Erick Njuguna

Do You Know Why You’ll Never Make a Living from Graphic Design? I know say you sabi design die. You’ve got creative vision, you can hawk typography through your veins, and you’ve binge watched every design tutorial since 2015. Yet… bills pile up, clients vanish, and you still can’t figure out why the money isn’t following the magic. Here’s the truth nobody told you It’s not your designs that are the problem it’s the story you’re selling (or not selling). Let me tell you something way back when I started, I designed a ₦2,000 flyer for a mini-supermarket near my house. I thought, i had created the best design ever. But the owner never called me again. Why? Because the flyer looked pretty enough, but nobody felt it was worth paying for. He needed customers. I gave him decoration. That moment was a wake-up call. Design isn’t about looking good it’s about making people DO something. It’s persuasion with purpose. If your design doesn’t create action, you’re just making digital wallpaper. Here’s what’s really holding you back 1. You’re selling pixels, not power. You show clients a logo. They see a shape. You fail to tell them it’s the signature that builds their brand equity. You sold the work. Not the business impact. 2. You’re invisible in a sea of design unicorns. Everyone with Instagram and Canva calls themselves a designer. But nobody sees the why behind your work. Because you look like everyone else, you’re treated like everyone else replaceable. 3. You’re working in design silence. You post pretty pictures, but nobody knows your process, your personality, or the results. Your feed is sterile. Clients don’t hire silence they hire confidence, clarity, and character. That ends now. Let me give you a peek behind the curtain. Lean in: • What if you started charging what you’re worth not what your fear tells you? • What if you attracted clients who respect your process, value your strategy, and pay you for results not excuses? • What if you built a design business that runs without needing your every hour, with systems, positioning, and influence? It’s possible and it’s exactly what The Business of Graphic Design course teaches you. This isn’t more tutorials it’s the bulletproof playbook you wish you had when design was just for fun. It’s how you: • Price work like a boss • Sell without feeling slimy • Build influence that attracts clients to you • Scale beyond freelance hustle into legacy and impact This course was valued at ₦30,000, but today it’s yours for ₦10,000 only. Because I want you to go from struggling to commanding in weeks, not years. If you keep doing what everyone else is doing posting prettier pictures, quoting per hour, waiting for opportunities you’ll stay broke and overlooked. But if you choose to rewrite your story… if you decide to design for business, influence, and legacy then yes, you will make a living. You’ll make a mark. More Details for this course is in the comment section

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A while back, a relative asked me if my work as a freelance graphic designer actually paid my bills. I said yes. He looked at me, surprised, and asked, “You mean just designing posters is keeping you in Nairobi?” Again, I said yes, knowing very well that graphic design isn't all about poster design. It was clear he couldn’t quite believe it. To him, graphic design seemed like something people did on the side, not a real profession that could sustain a living. We live in a society where traditional careers like doctors, lawyers, teachers, and pilots are well understood and respected. But there are many professions that still seem unfamiliar, especially in some remote areas. Titles like freelancer, graphic designer, virtual assistant, or personal branding expert don’t always register as serious careers. I sometimes wonder, do people see these as small professions, or do they just not understand the value they bring? The world has changed, and so have careers. The digital space has opened doors to new opportunities that didn’t exist before. Many people are building successful, sustainable careers in fields that might not have existed a decade ago. It’s time we expanded our understanding of work beyond traditional job titles and embraced the endless possibilities that come with new professions.

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A designer on Twitter recently shared a GTBank logo redesign. He argued that the original wasn’t unique enough because it relied on the full brand name for recognition. His solution was to use the letter “G” as the main icon, separating it from the logotype so it could stand alone. The comments loved it, calling it creative and fresh. But here’s my take: replacing a well-established logo with something generic isn’t always a solution. Branding goes beyond style, it’s about strategy, meaning, and trust. What stood out even more was that the “cooler” version wasn’t perfectly aligned. The blocks forming the letter G lacked attention to detail. That matters, especially if the goal is to prove a design is stronger than the original. I’m all for constructive criticism and redesign explorations, I ask for feedback on my work all the time. But a redesign should actually improve what’s there, not just simplify it for the sake of looking modern. GTBank’s current logo works really well because of years of brand equity and a clear visual identity. Without that depth, swapping it for something generic doesn’t solve the real challenge. So here’s a question: should redesigns focus more on strategy and precision rather than just a fresh look? Please let’s hear your thought. #redesign #designidea

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𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐧𝐬! Last Saturday, I was opportuned to speak and present on "Branding Beyond Designs" at the Kri8ers Creative Workshop virtually. My almost a decade experience as a designer has influenced my perspective in understanding the concept of branding for businesses. It has equally made me understand that beyond delivering quality designs, businesses need to fulfill their own end of the bargain by sustaining the identity built. The designer might start the process of what potential customers should think or feel about a business, it is the responsibility of the business to sustain or improve that feeling through customer experience. A positive customer experience or intentional classism created for a brand directly impacts customer expectations and business revenue. Beyond branding in businesses, creatives or we ourselves as entities must be intentional about how we are perceived or how people feel about us. This illustration can be established through this thought-provoking question, “What would people need and your name will pop up in their mind?” If you have a fast answer to this question, you are on the right track, but more importantly, how do they feel about your service or attitude when they approach you? Like I said during the workshop, “𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒘𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅.” How people see us or what they think about us requires us to take intentional steps to build an identity so that we can be correctly addressed the way we want.

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Design without Strategy is Useless Watch full episode: https://lnkd.in/d6Rgdr3s Most creatives just want to make things look good. But Geoffrey Lusanga knows that without strategy, beauty is meaningless. In this episode, we get into the viral Brand Identity Challenge where Geoffrey and his team went head-to-head with a another team —and won. He breaks down why storytelling is more powerful than aesthetics, and why most Zambian brands still don’t understand what branding really is. Watch full episode: https://lnkd.in/d6Rgdr3s #duwit #duwitpodcast #duwitexperience

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Designers Are Not Just Designers Anymore. A Collaboration Post With Katola Ayomipo Dickson For a long time, people have seen design as something you call for when you need something to “look nice.” Pretty colors. Perfect alignment. A few mockups and you’re done. But that’s not what we do. Not anymore. Design has evolved. Today, a designer is a strategist, a thinker, a problem-solver, a storyteller, and sometimes even the one helping a brand find its voice when everything else feels confusing. We don’t just push pixels around. We shape experiences. We don’t just create layouts. We craft emotions. Design is what makes someone trust your brand, feel your message, or pause long enough to care. People still think design is decoration. But the truth is, design is direction. It guides. It influences. It transforms. Being a designer today means: • Seeing the bigger picture • Asking the right questions • Thinking deeply about what people feel and why • Stepping into rooms not just as creatives, but as contributors to the core of a business Design is no longer what you do at the end. It’s what you think of at the beginning. That's why many designers complain that their work feels “blank.” It looks good… but it doesn’t speak. No emotion. No depth. No story. Because design isn’t just about the money. When it becomes just money over meaning, the work suffers. It may look beautiful, but it won’t move anyone. It won’t carry the message. It won’t hit the goal. Beautiful designs matter, but beauty alone isn’t enough. There are human parts to this. Design is meant to connect. To speak. To mean something. To my fellow creatives: Push pixels with passion, not just for payment. Even when it’s tough, your passion will keep you going when money can’t. To prospects in need of design: Next time you're hiring a designer, don’t just ask what they can create, ask what they can help you solve. Because behind every great brand is a designer who understood the assignment beyond visuals. Let’s keep building. With clarity. With story. With heart. #Linkedin #LICchamps #creatives #designers #creators #goal

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A Letter to Young Designers Dear young designer, I know you’re eager to start earning from your design skills but take a deep breath and slow down. Focus first on building capacity before chasing money. Practice consistently. Every design you create, every project you take on whether paid or not sharpens your craft and prepares you for bigger opportunities. Volunteer as much as you can. It’s one of the fastest ways to grow, gain experience, and build meaningful relationships. When you volunteer, do it with the mindset of improvement not exposure or reward. Don’t get discouraged by what you see other creatives doing. Many of them have invested years of learning, failing, and refining their skills to get where they are today. Stay focused on your journey. Choose a niche, master it, and when you’re ready, you can diversify. And please don’t be afraid to share your work, even when you feel it’s not perfect. Growth is visible over time, and people notice consistency and progress more than perfection. It’s a new week ,start with clarity, keep improving, and stay committed to your goals, no matter how small they are.

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The design landscape is relentlessly shifting. New platforms are emerging, AI is reshaping creative processes, and client expectations are evolving. That is why LABASAD’s online graphic design Master’s programmes meet you wherever you are in your creative journey.⁠ ⁠ Whether you’re stepping into the field for the first time or gearing up to lead creative teams, each pathway connects global creatives through live classes and real-world projects, delivering comprehensive training across typography, branding, editorial, motion, and digital design using industry-standard tools to future-proof your career.⁠ Ready to future-proof your design career?⁠ Find out more: Principles of Graphic Design⁠ → https://lnkd.in/ezTshZbb Graphic & Digital Design⁠ → https://lnkd.in/ew3c6RZt Graphic Design & Applied Typography⁠ → https://lnkd.in/e8ZJt-KT Brand Design⁠ → t-bi.link/brand-design

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