Designing and Branding Kenya

December 27, 2022

2902

Guest: Lilac Osanjo
Episode title: Designing and Branding Kenya

From designing posters in 30 minutes to producing the first diploma programmes for design in Kenya for the Kenya Institute of Education, Lilac Osanjo’s name has become synonymous with the design industry in Kenya.

The now Dean of the School of Arts and Design at University of Nairobi (UoN)started with weaving at MCCK and then went into the advertising industry where she was doing press ads, packaging and more, for household brands like “Rough Rider” and Doom.

She started her teaching career as a part time teacher of design at the Kenya Polytechnic, which is now the Technical University of Kenya (TuK), and then advanced to the position of Director of the School of Arts and Design at the UoN.

She is a founding member of both the Network of African Designers and the African Design Forum and is currently the Patron of the Design Kenya Society.

She continues to improve the design sector with her research, some of which has been turned into a book. She has also written several papers that are being referenced by both the older and younger/new crop of designers.

This episode was recorded in 2019

Lilac has a question for you. Please leave your answer in the comments box below
You talk of Italian design, British design and when you talk about this French design or French style and we’re trying to build a Kenyan design. My question therefore is to the listeners or designers out there, what would be the face of this Kenyan design. What would be the hallmarks, the identities that we can then append to this Kenyan design. What would we talk about when we talk about Kenyan design. If they have that answer please share.

About the Podcast Series

In the Beginning, somewhere in 2016, there was Ziki with an idea for a media programme to showcase Africa’s Art and Design journey. It took a long time for Development Through Media (DTM) to buy into the idea. Later 2017, the ideas to include IT aspects into the Podcast came about, inspired by the fact that the Host Ziki herself had a degree in Computer Science from Nairobi University.

The African Women in Technology and Design (AWiTaD) Podcast in essence aims to feature women of African descent who have built, or are well on their way to building successful businesses in IT and Design. The Podcast provides a platform for these women to share their stories and the journeys they have taken to get them where they are today. It also explores their thoughts as they share their plans on future endeavours as business owners and/or influencers in the field of Tech and Design.

MUSIC CREDITS