Me

Story time...

I didn’t choose design, it was already part of my story long before I understood what it meant.

Experience

Tolu

Hey, just call me

• Adobe Certified Visual Designer

• Master’s Degree in Graphic Design (Distinction)

• Graphic Designer, Group External Communications at HSBC

At HSBC, I work within a high-performing, fast-paced environment where clarity, consistency, and quality are non-negotiable. We deliver multimedia and multi-channel content, which has sharpened my ability to think strategically, execute precisely, and collaborate across teams.

Here is a glimpse into what a day in my life looks like.

What am I good at?

Design, for me, is not just a skill; it’s a lens.

It’s how I interpret the world, how I solve problems, and how I create meaning. Even on the most challenging days, design is the constant that grounds me.

A creative director once described me as “a different kind of creative breed.” What he meant is simple: I see things others often miss. I have a strong instinct for aesthetics, an ability to recognise what feels right, what communicates clearly, and what resonates deeply. This shows up in my work through thoughtful choices in imagery, colour, typography, and composition, always aiming for a premium, distinctive finish.

Over time, this instinct has built trust. Stakeholders rely on me to deliver work that not only looks good, but feels considered and complete.

But my portfolio is only part of the story.

What I value most is how I show up. Even when I can't contribute technically to a project, I make sure to look out for the welfare of my team, whether it's by reminding them to take breaks or asking if they need a cup of coffee, and that often helps lighten their load.

I bring energy, curiosity, and a collaborative mindset into every room. I listen, I adapt, and I translate ideas into visuals that work. I love storytelling, and I enjoy building relationships just as much as I enjoy building designs, because great work rarely happens in isolation.

I’m multidisciplinary, ambitious, and always learning. I take ownership when it matters, and I stay consistent in both my words and actions.

I grew up in Ketu, Lagos, in a home where creativity was everywhere. My father ran a side advertising business called Mericom Advertisement, where he designed and printed billboards. I remember large prints scattered around our compound, bold, oversized, impossible to ignore. On long drives, he would point to one on the motorway and say, “Teeboy, I made that.” We’d laugh, but those moments stayed with me. They quietly shaped how I saw impact, how something you create can exist out in the world, seen by thousands.

My mother’s world was different, but just as influential. She is a visual artist and fine art teacher, who loves tie & dye, calligraphy, and typography. Our home often felt like a studio filled with students sketching, painting, experimenting. There was always something being created. Whether I realised it or not, I was being trained to observe, to appreciate detail, and to understand the discipline behind creativity.

So I grew up drawing, painting, engaging with art constantly, and supporting my mum to grade her students' artworks, whether I liked it or not. And when I asked for my pay following the grading, like every typical African mother, she would reply by saying, "When are you also going to pay me for all the food you eat in this house?" That often settles the scores.

Design didn’t arrive as a decision later in life; it was always there, quietly shaping how I think, observe, and create. And yet, for a long time, I didn’t see design as a career.

Where I come from, careers like law, medicine, engineering, or accounting were seen as the “real” paths—stable, respected, secure. Design was often treated as a side skill, not something to build a future on. So although creativity was all around me, I didn’t immediately see it as something I could fully step into.

That changed one summer at university.

A friend of mine coincidentally also named Tolu invited me to join him as a design trainee under another designer and friend, Davis. What started as a casual opportunity quickly became something more. We learned fast, took on our first clients, and before long, we were getting paid for our work.

That experience shifted everything. Design stopped being something in the background of my life and became something real, something possible.

And then… something happened that made it undeniable for me.

I’ll save that part for when we speak, just don’t forget to ask me.