your career progression with emojis using 3 to 5 emojis?
😩☺️😂😭😂
Can you share any personal rituals or habits that help you stay productive and creative in your work?
In the words of the famous Nollywood Philosopher, be prepared to make sacrifices 😂. Well, personally I take in alot of information that is not design related but can influence design or creativity. For example seeing a wood sculpture from the Bambara of Mali can trigger the creation of a part of a new whole project.
What advice would you give to designers who are just starting their careers?
I am also just starting out Oh! Mò ń bọ̀ ni ò, mi ò ì tí dé. Focus on your craft! Focus on your craft! Focus on your craft!
Do you think networking and building connections in the creative industry is worth the hype? If yes, why? If not, why?
I won’t answer Yes or No. I would rather say as a creative you need two types of networking — Intra-Industry and Inter-Industry networking. Network within your colleagues in the same industry for community and outside your industry for business.
Figma, photoshop, or Corel draw? or None. (If none, what’s your favourite design tool?)
I don’t have a favourite tool. All tools are designed for specific purposes. I started with Corel 5 and was drawing landscapes with it. Recently, there has been a lot of debate about the superiority of tools and what they can achieve, but tools are tools they can’t do creativity for you. You have to first be creative to manipulate the tools to taste.
What are your thoughts on the future of design, especially with the rise of technologies like AI and AR
Design hasn’t reached it’s potential yet, so there’s nothing to fear. The Okro doesn’t become too tall for the harvester. AI and AR cannot reach their potential without human impact so we are just starting.
