Dicky Jr — About

tl;dr A short overview of who I am and what I’m doing

Who

I am a creator, artist and brand strategist. I’m based in Nairobi, Kenya. Currently, I spend my time at ARK leading design strategy for the organisation. I’m also a Skillshare teacher and previously co-founded AfricanStockPhoto.com (2017-2020).

Why

I love design because it allows me to use creativity and strategic thinking to solve real world problems, drive change, and make a positive impact. Whether painting, designing a new product, or a user experience, I focus on creating work that is both useful and delightful.

Huh?

I've been around and experimenting with crypto since 2018. I’d describe myself as a crypto-optimist: I see its potential but acknowledge its flaws and shortcomings.

key skills My top strengths & focus areas

Leadership

10+ years experience guiding multi-disciplinary teams that get results, from product designers and content strategists to researchers and designers.

Design Strategy

I’m deeply curious about people, how things work, and why things are the way they are. That curiosity shapes my approach to design strategy: asking questions, challenging assumptions, and finding connections that lead to a clearer way forward.

Building with AI

I use AI as a creative tool to build products, create imagery and video, and tell stories. I bring design judgment to the process, shaping ideas and refining the results.

career A short timeline of my professional journey

Design Strategy Director

ARK Africa [Aug 2022 - Present]

Simply put, I am in charge of understanding and explaining. Utilising design thinking methodologies and business analysis to solve complex problems and deliver effective design solutions aligned with clients’ needs.

Co-led the rebrand of GBHL to Bulkstream
Co-led the overall strategy for Tuskers brand home
Led development of the Manyatta brand strategy

Senior Art Director

ARK Africa [2019 - 2022]

Led ARK’s creative implementation across projects and partners, shaping and managing ARK’s creative outlook as the lead for a team of designers and storytellers.

Led the Mawingu rebrand end to end

Co-Founder

AfricanStockPhoto.com [2017 - 2020]

Co-founded AfricanStockPhoto, connected African photographers to buyers worldwide. By August 2020, we had ~300 contributors and over 8,000 unique images.