The Art of Graphic: 5 of our favorite graphic designers

Succeeding at school is not as important as succeeding at life. You must be wondering why this is my opening statement.

If you’re a freelancer, or if you want to become one, chances are your services are in demand. Not convinced? How about some inspiration from some excellent graphic designers?
The graphic designers who inspire us are numerous, but what makes these 5 stand out, is totally unrelated to their schooling- with raw, undiluted talent, they took the world by storm and now, inspire us through their graphics, without having to try too hard- and all regardless of their education. Get ready, you’re about to be shocked by art!

1. Okwui Enwezor: Venice Biennale, Project MUSE, NKA- Journal of contemporary art (Nigeria)
“To curate within culture is to see art in a totality that is not simply bounded by art history. It is there that we begin to make room for new forms of knowledge, new possibilities of articulating different types of intelligence that are unruly and cannot be disciplined by the academic world. That often the curator needs to be experimental”
We definitely have to mention this African, a Nigerian who’s doing us proud in the diaspora. The man behind the 56th Venice Biennale, as well as Project MUSE, Okwui Enwezor is a household name in the world of art and graphic designing.
Born in 1963, (I know you probably wouldn’t be bothered to calculate his age, so I’ll tell you: he’s 54 years old) Enwezor is a Nigerian curator, art critic, writer, poet, and educator who specializes in art history. He lives in New York City and Munich. In 2014, he was ranked 24 in the ArtReview list of the 100 most powerful people of the art world! Now, that’s super amazing, I think.

Entitled “All the World’s Futures” and curated by Okwui Enwezor, the 56th Venice Biennale (or the Venice Biennial or Biennale di Venezia) art exhibition began on May 9th and ran through November, 2015.
According to art critics, the 56th Venice Biennale was the most interdisciplinary biennale as it incorporated visual artists, filmmakers, writers, choreographers, and musicians. World famed Enwezor is a Nigerian scholar and curator who is well-known to put together exhibits that are colossal in scope, thought-provoking in subject, and are culturally relevant, much more than most other art fairs.
I think I’ve said enough for you to race to okwuienwezor.com for a healthy dose of artistic inspiration.
2. Karo Akpokiere (Nigeria)
I was going through the work of Okwui Enwezor, and this name pops up. A young graduate of the YABA College of Technology, he literally stumbled into Okwui’s 56th Venice Biennale, and since then, life hasn’t remained the same for the young man. He is now a part of the world’s art stage and we can’t help but crush on him, and gush all over him on this beautiful day!
His beautiful works can be assessed at karoakpokiere.com

3. Williams Chechet (Nigeria)

“I want to immortalize renowned Nigerians that helped build the nation through the use of pop art.”
Great graphic artist that he is, he has various works of art featured on pretty big platforms such as where he is famed for transforming northern icons into pop artists, can you just imagine that?
A graduate of the Ahmadu Bello University, Chechet is a digital artist and graphic designer per excellence, whose major interest is in helping Africans across the globe understand and experience their own history and culture.

His art project titled ‘We Are The North’ is an inspirational work of art that is made up of a compendium of artworks that are enthused by portraits of Northern Nigerians.
His delightful work of art can be viewed at www.williamschechet.com

4. Naomi Doras (Zambia)

Naomi Doras, popularly known as NomesDee, is one of our very own, a digital and visual artist who calls Zambia home. With a vivid display of a vast array of characters, hers are dreamlike portraits, and they are almost unbelievably real.
Follow on instagram @nomesdee

5. TBJ (Nigeria)
Udegbunam Tochukwu Bernard Johnbosco , more commonly called TBJ is a graphic artist and illustrator that’s based in Nigerian city of excellence, Lagos. With the Ankara fabric, this highly inspiring graphic artist creates unparalleled beauty from the patterns and designs of this fabric.
He talks about mixed-media realism, Afro-futurism/symbolism and contemporary art as his inspirational template, yet desires to inspire others via his work of art. I certainly am inspired!
For everyone, and for freelance graphic artists in particular, I hope this serves as ample motivation to get out of our beds and do something creative!