We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Olumide Oyebode a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Olumide, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

During my undergraduate program in med school, I had some free time and I thought I could maximize that time by learning the art of graphic design. It was a one-month break from school and it just felt like the perfect time for me to attend a 6-week training. I remember how I couldn’t even afford to pay the fees for the design school, I had to request for some support from my mom and she gladly helped out. One of the requirements of learning asides from an eager spirit which I clearly had, was a functioning laptop which I also didn’t have at the time. I had every reason to give up, but I reached out to a friend to borrow her laptop for the period of my training and she was kind to let me use it.

Knowing what I know now, I definitely would have devoted more time to do some personal practice to keep up with the trends in the design industry and try out some projects so I can put myself out more. I have realized that you have to make a lot of noise about what you do if you want to be noticed by the right people.

I think the skills that were most essential for me were my ability to tell stories through the assets i design for brands and small businesses both in Nigeria and other international brands.

The major obstacle that stood in the way of learning more was insufficient time to combine both my desire to work with brands and pursue my Doctoral degree in Exercise Science which I am equally passionate about, so I wouldn’t consider it an obstacle really.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello, my name is Olumide Oyebode, a PhD student and brand identity designer currently residing in Ohio, United States. I am from Nigeria and I like to think of myself as a multi-dimensional individual. I grew up playing drums as a young boy in church, I sang a lot and still do, years after, I decided to learn how to play the piano because I always wanted to.

Growing up, I was always fascinated as the sight of aesthetically pleasing banners, billboards, and other advertising media. I would usually wonder how they were brought to life, safe to say that I had a nick for creating beautiful brand assets like that. This sparked an interest in me that I couldn’t afford to pursue due to my busy academics. However, in 2018, we experienced a nationwide academic strike, and I thought that was a good opportunity to pick up this interest and apply to a graphic design school. At the time, I didn’t have a personal computer or enough money to pay the fees, so I borrowed some money from my mom and a laptop from a friend.

Through the period of 6 weeks, I daily learnt about the principles of design and how to create assets that communicate the interests of brands and businesses including banners, posters, flyers, billboards, logos, etc. After my training, I started volunteering to design for a fellowship I belonged to and this pushed me to build my skillset in order to be a better creative.

During the pandemic, I decided to start my freelance company called “Lumine designs”, where I offered brand consultations to small and medium businesses . I offered free consultation calls to business owners, showing them how important it was for them to build a cohesive brand identity for their business as that would be important in helping them attract the right people and create a lasting impression in their minds. I also offer brand identity design packages including logo design, communication materials including flyers, posters, banners, etc and other materials including stickers, stationery, merchandise, etc.

I think what sets me apart from others is how I take my time to understand my clients and their business, I believe there is more often than not, an interplay between the personality of a business owner and the kind of business they manage. I would usually jump on calls with them, understanding their personality, values and preferences while giving my professional advice.

I am most proud of the brands I have worked with, whether small or big, I count every project a huge project and I give my best regardless of who it is.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I started freelancing as a brand identity design during the pandemic while simultaneously serving my home country through community service. Shortly after that, I began to work full-time for two companies as their graphic designer while still freelancing.
I was quite comfortable where i was, however, I needed to take some steps to get an advanced degree (PhD), so i started to seek out opportunities in the United States to study. This was one time where i had to pivot and do something different other than being in the creative space. I am currently studying a kind of muscle disease that affects boys, and i only have time to create during major breaks, since i spend most time in scientific research.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing what you created being used and valued by others. It’s always a delight to hear or see someone talk about a work I did and I am like “yes, I created that”. I also value the satisfaction that comes from my clients everytime I show them what I have created for their brands, it brings me joy to see them smile and say “yes” to the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behance.net/olumideoyebode
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lumine_designs/profilecard/?igsh=eXpuMzE3dXY5bG8w
• Twitter: https://tr.ee/07GHAkzZBy
• Other: https://linktr.ee/Lumi_d

Image Credits

Image credit for the images where i had blue suit on goes to “Asher_creation”