My Design Story: Leaving the Medical Path for Design — Doyin Afolabi

What did you study in school? Was it anything design related?

No. I studied medical physiology. I started taking graphic design courses online when I was in 200 level because I was interested in designing. From there, I started freelancing and went into full time designing when I graduated.

How did you manage to balance learning graphic design with school?

Well, I was already in school learning something. Learning another thing alongside wasn’t hard. I’ve always been good at multitasking. I also liked challenges, so it was really exciting.

I have always loved art as an expression, so moving from being a visual artist to being a graphic designer was something that came easy to me.

You were a visual artist?

Yes. I started drawing in primary school. I also did a lot of drawing, painting, and calligraphy in secondary school. I believe that if I hadn’t been a doctor or a graphic designer, I would have been an artist.

What do you currently do?

I do graphic design, print design, editorial and publication design. Currently, my full-time job is graphic design, editorial design and publication.

How did your parents deal with you doing something completely different from what you studied?

My parents support me in whatever I want to do as long as I am comfortable. I also got jobs, and that helped because it wasn’t like I decided to do something else and I was unemployed.

My mum didn’t take it too well because she wanted to be “Mummy Doctor”. The plan was that I would finish physiology and study medicine.

I weighed my options and realised I could earn what a doctor earns; I didn’t think it was worth it to waste years of my life doing something when I love multiple things. I still love medicine, but I also love design. It’s not like I was giving up something I love for something I don’t love.

Did you want to be a doctor growing up or did it come up while you were studying Physiology?

I always wanted to be a doctor, but I was given Physiology instead of Medicine.

If you had the opportunity to study medicine now with nothing interfering with your education, would you consider it?

No. I would consider going to study design rather than studying medicine.

Have you ever considered UI/UX design? Because a lot of graphic designers nowadays are going into UI/UX

I noticed that, but no. UI/UX doesn’t just appeal to me. A lot of my friends are UI/UX designers, product designers, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. That might change in the future, but for now, I’ve not considered it.

Do you think being a woman affects how you’re viewed or makes people question your competence?

It does. In my first job, I was the only female designer on a team of 5 people. Clients would come in and say stuff like “Oh there’s a female designer. Are you sure she can do the job?” Fortunately, my direct manager was a woman and she shielded me from all the subtle sexism. She’d tell people that they only hired the best and if they weren’t comfortable working with a female designer, they could go and get their work done somewhere else.

I’m grateful that I had people like that defending me and that I didn’t always have to prove myself. I didn’t have a problem with the guys because they saw me doing my work effectively and meeting KPIs. It wasn’t like they just hired me to look like they were an equal opportunity place. Of course, it would have good PR for them, but I was good at my job. I knew what I was doing.

One time a former employee came in and was like “Wow! A female designer. You’re handling it so well.” I told him that that was my job. I was supposed to handle it well and I didn’t know what being female had to do with anything. I also told him not to patronise me. He ended up apologising.

If you can’t compliment me without making it about my gender, don’t bother at all.

Do you have to deal with clients hitting on you?

I’m not a very friendly person. I look like someone that would beat you up, so they don’t bother. When you’re friendly with people, they start doing anyhow. Give someone an inch and they take a mile, so I don’t give them anything at all.

I’ve had a few try to hit on me though, or say they want to take me out for lunch. I tell them it was a team effort. That if they’re going to buy me lunch, they’re going to have to buy the whole team lunch.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far?

I think the fact that I left a promising career for this and I’m still doing well here. There’s so much more to come. I’ve come a long way considering how male-dominated this industry was. Getting jobs wasn’t that easy, but it has become easier over time.

I could have given up and focused on medicine, but that fact that I never did is something to be proud of. There’s more to come.