Nigeria

Oluseyi Olubunmi Taylor
Age: 27

My Job Title
Chief Creative Officer, The NoAH69 Company
www.noah69.com

Design Field
Graphic Design/New Media Design

My Education
Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria (2003)

My Work
"I began working in graphic design whilst a student in Medical School (yes, I'm a doctor by training). It was then that I joined various publicity committees and was involved in diverse graphic design projects - mostly as a freelancer. It was during that time that I met Dele Olukayode, who would later be my partner in the first company we started together. Soon after that, a friend needed a website for a drama group, and thought I might be able to help. I picked up a copy of Macromedia's Flash, Director and Dreamweaver, and two weeks later my first website was created. That started my interest in interactive media. In 2003, once I graduated from Medical School, Dele, an architect called Jide Craig, and myself started a brand design company called E37Design. The three years at E37 served as a remarkable learning experience. During the time, I had the opportunity of working with various corporate organisations, and we were privy to a lot of their strategic planning. We grew beyond mere designers to understanding the business of design and how to create value for our clients and our company.

At the end of 2006, I decided to focus on interactive media and multimedia and started The NoAH69 Company, which is an integrated new media company which provides interactive and multimedia solutions to our clients with the aim of helping them communicate better and take advantage of advances in technology. We also offer online marketing consulting, as well as e-branding services. My designation at NoAH69 is Captain/Chief Creative Officer. At present, I function both as executive head and creative director of the team. Therefore, my responsibilities include development of our corporate strategy, marketing, as well as creative direction."

Issues in the design sector in my country
"I believe Nigeria has one of the largest pools of design talent in the world. From graphic design to digital media, from interior design to fashion design; Nigeria has it all. That is, perhaps, one of our greatest strengths - the availability of talent in the country.

Secondly, Nigeria is one of the few countries in Africa that has been able, with a relative amount of success, to give our local traditions and flavour an international appeal. Our fashion scene is probably most representative of this. Whilst most African countries tend to turn towards Western clothing and use traditional outfits for special occasions only, Nigerians have integrated local fabrics and styles into everyday life, creating a fashion scene that's uniquely ours. Again, the indomitable and optimistic spirit of the Nigerians has created a crop of pioneers and leaders that have served as an example for all of us to follow. The Kelechi Amadi-Obis and Tayo Sokefun in Photography, as well as Lanre Lawal (IYDEY 2005 winner, as well as a very good friend of mine from secondary school) are some of the examples of this. Their ability to make an impact despite the odds has created a shining light in an otherwise bleak landscape.

The weaknesses in the design scene go beyond the obvious power shortages and the inadequate infrastructure. Those are macroeconomic issues and not particular to the design industry. As an industry, Nigerian Design needs to get more organized and structured. Design is still not viewed as a profession in Nigeria, and is not really taken seriously by the vast majority of people. This leads to difficulties in creating business opportunities. It also denies a lot of young people the ability to chart out a career path in design. If the industry isn't organised and structured, how do they know where to start from and where they'll end up?"

Innovative design trends from Nigeria
"At the IYDEY UK Tour, I'll be displaying my company's portfolio of work, which includes a wide range of interactive media designs, as well as web design and development projects, multimedia and animation designs, as well as graphic identity creation projects .

I will also be displaying our website's Brand Experience, and interactive and animated mini-site that will explain who we are and what we intend to do in the design landscape."

You can find out more about the national competition in Nigeria on the British Council website in Nigeria.

The information above is taken from the application form completed by the finalist in early 2007. Things may have changed since this information was provided and we recommend that you should not rely upon this information as a definitive statement of current fact. Click here to contact the finalist.