Artist Spotlight w/ Daniella Uche-Oji
Dec 13, 2022
First, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm currently a designer at Adidas, studio A where I handle graphic, visual, and sometimes motion design as the need arises.
I was born in Houston, TX but I was raised in Lagos, Nigeria. design-wise my background is originally in 3D animation and visual effects but I slowly started diversifying my skills and ended up doing a lot of freelance graphic design work.
Ultimately, I am trying to create more designs that are out of the box so, I tend to blend a lot of 3D ideologies with my design process and this has allowed my designs to be as different as I want them to be. I try to tell stories or emphasize the stories behind a client's brand whenever I design.
I chose 2D & 3D design because I was looking for an opportunity to blend three of my favorite things: Computers, Storytelling and Art. I like to call myself an "advocate of the creative community" because I've always strived in my own little way to make creative careers more respected.
Don't allow yourself to be insulted or abused in any way as a designer or creative. A lot of us allow this to happen at times because this path is a difficult one, and sometimes these opportunities could assist us in some way. But, the disrespect is never worth it.
Brands that treat you that way don't even understand your value but, soon they will.
Can you tell us about your experience and the role you are primarily filling?
In my current role, I handle mostly graphic, visual, and motion design for advertisements.
It's an amazing opportunity and I've learned a lot while working at Adidas. Adidas started an in-house creative agency called studio A that primarily focuses on local digital campaigns and we work around the globe to support our business and brand with human-focused stories that are rooted in culture.
Before I got to Adidas, I had the opportunity to work personally with clients like Stock X, ESPN, Target, and The American Civil Liberties Union, to name a few.
If you could speak directly to the resourcing gods and powers that be, what would be your ideal project?
I would love to create something that would serve as a creative ecosystem for the global black diaspora. This has been a dream of mine for a while but, on a lighter note; I would like to work on more editorial design and key art. I like that I can be super experimental with these types of projects.
Do you have any dream clients?
Spotify, Buck, Conde Nast & Netflix (To name a few haha).
Lastly, do you have any memorable stories, life lessons, or tall tales you can share from your adventures as a freelancer?
My stories are always so funny because I have consciously, and sometimes unconsciously, done a lot of "hustling" in my lifetime — especially in the design field.
One day I found myself in a situation that finally made me question the whole "hustle culture". I'll omit the name of the agency and brand for legal purposes but, it was one of the most toxic situations I had ever been in. They hired me and another designer and tried to force an unrealistic amount of work on us.
When we complained, we were told that we were being "too emotional". This made me realize, a lot of us designers get insulted in this way because the career we've chosen is often not respected enough. So I cut the whole project off halfway through to move on to healthier endeavors.
Moral of the story: don't allow yourself to be insulted or abused in any way as a designer or creative. A lot of us allow this to happen at times because this path is a difficult one, and sometimes these opportunities could assist us in some way. But, the disrespect is never worth it.
Brands that treat you that way don't even understand your value but, soon they will.
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Daniella's
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