After years of working as a scientist and creating design as a side hustle, Fungi Dube recently took the bold step of pivoting her career to become a full-time Brand and Visual Identity Designer. Currently based in Harare, Zimbabwe, Fungi describes herself as a ‘self-taught creative solopreneur’, creating diverse identities for individuals, SMEs, and corporate clients in Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
As a passionate Pan-Africanist, Fungi’s work is vibrant and sophisticated, heavily influenced by the nuances in African cultures, including natural elements, patterns, textures, colour, historic writings and symbols. She hopes to elevate African narratives through modern identity systems: ‘My hope is to see more Afro-positive sentiments erupting from the continent. I believe that a big part of this entails the decolonization of design education around African identity systems and African design so that the African story can be told in its fullest grace and with the reverence that it deserves.’
With a wide range of skills, Fungi has conducted workshops and delivered talks on diverse international design platforms such as Typographics NYC and Type Directors Club. On the topic of diversity and gender imbalance within the design industry, Fungi tells DbyW that, ‘…there is a lot of magic that happens when women support women and I believe this is the best solution to counteracting the imbalance’. Fungi has recently witnessed more African female creatives stepping forward and creating communities and opportunities not for just for themselves but also for others.
We talked to Fungi to find out more about her career path so far, about her recent project THREADS which highlights the graphic and writing systems found within African textiles, and her thoughts on elevating African narratives and design in global visual culture.
Hi Fungi! Can you tell us a bit about your career path so far?
I graduated with a BSc. in Human Anatomy & Physiology and Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town. I have had creative inclinations from childhood. I was that child that would DIY special occasion cards for my family members. However, tapping into my creative side in my young adult life was purely circumstantial. I decided to teach myself a new skill to curb the frustration of job hunting after graduating. It was such a trying time because all I was receiving were rejection e-mails and so Photoshop – which I learnt solely via YouTube— became my saving grace.
Five months into my self-learning journey, I landed a formal job in the education sector; but the design bug had bit me! I would work for my employer during the day and continue learning to design and use other Adobe software at night. About a year into my design journey and after gaining some confidence from designing experimental digital cards and invites for my family, I landed my first paying and corporate client and decide to turn design into my side hustle. This was in 2015.
I have since become a full-time creative entrepreneur and celebrated my one-year anniversary recently. I left my former job in December of 2020. As risky as that was, I could not be happier! Other than working with my dream clients and connecting with amazing creatives across the continent and beyond, I have had the opportunity to conduct workshops and deliver talks as well as showcase my work on diverse international design platforms such as Type Drives Communities by Type Directors Club (USA), Creative Directions: The Career Conference by Registered Association of Graphic Designers, RDG (Canada), The Book of Creation Camp by Trad Magazine (Canada) and Typographics NYC (USA). It has been such a wholesome experience so far and I could not be more grateful!
As a brand and visual identity designer, what creative approach do you usually take and how do you bring the influence of traditional African cultures into your design work?
I consider myself to be a delicate balance of process and creativity due to my scientific background, which has allowed for me to streamline my creative process so that it is predominantly research-based. I look for African based inspiration for my projects in both conventional and unconventional places, including published scholarly articles, video documentaries, art exhibitions, craft markets, roadside vendors, written books and even through conversations with other African creatives or the elders in my family! I find that because the African narrative is so multi-directional, there’s a need to expand the methodology for finding the appropriate resources to formulate a creative strategy. Once I have gathered all my materials, I then establish how best to relay them – for example whether through illustration, pattern making or interesting compositions.
“I find that because the African narrative is so multi-directional, there’s a need to expand the methodology for finding the appropriate resources to formulate a creative strategy.”
We’re interested in the way you’re advocating for wider recognition for the impact of African narratives. What future are you hoping to see for African design?
The African narrative has been lost in translation, appropriated, and misconstrued in several instances on a global scale. My hope is to see more Afro-positive sentiments erupting from the continent. I believe that a big part of this entails the decolonization of design education around African identity systems and African design as a whole so that the African story can be told in its fullest grace and with the reverence that it deserves. The impetus, really, lies with African creatives and African design educators to take ownership of our narratives and convey them in a way that uplifts our story and how we would want the rest of the world to engage with it.
What role can design play in elevating African design as part of global visual culture?
In general, I would say that there has been a shift from the external impositions on what design typically should look like to a deeper acknowledgement and overall curiosity of what it can look like. This has guided the choice of some of the African inspired visuals that we draw on, whether it be through case studies or social media where the design styles and expressions are energetic, vibrant and charismatic. This I believe is a direct reflection of the energy that comes with being an African in Africa. Furthermore, with 54 African countries, African design cannot be limited to a single aesthetic or a singular history; rather it is multifaceted and influenced by the historical and present-day, local and global context in which the designer or consumer lives. This, in turn, contributes to the boldness, diversity and overall flair that African design can and has been bringing to the global market.
“…with 54 African countries, African design cannot be limited to a single aesthetic or a singular history; rather it is multifaceted and influenced by the historical and present-day, local and global context in which the designer or consumer lives.”
We were really inspired by your recent project THREADS, which highlights the graphic and writing systems found within African textiles. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the project and your process in creating it?
My work has always been heavily influenced by the profound subtleties that are embedded in African culture like, for instance, the use of colour and patterns as means of communication. A dear friend of mine, who is familiar with the motivation behind my work, sent me a screenshot of the Fabric Map of Africa by Mia Kora, a textile designer, who created it as a mood board to inspire her next collection and my interest was immediately piqued! I have always valued storytelling, and also, being a keen researcher, I wondered whether the patterns embedded in these textiles existed solely for aesthetic purposes or if there was any deeper messaging to them. Thus began my research.
Over 40 research papers, 300 reference images and 30 vectorised variations of approximately 16 African textiles later, THREADS was born. I started the project in March of 2021, and completed it in mid-July, approximately 2 weeks after Typographics NYC. I took time out to sample and vectorise various textiles in my own style as a means of educating myself, understanding, and also contributing towards the elevation of the African narrative.
The broader project highlights an important aspect of African culture and is a visual journey into the writing and graphic systems that are embedded in African textiles and the influence that they have had in global communication as a whole.
“The broader project highlights an important aspect of African culture and is a visual journey into the writing and graphic systems that are embedded in African textiles and the influence that they have had in global communication as a whole.”
Was there anything you discovered throughout the project which surprised you about African writing systems?
My biggest discovery was how African scripts take on a delicious variety of forms. Historically, other than phonetic and syllabic writing systems, big, big ideas have been encoded, transferred and stored in pictographic and ideographic forms coupled with immense craftsmanship and overall elegance. What’s fascinating and powerful about these pictographic and ideographic forms is how an entire story is conveyed through a singular symbol. Hence, with THREADS, my major objective was to marry aesthetics with meaning and to highlight specifically, how other than their aesthetic value, African traditional textiles are a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, social conduct, religious beliefs, and political reform.
Do you have any thoughts on how we can counteract the gender imbalance within the creative industry and amplify the work of African women?
Here’s the thing; Africa in general has a history of patriarchy and this seeps into the design world as well where most female African creatives, though competent, may not be awarded the same opportunities. However, with the turn of the century, I believe there has been something of a shift and African women and creatives are stepping into their own and creating opportunities to foster other African women in design especially on the international front. Through my network, I am connected to a few women who are trailblazing in their own right and it has been absolutely phenomenal to witness. For instance, organisations such as Geneza School of Design and The Female Designer Movement (which are both founded by an African woman, Bolanle Banwo Osadolo) alongside Ingressive for Good are offering scholarships for African women to get started in brand and product design. Hence the gender gap is slowly closing as more African women are stepping out into these design roles and doing so boldly. I am excited to see how far the envelope can be pushed! There is a lot of magic that happens when women support women (just as you do so amazingly well with this platform) and this I believe is the best way to counteract the imbalance.
Can you name three other African designers whose work you find inspiring?
Three is far too little for me as I have a number of African designers whose work absolutely moves me but I will narrow it down!
- A designer/typographer whose work I absolutely adore is Nontsikelelo Mutiti. One of her projects that I have particularly loved to watch unfold is KUDUDUNURA which translates to “undoing”. It is a deep dive into experimental typography and pattern making inspired by braided letterforms! It speaks of how African hair braiding as a practice and aesthetic marker remains a significant and meaningful heritage and an important contemporary form that has been preserved and innovated on by Black communities globally. The entire project spells out “AHEHEDE-URI” which is a gesture of laughter and/or exclamation amongst the Shona women of Zimbabwe. Each letterform is built up from a series of modules that carry the motif of cornrows, hair braids and/or plaits. I could not be more obsessed!
- Tapiwanashe Sebastian Garikayi is a multi-script type designer who is playing an instrumental role in the revival and restoration of lost and near extinct African languages. Because of the inflexions and syllabaries in African languages, smarter and more innovative font engineering methods have to be developed to match with the diversity in sounds and written forms in most African dialects. It has been such a joy to witness him innovate on this front.
- Mam’gobozi Design Factory is a South African based design studio duo comprising Nontokozo Tshabala and Osmond Tshuma. They build daring brand identities that challenge design conventions and celebrate African identity. The premise of their work is grounded in the concept of “Looking Within”, inspired by Prof Saki Mafundikwa, as they aim to hone in on the immense creativity and rich culture that the continent holds.
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