About

I design with disabled and neurodivergent people, starting with their stories.

Designer for Disability & Neurodivergence. Based in Middlesbrough, UK.

Work with me
Photo to come: Damilola at work, in conversation

Story

The story so far

Plain-language summary

I am a designer. I have worked in design for seven years. My work now focuses on disabled and neurodivergent people. I live in Middlesbrough, in the north east of England.

I came to design through sociology. It taught me to ask why before what, and I still work that way.

Over seven years I have designed for finance, agencies, marketing communications, education, energy, technology and food manufacturing.

My MSc in Visual Communication at Teesside University, awarded with Distinction, is where I focused my practice on disability. It produced two projects I still build on: Beyond Labels and Deck of Triumphs.

Alongside paid work, I have volunteered with Bernice Oasis Outreach since 2019, across Nigeria and now into Kenya. I design for TechUp Africa and lead media and communications at City of God Christian Centre Middlesbrough. I also founded Adaptibles CIC, a neuroinclusive digital learning platform.

I want a world where everyone, regardless of abilities, is treated equally, and love is the driving force.

From my MSc reflection, January 2024

How I design

  1. Listen first

    I start with one-to-one interviews with people chosen on purpose, so the people the work is for can shape it.

  2. Ground it in evidence

    Theory and data come before any sketch. For Beyond Labels, that meant Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and UK disability statistics.

  3. Name the insight in one sentence

    For Beyond Labels: disability is too often seen through pity, and clothing that tells your story helps you take the narrative back.

  4. Test the idea, and be willing to kill it

    My first Beyond Labels concept, an African heritage clothing brand, did not pass review on originality, evidence, clarity or relevance. So I dropped it.

  5. Build a system, not an object

    Strategy, identity, product and campaign held together by one logic, like a logomark drawn from a wheelchair tyre and a bridge arc, built on the golden ratio.

  6. Put it in people’s hands

    Deck of Triumphs became an installation where visitors wrote their own triumph cards.

  7. Reflect and revise

    Every project ends with what I would change next time.

CV

Each role is a label. Turn it over to see the story behind it.

Tools

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • After Effects
  • InDesign
  • Photoshop
  • Premiere Pro
  • Blender

Download CV (PDF) Download CV as plain text

Certifications

Recognition

Contact

Based in
Middlesbrough, UK

The quickest way to reach me is the enquiry form. It asks how you would like me to reply, and whether there is anything I should know to make this easy for you.

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