Brand Identity, Campaign Design, Art Direction
Year of Return, Ghana Campaign
The Year of Return was a Ghanaian tourism and cultural campaign launched in 2019, marking 400 years since the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade and celebrating the resilience, heritage and continued global presence of people of African descent.
As a Ghanaian designer, the project had particular personal significance for me. I explored how the existing identity could be reimagined into something more contemporary, expressive and culturally resonant, while creating a visual language that could work across a major international campaign.
The challenge
The existing identity had a strong foundation, but there was an opportunity to build a more distinctive visual system around it. The aim was to create something that could communicate Ghana's cultural richness and the significance of the Year of Return without relying on familiar or overly literal representations of African culture.
The Direction
I focused on the idea of reconnection, heritage and celebration, using Ghanaian cultural references as a starting point for a more contemporary visual language. Bold typography, colour, imagery and expressive graphic elements were brought together to create something that felt distinctly Ghanaian while remaining accessible to an international audience.
The Solution
I developed a reimagined visual identity and campaign system built around bold typography, a vibrant colour palette and expressive graphic compositions. The system was designed to flex across a wide range of applications, from outdoor advertising and transport to events, print, digital and social media. The work allowed the identity to feel more cohesive and recognisable across different touchpoints, while giving the campaign a stronger sense of energy, cultural pride and visual expression.
The Outcome
The project received the Raising Awareness Award from One Space Media and remains one of my most recognised and personally meaningful pieces of work to date. Beyond the campaign itself, it was an opportunity to explore my perspective as a Ghanaian designer and create work rooted in a subject with genuine cultural and personal significance.
