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YOUNG, FOCUSED AND AMBITIOUS

13/09/2019 23:52:00 BY ZWILE NKWANYANE

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“There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”
This quote by Milton Glaser has proven to be true for Nkosikhona Nkambule, who is a young Eswatini Graphic Designer based in South Africa.
In a short space of time, he has made a name for himself in the industry and to the extent that renowned South African rapper AKA once called him and offered him a job in his radio station. It is only when you produce WOW designs that you get such opportunities.
Ready to take on the world, the designer takes Gcwala into his journey so far and he also opens up about his future plans.

Who is Nkosikhona Nkambule?
Nkosikhona Nkambule also known as ZumaSD, is a 25-year- old liSwati. I grew up in Matsapha (eMbikwakhe) with both parents and two siblings; an older sister who is a fashion designer based in SA and a little brother who is doing IT. Looking back, my family has played a huge role to what I have achieved so far and the person I am today, especially my mum, who I would say she’s the one who kept the family together and made sure we all went to church every Sunday. Thiscan really have an impact in a child’s future and character. The parents also made sure nothing disturbed us from school and gave us the freedom to chase our dreams.

What inspired you to get into graphic design?
I actually don’t know where to start but basically its music. That’s why I always find myself in that space. I love art and I like people who do things different, who break rules and boundaries by just being themselves and expressing themselves differently. Back in 2010 I used to Google about my favourite artists, magazine and album covers would pop up, XXL, Source, Blender, Billboard, Vibe have different concepts, layouts, colors, typography etc. I feel in love with the crazy concepts each had. It was interesting to me to see how an album cover can influence one to listen to that particular project just because the album cover is in line with the project. For example all Meek Mill Albums speak for themselves thanks to L.Chaz Morgan one of my favourite graphic designers from Chicago.

What inspires your design concepts?
Exploring different creative outlets to hone in and exercise your imagination. It’s good to focus on perfecting our digital skills and knowledge of the latest design softwares, but sometimes we need to take a break from a computer-centric environment. After all, design goes beyond what is presumably achievable on a computer screen, so I try exercising my design fundamentals through different mediums as an inspirational tactic.

Take us through your design process from the concept till the actual design.
l Briefing the project with your client
l Researching your client›s ecosystem
l Brainstorming on the message
l Making a mockup (if need be)
l Building the design
l Presenting and refining the work
l Putting the design into production.

What motivated your move from SD to SA?
My work brought me here. I think your hustle can get you anywhere especially now in this generation where we have social media. In my case, TBO Touch saw one of my artworks on Twitter, which I did for AKA’s Touch My Blood Album Cover challenge, where he hit me up and called me directly and offered me a job at his radio station.

How difficult has it been to break into the market that side because I see you do posters for people like Shimza.
Well I haven’t worked with Shimza yet but still waiting for that opportunity. He only asked to see my work, and I am still waiting for his response but I have recently worked with Dj PH and Oscar Mbo who are practically on Shimza’s level when talking big names.

I know it seems like it is all good and easy from the outside but leaving Eswatini was very hard for me because I had built a name for myself and had my clients. In South Africa, there’s a lot of competition in my field and you really need to work 10 times harder to build a name for yourself so right now that’s what I am trying to do and what makes it harder for me as a liSwati is the language barrier.

It’s hard for me to communicate with people or engage in conversations because I only understand SiSwati and English, where as SA has 11 official languages, so you can imagine. But I am settling well I can’t complain my work will do the rest. My patience goes a long way.

What does it take for a designer to stay relevant and be in demand?

For me it has taken a lot, but when we are speaking on a graphic design level, I live by the 3 P’s which is Pitching, Pricing, and Practice. Pitching is basically how you present the work to the client, Pricing has to do with knowing and understanding how to charge small companies and big companies, and Practice has to do with habits and how you move. Always deliver on that promise of helping the customer to improve their image through the use of your designs. This way you will earn recommendations and you can potentially establish valuable long-term relationships with the clients.

Which one works for you, freelance designing or being attached to a company?

It actually depends on how attached you are with it. I personally hate being attached to a company because they tell you what to do and as a graphic designer you don’t grow, but when you are a freelancer, you can explore different industries and get to be inspired... that way you grow. I get frustrated when I do the same thing over and over again.

What’s your ambition for your design career?

Every year I usually set goals and try to tick boxes. So this year I am working more in the fashion space and trends. I am working in collaboration with Mark Swag through the whole year. We started with the summer range, which was the Zumpson range and we are yet to release the winter range.

The approach/art direction for it is really interesting because we are paying tribute to our African heroes using urban art direction and I am actually excited about how the public will take it. So really, one day I hope brands like Diesel, Nike, Guess, et cetera. will see my work or any of the other big fashion brands. This will inspire other upcoming designers; that they can work anywhere and that they are not limited to creating posters or logos, it’s deeper than that.

What advice can you give to an aspiring designer out there who wants to make it like you?
It’s funny because I don’t feel like I am at a level where I can actually give advice or anything like that because I haven’t achieved my goals in life. With that said, I really appreciate how blessed I am.

The support has always been amazing, my friends and family have always trusted and supported my work. What I can say to someone who looks up to me is that they should invest in their work and believe in themselves. They don’t need anyone’s approval; move different, be different, and patience is key.

Who do you look up to? I mean other designers and why?

L.Chaz Morgan one of my favorite graphic designers from Chicago. His work speaks for its self its very detailed and his is the reason I started He used to do Meek Mills album covers. Here in SA its Slaying Goliath his work is clean, he moves different, puts his work first more than anything, his also good at addressing relevant issues through graphic design he really understands graphic design and its power. I learn a lot from him.

Where did you attend school Primary, High School, Tertiary?

I did my primary school at Sidney Williams Swaziland and my first 3 years of high school at Swazi National High School, and then I went to Metropolitan College a boarding school in Nelspruit and completed my Matric there. Which helped me a lot because I got know how to be responsible.

After high school my passion for graphic design grew stronger, and as a result I then started teaching myself how to use Software/programs like Photoshop until I fully understood. Applied at Limkokwing University of Technology in 2018 where I was studying Graphic Design just so I have a certificate for what I love doing. Before Varsity I was already independent had clients and I knew I can make a living out of Graphic Design. For my internship I was working at Ubombo Sugar Company (Illovo) as an in house graphic designer and luckily I was being paid every month.