#17 Psalmist: On his Obsession with Art and Love for Comics, the Decision to Study Graphic Design and its Realities
I have been obsessed with art... Design was something I enjoyed doing at the time, so I chose to study graphic design. The study of design and practice of design here are far apart...
Hi, Thank you for joining us for today’s episode of StudentsWhoCreate Interview. Our Student Creative for today is a final year student at the College of Technology, Yaba (YABATECH) studying Graphic Design. Having grown and lived in Ibadan all his life, he chose to live, work and pursue his academic degree in Lagos. His obsession with art, eye for good design, and love for comics led him to study graphic design. He self-learned Photoshop using online tutorials before gaining admission to study graphic design.
What is it like to live, study and work in Lagos? Why did he choose to attend YabaTech? What are his thoughts on studying design in a tertiary institution and the realities of practicing design as a career in Nigeria? What is his creative process like? What has kept him going? Read and enjoy!!!
Hi, Thank you for speaking with us. Can we meet you?
My name is Praise Psalmist Adesina. I am in my final year studying Graphic Design at the College of Technology, Yaba (YABATECH). I am from Oyo state and I have lived most of my life in Ibadan and only recently moved to Lagos for my HND in YabaTech so I am a typical Ibadan boy.
I am a design generalist but position myself as a brand designer and mostly do anything that has to do with brand identity design. I do UI/UX design on the side and a little bit of 3D design too.
How did you get into design?
I started doing design in 2016 but before then I have been obsessed with art. I generally have a good eye for good design and art. Typography design was one thing that really caught my attention as a kid. I was always fascinated by how artists mix typography with images, and this made me fall in love with comics.
I was done with secondary school and was about to get into a tertiary institution when I started learning graphic design. I was self-learning how to use Photoshop with online tutorials on my dad's laptop at the time. At this point, I needed to decide on what I wanted to do with my life. I needed to make a major decision on what I wanted to study because I noticed that a lot of people don't end up practicing what they studied in school and I wouldn't want to make such a decision. Design was something I enjoyed doing at the time, so I chose to study Art, Design, and Printing Technology at The Polytechnic, Ibadan for my ND program.
So the interesting thing is that I was a science student in secondary school. At the point of deciding on what I wanted to study, the options I had was either to go back to write SSCE to be able to study design or go to the polytechnic. I decided to go to The Polytechnic, Ibadan for the program I did. The Polytechnic, Ibadan has different requirements from others, unlike YabaTech which has Fine Art as a requirement to study graphic design.
What is it like to study graphic design and what has the experience been like?
After I was done with my ND, I wanted to stop going to school because my expectations before going for my ND were not met at all. The things we were taught were different from what I expected. The decision to further study graphic design for my HND was influenced by my parent because it didn't make sense to them that I wouldn't want to further and complete my degree. As someone who likes to make my parent happy I decided to further. Another reason I chose to further is also for the experience because as someone who has lived all his life in Ibadan, choosing to go YabaTech meant I will relocate to Lagos and I wanted to have the experience and meet new people. Also, I have heard a lot of good things about the school, and the School of Art in YabaTech is the Queen of YabaTech.
The study of design and practice of design here are far apart. The syllabus contains a lot of things that are being taught that are not relevant. Technology and the internet have done a lot of good for people because I would not recommend studying design in Nigeria as you will have to learn most of these things on your own.
How do you manage to combine school with doing design?
It is so crazy. Schooling, living, and needing to move around in Lagos is stressful. Most time, I am up at night. I try to be clear and upfront with whoever I work with that I am a student.
I currently work with a start-up here in Lagos and also freelance on the side. I make sure to have a schedule for each day because I need to attend classes. I sometimes take my laptop to class and attend meetings in class but I make sure to let my teammates know I would not be able to speak but will respond via the chat box.
What are some of the challenges you face as a student designer?
I would say pressure from school and work. These two things combined affect my process as a designer. I am someone who likes to think very well before executing a design project, I don't like rushing design execution but when I have pressure from school and work at the same time, it gets crazy and I sometimes fall ill from it. As you know, design is more of a mental work that can be daunting and sometimes lead to creative block that requires taking a break. But I can't always take a break every time because I have jobs to deliver.
How have you been able to navigate through this challenge?
First thing first, I love good music. Music helps me through it. Sometimes I have conversations with loved ones or scroll through Instagram to see what people are doing to get my mind away from the design challenge I am addressing and before I know it, I am up and running again.
Is there a community for designers in your school?
No.
Why is that?
Building a community in a higher institution requires individuals to come together and a lot of people are not really into that here at the moment.
Can you take us through your creative process? How do you go about a project from start to finish?
I have had different experiences with clients and most clients just come to you, tell you what they want, and expect you to deliver like that.
I like to first communicate and have a chat/conversation about the project and their business. After getting this and understanding the project and deliverables, I move to research and then start ideating and sketching. After sketching, I try to get some clarity from the client about the direction. If this is positive, I start to execute and then get feedback from the client again. If there's a need for revision, I do that until the project gets approved and I deliver what needs to be delivered.
In summary,
Conversation with the client > Research > Ideate and Sketch > Get Feedback > Execute > Present > Get Feedback > Revision > Deliver.
What tools do you use in getting work done?
I use Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop every day. Other software I use are InDesign, Affinity Designer, Figma, Premier Pro, Blender, and Adobe After Effects.
How would you describe the impact of Covid-19 on you and your work?
It was a changing point for me. I was indoors for the whole period and was constantly watching The Futur and had this journal where I document things I was learning. I learned a lot.
Have you ever felt like quitting?
Yes, I have
What brought about the feeling?
It has been based on a number of things like getting frustrated when I feel like I am not getting the desired result. For example, I see someone who started designing not long ago getting breakthroughs and one starts to think if one is not doing something right but because of the passion, I keep on going. I once tweeted something about doing design for passion but some people came at me saying it is because ‘Sapa’ has not dealt with me.
How do you deal with the feeling anytime it comes up?
I just like great designs. There are situations where I feel like yes, I am done but once I open IG and see one mad design, I get back to it and forget about what I was feeling. I have learned to just trust the process and believe in God for a good result
What are some of the proudest projects you have worked on?
I am proud of all the projects I have worked on because the experience with one project is quite different from the other. I have worked on a lot of great projects that I don't have permission to share. I got a number of responses on the Plutus project.
Shooting star is one of those too
How do you stay creative? What do you do to keep the creative juice flowing?
I spend a lot of time looking at other people's work. I look at the work of design agencies and individuals across a wide range of platforms. I listen to a lot of music too.
What do you do for fun? How do you relax?
I don't really have a social life. Once there's light and internet, you will not smell me outside and if there's no light and internet, I just sleep.
What I do for fun is watch movies and spend time with family.
Who are the creatives that inspire you?
There are a lot of them. Tunji Ogunoye is someone that really inspires me.
Shutabug, Leye Connect, and Damilare Stark also do.
Dimeji Ezekiel was my biggest motivation when I started designing.
Top 5 creatives you would love to work or collaborate with on a project?
Pentifier, Paul Kelly, Leye Connect, Prosper Igho, and Fungi.
Top 5 brands you would love to work with?
Dixon Baxi, DaDesign Studio, FourthCanvas, Cave Lantern, PocketByPiggyvest
What advice do you have for someone looking to get started with design?
Design is not easy as most people think. The process depends on how fast you're able to grasp things as an individual. You need to understand your individual ability and understand that learning is a process. Learn what you have to learn and make sure to get good at it. Enjoy the process. Being able to do the good stuff takes time. Lastly, while there may be sapa, money should not be the driving factor for doing this.
Who would you like us to interview?
Paul Kelly and Prosper Igho.
How can people reach you?
I am Praise Psalmist on all platforms. Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Behance
Thank you for sharing with us!!!
Takeaway Nugget: Design is not easy as most people think and you need to understand your individual ability and understand that learning is a process. Learn what you have to learn and make sure to get good at it. Enjoy the process because the good stuff takes time. Money should not be the driving factor for doing design.
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to share the story
See you next time!!!
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