How would you describe what you do?
I’m an artist practising design. My daily commitment is to create beautiful products, services, stories and spaces for an audience. Currently I’m doing contract work at Depop, as well as being the design lead for Nataal magazine. I also do some mentoring with ONE School and D&AD.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
So many things! I’ve recently been taking in a lot of contemporary African art. The compositions and techniques are just amazing and inspire me to dig deeper.

In the day-to-day, I think you have to get involved with whatever’s happening around you – whether it’s going to a live show, watching a football match or trying out a new restaurant.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
There’s no specific training per se, but there are definitely skills and traits you need. I’d say the most important thing is to develop your taste, and therefore your style. Technique can be taught, but you need to be confident in your opinion. Secondly, you need to understand the rest of your team’s responsibilities. You can be the best designer in the world, but it’s also essential that you understand roles within narrative or strategy, or anything else that directly impacts your work.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
Definitely the Mission 44 [a youth representation charity founded by F1 driver Lewis Hamilton] stuff. At the start of this year, I got to work on some campaign content with them. Everyone gets involved in every point of the project – there’s a bit of writing, art directing, and, in my case, even set design. It feels so much more natural for me to work in this way. Unfortunately, projects aren’t always like that. And studio time is always good fun (if you plan well).

What was your journey like when you were first starting out?
I got involved and said yes to as much as I could. I didn’t know what I even needed to learn, so I had to go and find out for myself. Social media, particularly Twitter (now X), was great in the late 2010s and into the pandemic.

I built a really cool community on there, and got exposed to some amazing work, thoughts and ways of thinking. For me, it was the first time finding like-minded individuals, and I’m still really tight with a lot of them now, 6–7 years later. My work also got a lot of engagement, which helped me get a few side gigs.

Also, I learnt from so many people who have supported me in so many different ways. One person I’ve got to shout out is [graphic designer] Luke Tonge. Our relationship was critical for those formative years – I felt like an apprentice in a master’s workshop! I don’t think I’d ever be able to repay that.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs, clients and/or commissions?
I was posting consistently across Twitter and LinkedIn, alongside using platforms like The Dots to get some of my first internships.

I also reached out to people and would cold email quite a lot. If there was a project or piece of work that I found informative, I’d reach out to the directors and start a dialogue, highlighting which parts of the work I wanted more insight on. That genuine interest in the craft also led to days of job shadowing and early opportunities, and ultimately built my network – which is key.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
For me, it’s been navigating the politics of big corporations. It involves understanding that I’m working with a bunch of different people with different thoughts, tastes and goals. I’ve had to learn to understand my role within a team, which is something that changes on a project-by-project basis. It took a while to learn when to push, versus when to exercise restraint; it’s not always going to be “The Eugene Show“.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
It's pretty unavoidable in the creative space, especially as you're starting out - my advice would be to find one that you enjoy spending time on and really build your presence there.

I think Instagram's great for finding creatives and building your brand, but for me, LinkedIn is probably the most important social media platform. Also maybe WhatsApp for projects too. At the start, it was all Twitter, I’m so grateful for the design communities that were on there.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
The first is a conversation I had with [creative director and designer] Seth Jablon. While we were making selects [picking out the best shots] for a Spotify campaign in 2020, he told me: “You do know you’re allowed to have an opinion, don’t you?”

Simple as it was, as a junior designer, I felt overwhelmed. That comment helped me just lean into the fact that I’m here for a reason and my professional opinion carries weight.

Then, number two: pen and paper. I don’t see it enough these days, but there’s so much power in writing down ideas and drawing out thoughts first. There are no mistakes in a sketchbook! It’s something I've always done, and if I’m ever struggling on a project, it’s my go-to for sure.

Finally, the amazing author, Jen Clinehens. I’ve read two of her books and I listen to pretty much everything she says. Her content presents all of the psychological theories behind design, communications and life.

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
Back in 2021, I was at a bit of a crossroads, just spiralling and overthinking. My faith is pivotal to me, so I looked to the church for guidance. A quote from Nick Drake, a pastor at Gas Street Church in Birmingham, brought me back into alignment. After explaining all my thoughts, he said: “God can’t bless your hesitation”.

It allowed me to be more decisive not only in that moment, but in every decision thereafter. Whether or not you’re a person of faith, if you’re going to make a change, you’ve got to go into it wholeheartedly and trust that life will meet you on the other side of the decision.