As designers, we tend to find inspiration in many of the things around us. It is therefore important that as creatives, we should surround ourselves with the right things that we can draw inspiration from. This inspiration rekindles our imagination and helps in various aspects of design such as colour, typography, shapes, layout, texture, negative space.
For me, one of my biggest sources of inspiration comes from contemporary art, especially Nigerian art. I am a bit drawn to the older folks and particularly fond of the set of artists that came out of Ulli Beier’s Osogbo Art Movement in the 60s, and The Mbari Mbayo Club. I love the pantone style color palletes of Muraina Oyelami and Rufus Ogundele, and I like Jimoh Buraimoh’s use of beads.
Jimoh Buraimoh’s art was particulary insightful in one of the projects we executed recently – The Osun Econonmic Summit. The color pallete for this branding project was directly inspired by Jimoh Buraimoh’s art. It also made sense that one of Osogbo’s biggest artists and the Art Economy in Osun state in general, will have a direct influence on the art direction for an Econonmic Summit in Osun State.
In the past few years, I have gradually built up a collection of Contemporary Nigerian Art that keep the creative juices flowing. I constantly think of ways to integrate traditional art into modern graphic design. Who says that traditional art can have a direct integration into website design?
