Coker Oluwafemi Fisayo is the Chief Executive Officer of Cokards Creative Agency, a role that positions him as the leading light of the company’s overall strategy. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism Management from Redeemer’s University, Femi specialises in Communication Design and User Experience Strategy.

His design journey started in 2008 when a friend introduced him to Adobe Illustrator after he had seen a mind-blowing illustration made by Data Oruwari. Femi has since gone on to work in various creative capacities in companies like Jumia, iDEA Hub and Re:write, bringing to light his multifarious passion for new technologies, politics, human rights issues, environmental causes, community development, design and space exploration.

Femi has also worked with many highly reputable brands including Harvard Business School, Access Bank, First Bank, Nokia, DEMO, Commonwealth Africa, Total, Oando, Workstation, Mobile Monday, The Australian Festival of African Film, First Ally Capital, Open Banking, and Africa Technology Foundation.

Even though Femi has always been art-oriented, he learned by gathering information via tutorials, webinars, online courses, case-studies and workshops on design. His interests in strategy, marketing, advertising, law, psychology, and business management, continue to shape his pragmatic approach to creating brands with authentic stories.

In an imminent future, as Femi sees it, design will become invisible yet tremendously powerful. Visual or not, design has always been about strategy — the underlying structure of communication. It is the organization of ideas into functional and aesthetically-pleasing components.

Femi is a design guru but his growth has not been without the challenges of time and the recurrent need to be valued as a strategic partner. He emphasizes a step by step approach to any design process with particular attention to details. He has worked with diverse creatives and he is currently working on YAZA Africa, a media fashion brand for African women, and Spark+, a platform that celebrates extraordinariness.

With his projects aligned with his passion, Femi also demonstrates a deep interest in building a vibrant design community for members to connect, share and grow more easily. He is the convener of Lagosmeet, the largest designer meetup in Nigeria attended by a wide variety of creatives— illustrators, graphic, product, visual, brand designers , art directors, etc.

Coker is a product of immense influences from designers all around the world, Data Oruwari, James Alabi Abinibi, amongst other reputable individuals, who have challenged the status quo. In turn, he mentors upcoming designers, advising them to invest in themselves—especially time, knowledge and education.

With his impact growing large and wide, there are clearer indications Fisayo Oluwafemi Coker will have his dream vacation in Vienna, Italy soon.

Photography by Adetayo Adegbola