In a new series, Meaningful Gigs is interviewing its designer community to share insights into their unique perspective, key learnings, and the value that they’ve brought the customers that they are working with.
First is designer Tunji from Nigeria, working with Mozilla to create a course for entrepreneurs and startups on lead data practices:
What are 3 things you learned from working with Mozilla?
I learned that my work matters, that collaboration is important, and the importance of grace.
I was initially nervous to work on a project outside of my comfort zone and experience, but after working with Gregory (another designer from Meaningful Gigs) and presenting a mini design guide to key stakeholders I felt more confident... they let me know that my work is good and that it matters.
In terms of collaboration, I typically work by myself or with an entire team. In this instance I was working with just 1 additional animator/illustrator, Gregory. I learned that collaboration doesn’t necessarily mean putting in the exact same effort, but rather complementing and helping each other. Good work is done with good people, and my design collaborator and the stakeholders were all super gracious in helping me improve and unlock my full potential...
So grace in the workplace matters. The primary stakeholders Nneka Soyinka and Noemie Hailu trusted us to do good work, so even when they were under pressure from their bosses they fought for me to have the time and resources we needed. They graciously let us do our work while they took on a lot of pressure… They helped to create a really fun environment that was exciting for everyone working on the project, and there was a lot of laughter... You can't ask for much more in a work environment!
What value did you add to the company?
I brought my perspective to the company, which I think was invaluable for an Africa-specific product… But Mozilla also knew that they were doing something for an African audience and so they wanted to have African designers contribute. I was able to bring an African perspective into the product, from colors to emotions to an understanding about the audience.
What was your greatest achievement while working with Mozilla?
My greatest achievement was definitely the result… It was my first time working on an online course, and it was Mozilla’s first product specifically for Africa (see the finished course here).
The result of our collaboration was an online course for startup founders and entrepreneurs in Africa… I worked specifically on visual direction and brand design, from idea to delivery.
But it wasn’t just the end result that made this my greatest achievement… From the very beginning I was working with really impressive people, and they were constantly giving me feedback… This allowed me to simultaneously create and learn, which is what I love to do.