I’m Nicola Clarke, (first name said like this: “Nic-ola”), a designer originally from Johannesburg, South Africa - the second most dodgy and dangerous city in the world, according to Google. South Africa is considered a Third World Country (also according to Google), so it means that I’m generally pretty easy to please, forgiving and alright with things not always going as planned. That being said, I’m not very calm when the Wifi stops working.

Industry-wise, my background is mostly in the advertising world. Very old-school advertising world, think Mad Men Season 1, but set in 2013. I started off as an Art Director at Ogilvy & Mather (Cape Town) and was paired with a copywriter for most of my career, very much in a monogamous, arranged work-marriage for years.

My “work-wife” and I ended up flourishing in Ogilvy’s intense, concept-driven, awards-consumed, brand-orientated agency lifestyle. Volkswagen, AbinBev, Heinz, Castrol, Revlon and Barbie were the major brands we produced work for.

After four years at Ogilvy, I felt compelled to move across continents from South Africa to Colorado after receiving my special O-1 visa - the visa for “people with extraordinary abilities in art” - I still don’t believe it, but this allowed me to start my very own design platform, while skiing.

Just before Covid, I landed a job at Imprint Projects in San Francisco, where I got to work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and that’s my proudest work yet.

Awards: Gold Clio | Silver Clio | One Show Merit | Gold Loerie (South Africa & Middle East) | Ad of the Month 2nd Place (South Africa)