Finding Designer X.

Part 1

I woke up that morning, pumped for a new day at work, not just a new day but one where I had to make a work experience changing decision. I was excited to meet people who where going to be my new colleagues. It also felt great that finally I could actually reduce the workload and make things way more manageable from now on, at least better than it was before, I thought to myself as I got into my car, opened Apple Music, played Hypontized by Purple Disco Machine and made my way to work.

How did we get to this point you ask? Well I would have to go back to where it all began from and why it had to be this way.

August 2017, I had at that point a perfect team of designers. Six designers to be precise. And with me included as the team lead, we were seven, if I had six perfect fingers, this would have been them. We were like seven perfect suits, each day for the week in a Jame Bond’s wardrobe already picked out and convenient. We had two illustrators, three designers and a motion designer.

Nigeria is a very competitive landscape. Everything fights for your attention, when it comes to good stuff, expensive is how you describe them and the market is mostly saturated by the mundane and mediocre and this included the labor market so due to this fact, your best staffs are at risk of being poached by another company.

December 2018, my team started to dwindle. First, it was a graphic designer. He had been poached by a bank. He was offered more money and better incentives than we could have offered him and I wouldn’t blame him, this is Nigeria, times are hard and he saw something that could make his life a little bit better, a little bit easier, a little bit promising, he took it and left.

Two months after he left, another graphic designer and an illustrator followed suit. We had lost our best hands or fingers if you are followed my synecdoche application earlier. The funny part is that we lost them all to the same bank.

June 2018, we were down to just three team members having to do and share the workload of 10 people and this was tough on the team, it was physically and mentally tasking, practically killing us in each of those aspects. Looking for designers at least the really good ones is tougher than looking for Wally Waldo or looking or looking for a needle in a haystack, almost impossible or at least if not, very painstakingly difficult.

Anyway, I decided to run and plan a recruitment exercise and hopefully find some new designers. So we put the word out and decided to hold interviews. As imagined about 89 people filled out the application but as expected only a few actually vaguely meet the minimal requirement. I think I’m to picky

So, the first guy walks into the office and I offered him a seat, at this moment I was filling the shoes of a human resource manager. I didn’t introduce myself as the team lead at all neither did I mention my name, I don’t know why I didn’t do that but I didn’t. The dude sits down and I stared straight at his soul after reading his resume. He was 26, he dressed flamboyant, purple jacket and a gold chain like a pimp named slickback or a fashion forward athlete. He wasn’t bad looking, maybe a extra stylish. If I’m to tell you what cologne is wearing, I’d say Le Pompeux (puisque 1994), He has “I am the ace predator attitude” oozing out of him, a cocky smile on his face, crossing legs and sitting laid-back.

“do you have any experience in this line of career?” I asked him

“see the thing is, I have never been the kind of person to work for other people, I have always freelanced for friends who work with ad agencies and I have gotten awesome reviews like; people tell me all the time that my works are amazing, in my own little world I know I’m the best. I am great doing what I have been doing but I need to branch out and I decided on working here, I want to work here and I am ready to test the waters.” He said smiling while I couldn’t believe my own ears.

I look at the guy and I think to myself, he must think he is a big deal like Ron Burgundy, but I humor him, I might as well have fun with the interview, right?

“so, let’s say we give you the job, I mean you live in Abuja, right?” I asked him

“yeah, about that,” he said

“if I am going to consider taking this job, it means I’m going to have to move to Lagos and relocation like that is no joke, it means your company will have to provide accommodation and you know how Lagos can be now, I also will definitely need a car to move around with. I hope that can be arranged, right?” he asked.

This homeboy really thinks he has the job in the bag, doesn’t he?

“well don’t you think that’s quite a tall order my friend?” I asked him with the best polka face I have ever given anyone.

“I don’t think it’s too much sha, I mean considering that I am going to be a team lead and, with the caliber of skill am offering, am sure you guys would appreciate me and I hear you treat your team leads well.” He said.

“First of all, you’re not going to be any team lead. The position we are offering is one where you will be part of an already existing design team. And if you want to be team lead, it means you have to work your way up and earn the title if you want it.” I told him even trying to encourage his bloated ego but he had to go further to ravaging something that was already on the verge of been destroyed.

“I just felt, I am more equipped to be team lead, you know, and if you look closely you will see that you and I are the same, we are both top dogs, it will only be a waste of my potential if I was merely a team member, am sure you can work something out for me, but if not, I will take your advice.” He said still smiling that cocky, smug fake smile, he’s been having plastered all over his face since he came in.

At that point I had to excuse the young man. I have had it up to here with his attitude it was time for him to leave.

“No problem. As it is, the interview is done, we will get back to you.” I told him before he stood up and left. As normal the next person was been expected and I hoped and prayed it wasn’t another egocentric maniac who thinks he’s the best thing next to the existence of the air we breathe.

The next person was a young lady, age 24, she had just finished from school, Covenant University or so; if not a rich kid, her folks were more than comfortable. She had this alte vibe to her, as she was in bright yellow shirt, large on her and had its short sleeves further folded. She had the shirt tucked into a brown chino pants and ended it with white sneakers on her feet.

“Good morning?” she said before I gestured her to seat down.

“Good morning” I answered. looking at her was breathe of fresh air compared to the guy that had just left. She was pretty, small cute facial features, wine colored braids with cowries locked into them.

“I see that you finished from Covenant University. Accounting, right?” I asked

“Right.” She answered

“Tell me, about that. How come you’re here in an interview for a design role, do you have a background in art?

“Well, it is true that I did study accounting but I was never exactly one for it. Like my parents wanted that for me but I actually preferred drawing and illustrations and sure as you have seen in my portfolio, I’m quite good at it, even though I never actually did anything in the line of designing, or arts.” She answered

“This job is a very demanding one. If I am to be honest with you.” I told her

“How do you feel about an Eight to Six job, practically every day?” I asked her

“I am here because I felt that this job would have more flexible work hours than just a regular white-collar job and if possible, there would be like some remote working scheme where one does not have to always be in the office. If am been honest, I actually think a nine to five job can relatively be compared to modern day slavery. Except here people are bound by their responsibilities and needs and the have no choice but to intentionally suffer.”

“That’s a very harsh description, you feel very comfortable to be this vocal about your point of views. And am still wondering how we got here, but it’s fine.” I said to her.

I think to myself that although illustration wise, she was good or at least good enough, she didn’t have enough skill or knowledge to keep up with our day to day design briefs and also, she might not be able to keep up with the work schedule or workload.

“I think we’re done. Let’s call it a day, I will definitely get back to you.” I say to her as my word usher her out.

She was quite the opposite of the guy that had come before her and at this point, I didn’t even know what to expect after her. I just hoped that this person would just be the one that does it for me. But I might be keeping my hopes a bit too high but then again who knows.

There is a light knock on the door, I hear the doorknob squeeze and the door open and then shut, I raise my head to see who the person is and what I meet, is a man, middle-age, he was in a suit, black, a bit over-sized, plain white shirt inside and he held a work bag in his hand.

“Good afternoon sir” he said politely before seating down.

I scrolled through his resume and found out that he is 46 and supposedly had been designing for close to 20 years and yet, he had this humble demeanor to him. 20 years is a long time and long time to be at one position because as soon as he started to talk, it was obvious that he had lost touch with the modern approach to visual design and had a lot of catching up to do.

“I have been doing this for a very long time and I know my onions.” He said and laughed at a joke only he understood

I had actually zoned out for a minute as he keeps on talking. He finally stops and I get a chance to ask him a few questions.

“can you tell me anything about telling a story through design?” I asked him and he said, to be honest with you, no.

“Then how do you intend to cope?” I asked

“I might seem a bit old fashioned, but I am not above the ability to learn, these are things I can catch up with if am given the opportunity to.” He said

In truth he did have a lot of catching up to do but at the same time he did seem like someone I could have been able to work with but, yet I needed people who could provide immediate productivity, someone who could stand on their own and borrowing his words, someone who knows his onions. I won’t have time to micro manage anybody and if I had to pick him it meant I have to babysit him.

“Alright it’s fine, we will contact you.”

The interview came to a close. After a long day of meeting different caliber of people, I left the office that day without actually ending up recruiting anyone or maybe I could do more interviews, I thought while I drove home listening to Los Angeles by HAIM.