Shola: last year I was working at Design Britain Partners for a few months as a bit of work experience to me that's the Champions League of agencies. you're in the huddles you're pinching yourself, you know, these are like people that I, I kind of knew some of the designers that were there before I was even there, you know, it's like, and...
Heather Ebanks: All right, cool. Yeah.
Shola: And I was there and, as it is agency life, sometimes you temp I got kept on and there's that question, are you going to try and make this a permanent thing? And that was another existential moment for me. It's not like, I kind of realised my own life path, you know, Not to get too philosophical, but I recently read a book called Papillon Yeah about a an escaped French convict who and sometimes he would he would land on an island Which was just like might as well just stay here, right? But he just kept on going like he had a mission right and I kind of just saw it I saw I saw I see it like that I properly defined my own sort of mission
Heather Ebanks: Alright. Mmm. Mm. Mm. What does your industry accept that you think is nonsense?
Shola: Hahaha. Setting design briefs for jobs. Nonsense. Nonsense. Like, no. Just no. That's the work. That's the work. no. I mean, hey, don't get me wrong. If there was an infrastructure and framework whereby all of these pieces of work by these job applicants went into some repository, whereby when a piece of creative comes out,
Heather Ebanks: What? Mm. Yeah. Mm.
Shola: it can be somehow matched against these mocks just to make sure no one's getting work stolen from them. That would be great. If that infrastructure was there, great. But spending a couple of days or whatnot, like you're working, you're working, you you should, you should, when you're working, you should be getting paid and being set a real piece of work that someone could use, not on.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Shola: Nonsense. You
Heather Ebanks: And what's something in your industry that frustrates you every single time you see it?
Shola: These are amazing questions. This is a niche one, I have to say, it's a new thing as well, but it's people that haven't done the work calling themselves designers. It's starting to happen. because there's nothing wrong with like going on YouTube and teaching yourself how to design. But...
Heather Ebanks: Mm. What? Hmm
Shola: we are seeing more people like come to the market masquerading as like an experienced designer. And we know this because of course, as you know, Heather, like half the clients you get have come from somewhere else where it hasn't worked out, right? And then they tell you these stories and I'm just like, yeah, but I'm starting to hear that more and more where people are like,
Heather Ebanks: Yeah, yeah. Mm. Mm. Right.
Shola: Yeah, yeah, you know, I paid this designer and then, you know, because they're not silly, they've worked, they've realised this guy's just using AI to design me something, right? Or, or they, they aren't who they said, who they said they were. So yeah, I would say every, every time I, every time I hear about that, it's kind of, kind of scary, actually.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Yes. Mm. Hmm. Yeah, I think might be seeing that more and more, think. What's a trend that needs to be put to rest immediately?
Shola: Brands like brands using things that denote culture, like big brands using things that denote real culture.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm-mm. Mm.
Shola: yeah, kind of like parachuting in and, doing all those little things like right now it's the kind of like gothic text and like the kind of rough texture kind of thing and it's kind of as a way as a way to buy in right into into a culture.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Bye. Mm.
Shola: yet counterculture graphics being used on things that aren't countercultural. I think, so what I would like to see like quick fast is people who are actually countercultural abandoning those effects every time, you know, I want them to be more aware like
Heather Ebanks: Alright. Okay. Mm. Okay. Mmm
Shola: so that's what I'd like to see. That's what I try to do now, I think. I think I'm like way more hesitant. Yeah, it's just something that annoys me and I'm just kind of like, yeah, let's not do that. Like, yeah, let's pick a comic sans or I don't know, like how are you, how to be counter-cultural?
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah. What's something in your creative process that looks maybe chaotic, but is actually very intentional?
Shola: Mmm. There's a number of things. how you got me thinking. My creative space can just look mental. Like, you know, when the work's really on top, so... So, so that Access Magazine job, great example, because obviously we did so much in such a little time. But what I didn't tell you was I also had the Black Business Magazine in the same month.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Shola: like to do front to back, right? So that whole process, I'm just doing things in a crazy way. Like my feet are up, I've got three screens, I've got the scanner, the printer there, you know, like the whole place is just, yeah, I can't.
Heather Ebanks: What? Yeah.
Shola: I'm not aware of it. I'm not aware of how messy it looks like. just in it. so I'd probably, what instantly came to mind was how messy my working space can get. So I guess that's the true messy answer. Like I was trying to think about something else. So that is the true messy answer is like, you do not want to be around me when it's really on top like that. And I can't.
Heather Ebanks: Mmm. Yeah. Mm. Yeah.
Shola: I'll do things like I'll eat the same thing. I need everything else to be still, kind of thing, if that makes sense.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah, it just does. Yeah. But it is cool. Creating to be seen or creating to be understood.
Shola: always understood, always understood, always understood. What I will say is the kind of people that I came up with, I'm so, so proud of the kind of wave and collective of people that I've come up with. Lots of people that sort of just made a career.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Mm. Yeah.
Shola: but they had to make a career. Most of my friends work in the evening. They're musicians and they're into the arts. Once upon a time there was...
Heather Ebanks: Okay. Yeah.
Shola: it wasn't making money, for them, but now, they're managing to pay their way.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Shola: Yeah, so creating to be, creating to be understood. Maybe they're not even exclusive, right? But, but for sure, if you want to sort of survive, obviously, and make this your career, you have to be seen, don't you? So for me, yeah, I've just never had that. I've just never ever had that. I kind of, I've always been the kind of
Heather Ebanks: Mmm Yeah. Hmm
Shola: artist if you like that like sends my stuff to other artists like if I need to be seen by anybody it's other it's other artists like they're kind of kind of already speaking my language in a way have you thought about it this way you know and yeah I don't there's no real there's no real meaning to that that's just how I was born I think like I've just never really
Heather Ebanks: Bye. Hmm. Hmm.
Shola: that's always been good enough for me. I spent a couple of years ago, like I spent about three months out in Indonesia, like making something a really big piece of work. I've probably sent it to like five people, but what those people have said to me about it, I really hold it close to my heart, you know.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah Mm. Mmm. Yeah.
Shola: So I think creatively understood.
Heather Ebanks: You've just opened your StudioDraw. What's the most unexpected item we're going to find inside?
Shola: baking paper. Well, I was just like, so to scan things. So sometimes I will use baking paper. I prefer baking paper to tracing paper. But yeah, that came to mind. Yeah, give it a go. It's really good. And yeah, so probably, probably.
Heather Ebanks: Okay, is that for? Okay. I'll give it a go. Mm.
Shola: That comes to mind first. I'm thinking about the studio draw now.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Shola: Yeah, probably some baking paper. Yeah, looks like it's been put in the wrong place. Yeah.
Heather Ebanks: you Who or what never fails to inspire you, no matter how many times you revisit?
Shola: Yeah, great question. I would go with the cliché. I don't know if it's cliché, but my mother is like absolutely my biggest inspiration. I can't, you know, it would be cool to go somewhere a bit more cool. yeah, my mom inspires me so much I'm here speaking for myself but that is the person that's probably like told me things at certain moments.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. No, that's... Yeah.
Shola: you know, or even like just the way I was brought up by her, yeah, I do like understand like it's had such a massive effect on me, like it's been such a massive inspiration. So I would absolutely say, and the thing is like, the funny thing is my mum's like a complete technophobe as well, but it's the way she like, but she remembers, like she's got no interest in it.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Alright. Yeah. Mm.
Shola: but she remembers things, you know? And yeah, so I would say, yeah, just a mother's love like has, yeah, that's what's inspired me.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Wonderful. what's one creative experiment that completely flopped, but you still are proud of it.
Shola: Yeah, so... So in 2014, this idea for like alcoholic ice pops. And actually, yeah, a really good idea.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Shola: this was a story of something that like I created, but essentially was like stolen off me. I wasn't sure whether like, shall I say, should I talk about this? Because like, in my mind is a flop.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Hmm.
Shola: it was kind of like, something I just took on the chin, to be honest. it was a company, that did alcoholic ice pops and, and, you know, the whole idea and the concept of beer and like the type, you know, everything that goes into a creative idea.
Heather Ebanks: Mmm.
Shola: I'd done, but unfortunately, yeah, the person that I was in league with it was one of those times where...
Heather Ebanks: Hmm.
Shola: I didn't fight it or anything. I just knew that, okay, got to learn a lesson here. But essentially that same company went on to sort of become a multi-million pound company. Yeah. So the company was eventually sold for the millions just a few years later. But to this day, like, because...
Heather Ebanks: Mmm Mm. Right, good. Mm. Mm. Mm-hmm.
Shola: people know me and people know everyone involved but to this day people remind me of it.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm.
Shola: The ones that have flopped, yeah, are just too controversial.
Heather Ebanks: you've gone through that process. You're proud of it. And even though it didn't go seem to go your way, but someone else benefited from it.
Heather Ebanks: All right, cool. Yeah.
Shola: And I was there and, as it is agency life, sometimes you temp I got kept on and there's that question, are you going to try and make this a permanent thing? And that was another existential moment for me. It's not like, I kind of realised my own life path, you know, Not to get too philosophical, but I recently read a book called Papillon Yeah about a an escaped French convict who and sometimes he would he would land on an island Which was just like might as well just stay here, right? But he just kept on going like he had a mission right and I kind of just saw it I saw I saw I see it like that I properly defined my own sort of mission
Heather Ebanks: Alright. Mmm. Mm. Mm. What does your industry accept that you think is nonsense?
Shola: Hahaha. Setting design briefs for jobs. Nonsense. Nonsense. Like, no. Just no. That's the work. That's the work. no. I mean, hey, don't get me wrong. If there was an infrastructure and framework whereby all of these pieces of work by these job applicants went into some repository, whereby when a piece of creative comes out,
Heather Ebanks: What? Mm. Yeah. Mm.
Shola: it can be somehow matched against these mocks just to make sure no one's getting work stolen from them. That would be great. If that infrastructure was there, great. But spending a couple of days or whatnot, like you're working, you're working, you you should, you should, when you're working, you should be getting paid and being set a real piece of work that someone could use, not on.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Shola: Nonsense. You
Heather Ebanks: And what's something in your industry that frustrates you every single time you see it?
Shola: These are amazing questions. This is a niche one, I have to say, it's a new thing as well, but it's people that haven't done the work calling themselves designers. It's starting to happen. because there's nothing wrong with like going on YouTube and teaching yourself how to design. But...
Heather Ebanks: Mm. What? Hmm
Shola: we are seeing more people like come to the market masquerading as like an experienced designer. And we know this because of course, as you know, Heather, like half the clients you get have come from somewhere else where it hasn't worked out, right? And then they tell you these stories and I'm just like, yeah, but I'm starting to hear that more and more where people are like,
Heather Ebanks: Yeah, yeah. Mm. Mm. Right.
Shola: Yeah, yeah, you know, I paid this designer and then, you know, because they're not silly, they've worked, they've realised this guy's just using AI to design me something, right? Or, or they, they aren't who they said, who they said they were. So yeah, I would say every, every time I, every time I hear about that, it's kind of, kind of scary, actually.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Yes. Mm. Hmm. Yeah, I think might be seeing that more and more, think. What's a trend that needs to be put to rest immediately?
Shola: Brands like brands using things that denote culture, like big brands using things that denote real culture.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm-mm. Mm.
Shola: yeah, kind of like parachuting in and, doing all those little things like right now it's the kind of like gothic text and like the kind of rough texture kind of thing and it's kind of as a way as a way to buy in right into into a culture.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Bye. Mm.
Shola: yet counterculture graphics being used on things that aren't countercultural. I think, so what I would like to see like quick fast is people who are actually countercultural abandoning those effects every time, you know, I want them to be more aware like
Heather Ebanks: Alright. Okay. Mm. Okay. Mmm
Shola: so that's what I'd like to see. That's what I try to do now, I think. I think I'm like way more hesitant. Yeah, it's just something that annoys me and I'm just kind of like, yeah, let's not do that. Like, yeah, let's pick a comic sans or I don't know, like how are you, how to be counter-cultural?
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah. What's something in your creative process that looks maybe chaotic, but is actually very intentional?
Shola: Mmm. There's a number of things. how you got me thinking. My creative space can just look mental. Like, you know, when the work's really on top, so... So, so that Access Magazine job, great example, because obviously we did so much in such a little time. But what I didn't tell you was I also had the Black Business Magazine in the same month.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Shola: like to do front to back, right? So that whole process, I'm just doing things in a crazy way. Like my feet are up, I've got three screens, I've got the scanner, the printer there, you know, like the whole place is just, yeah, I can't.
Heather Ebanks: What? Yeah.
Shola: I'm not aware of it. I'm not aware of how messy it looks like. just in it. so I'd probably, what instantly came to mind was how messy my working space can get. So I guess that's the true messy answer. Like I was trying to think about something else. So that is the true messy answer is like, you do not want to be around me when it's really on top like that. And I can't.
Heather Ebanks: Mmm. Yeah. Mm. Yeah.
Shola: I'll do things like I'll eat the same thing. I need everything else to be still, kind of thing, if that makes sense.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Yeah, it just does. Yeah. But it is cool. Creating to be seen or creating to be understood.
Shola: always understood, always understood, always understood. What I will say is the kind of people that I came up with, I'm so, so proud of the kind of wave and collective of people that I've come up with. Lots of people that sort of just made a career.
Heather Ebanks: Hmm. Mm. Yeah.
Shola: but they had to make a career. Most of my friends work in the evening. They're musicians and they're into the arts. Once upon a time there was...
Heather Ebanks: Okay. Yeah.
Shola: it wasn't making money, for them, but now, they're managing to pay their way.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Shola: Yeah, so creating to be, creating to be understood. Maybe they're not even exclusive, right? But, but for sure, if you want to sort of survive, obviously, and make this your career, you have to be seen, don't you? So for me, yeah, I've just never had that. I've just never ever had that. I kind of, I've always been the kind of
Heather Ebanks: Mmm Yeah. Hmm
Shola: artist if you like that like sends my stuff to other artists like if I need to be seen by anybody it's other it's other artists like they're kind of kind of already speaking my language in a way have you thought about it this way you know and yeah I don't there's no real there's no real meaning to that that's just how I was born I think like I've just never really
Heather Ebanks: Bye. Hmm. Hmm.
Shola: that's always been good enough for me. I spent a couple of years ago, like I spent about three months out in Indonesia, like making something a really big piece of work. I've probably sent it to like five people, but what those people have said to me about it, I really hold it close to my heart, you know.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah Mm. Mmm. Yeah.
Shola: So I think creatively understood.
Heather Ebanks: You've just opened your StudioDraw. What's the most unexpected item we're going to find inside?
Shola: baking paper. Well, I was just like, so to scan things. So sometimes I will use baking paper. I prefer baking paper to tracing paper. But yeah, that came to mind. Yeah, give it a go. It's really good. And yeah, so probably, probably.
Heather Ebanks: Okay, is that for? Okay. I'll give it a go. Mm.
Shola: That comes to mind first. I'm thinking about the studio draw now.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Shola: Yeah, probably some baking paper. Yeah, looks like it's been put in the wrong place. Yeah.
Heather Ebanks: you Who or what never fails to inspire you, no matter how many times you revisit?
Shola: Yeah, great question. I would go with the cliché. I don't know if it's cliché, but my mother is like absolutely my biggest inspiration. I can't, you know, it would be cool to go somewhere a bit more cool. yeah, my mom inspires me so much I'm here speaking for myself but that is the person that's probably like told me things at certain moments.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. No, that's... Yeah.
Shola: you know, or even like just the way I was brought up by her, yeah, I do like understand like it's had such a massive effect on me, like it's been such a massive inspiration. So I would absolutely say, and the thing is like, the funny thing is my mum's like a complete technophobe as well, but it's the way she like, but she remembers, like she's got no interest in it.
Heather Ebanks: Mm. Mm. Alright. Yeah. Mm.
Shola: but she remembers things, you know? And yeah, so I would say, yeah, just a mother's love like has, yeah, that's what's inspired me.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Wonderful. what's one creative experiment that completely flopped, but you still are proud of it.
Shola: Yeah, so... So in 2014, this idea for like alcoholic ice pops. And actually, yeah, a really good idea.
Heather Ebanks: Mm.
Shola: this was a story of something that like I created, but essentially was like stolen off me. I wasn't sure whether like, shall I say, should I talk about this? Because like, in my mind is a flop.
Heather Ebanks: Yeah. Hmm.
Shola: it was kind of like, something I just took on the chin, to be honest. it was a company, that did alcoholic ice pops and, and, you know, the whole idea and the concept of beer and like the type, you know, everything that goes into a creative idea.
Heather Ebanks: Mmm.
Shola: I'd done, but unfortunately, yeah, the person that I was in league with it was one of those times where...
Heather Ebanks: Hmm.
Shola: I didn't fight it or anything. I just knew that, okay, got to learn a lesson here. But essentially that same company went on to sort of become a multi-million pound company. Yeah. So the company was eventually sold for the millions just a few years later. But to this day, like, because...
Heather Ebanks: Mmm Mm. Right, good. Mm. Mm. Mm-hmm.
Shola: people know me and people know everyone involved but to this day people remind me of it.
Heather Ebanks: Mm-hmm.
Shola: The ones that have flopped, yeah, are just too controversial.
Heather Ebanks: you've gone through that process. You're proud of it. And even though it didn't go seem to go your way, but someone else benefited from it.
