Fast forward to the present day, and African design is in the midst of a dynamic renaissance. All across the continent – from Accra’s bustling creative tech hubs to Nairobi’s maker spaces and Lagos’ design studios, a new generation of designers are redefining what it means to create in an African context. These new crop of creatives are merging the past and present, drawing on cultural heritage even as they master modern tools and address modern problems. African design today spans everything from graphic design and product innovation to architecture, type design, digital UX/UI, and social impact design. It’s an exciting time, but it also comes with critical challenges and opportunities.

One major conversation in the present is the decolonization of design – essentially, unlearning the notion that “good design” is synonymous with Western design, and instead centering African perspectives, needs, and narratives. Yaw Ofosu-Asare’s work (in both his writing and practice) highlights this effort. He notes that traditionally, design education in Africa has been dominated by Eurocentric perspectives that overlook indigenous and non-Western styles. This dominance has limited the scope of design’s relevance, both locally and globally. In response, educators and practitioners are pushing to revise curricula and design practice to include indigenous knowledge, local histories, and diverse cultural expressions. This also applies to self-taught designers. Ease of access to adequate resources can also help reduce Western reference and

content. By broadening what is taught and valued – for example, teaching Adinkra symbology alongside Bauhaus principles, or incorporating African philosophies of aesthetics and ergonomics – the aim is to produce designers who are confident in their own cultural capital. According to Ofosu-Asare’s book Decolonizing Design in Africa, integrating indigenous knowledge and cultural practices into contemporary design education is vital for a more inclusive, contextually relevant, and globally resonant African design practice. We also need to document more to make this information available. In short, Africa’s designers are reclaiming their agency in the present, ensuring that being a designer in Africa means being rooted in Africa, not in somebody else’s paradigm.

The relevance of this shift can be seen in the current cultural and creative context. Many African countries are experiencing a cultural revival – a pride in local languages, crafts, and traditions – and the design field is both benefiting from and contributing to this zeitgeist. In Ghana, for example, there’s continuous appreciation for ethnic symbols like the use of Adinkra in branding and interior design; in Kenya and Tanzania, designers incorporate Swahili or Maasai elements into modern graphics; in Nigeria, type designers are reimagining typography in the African context. By infusing local identity into modern design, creatives make their work resonate more with local audiences and stand out globally. Indeed, global brands and institutions have started noticing the “African design aesthetic” – vibrant, bold, story-rich – and are collaborating with African creatives now more than ever.

Yet, the present is not without its hurdles. African design remains underrepresented on the world stage by certain metrics. For instance, recent world design rankings show very few African countries in top positions – with only South Africa and Egypt making modest showings in global design award rankings, and the rest of the continent scarcely visible. It is no surprise that countries like China, Japan are at the top of these lists even though one may also argue it’s because of their numbers. This is precisely why the decolonization movement and the theme of dEX 2025 are so relevant: now is the time to reclaim our creative direction, to value homegrown design languages as equal to any other, and to bolster the confidence of African designers in their unique perspectives.

Encouragingly, numerous initiatives and communities are helping to redefine the present design landscape. Conferences like dEX Design Conference in Accra (and others across the continent) are bringing designers together to share knowledge and celebrate African achievements. Online platforms like Simon Charwey’s type design community and journals are emerging that document African case studies and design research. More importantly, African designers are sharing their work. There is a conscious effort to challenge the dominant narrative and center the needs of African communities in design solutions – for example, focusing on designs that solve local problems in sustainable ways rather than just importing foreign solutions. New models of design education are being piloted which promote social and environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, and community empowerment. This means that a design student in Africa today might learn how to incorporate indigenous ecological knowledge into architecture, or how to use local proverbs as inspiration for communication design – truly context-aware creativity.

The present is thus a pivotal balancing act: African designers are honoring cultural heritage while engaging with global contemporary design. They are building an industry that reflects African values and meets world-class standards. In doing so, they are shaping today’s industry in Africa and preparing the groundwork for what comes next . And what comes next – the near future – will be heavily influenced by technology, especially artificial intelligence.