HISTORICAL INFLUENCES ON CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN GRAPHIC DESIGN

Abstract

This paper examines how Nigerian graphic design today is shaped by historical visual cultures, technologies, and sociopolitical transformations from the precolonial era to the digital present. Drawing on postcolonial theory, visual culture studies, and semiotics, the study synthesizes evidence from indigenous sign systems (e.g., Nsibidi, Uli, Adire), colonial printing regimes, nationalist modernism (e.g., the Zaria Art Society’s “Natural Synthesis”), and mass media (advertising, album covers, film posters). Through close readings of emblematic works by Nigerian designers and artists—including Lemi Ghariokwu’s album graphics for Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Victor Ekpuk’s Nsibidi-inflected letterforms, and museum/exhibition identities that mobilize indigenous motifs—the article shows how contemporary designers strategically remix historical forms, color logics, and material practices to construct identities for brands, cultural institutions, and civic initiatives. The paper argues that Nigerian graphic design operates as a site of cultural translation where historical knowledge becomes a toolkit for visual differentiation, decolonial narration, and economic value creation. It concludes with implications for design pedagogy in Nigeria, recommending curricula that integrate indigenous visual literacies, material experimentation, and critical histories of technology.