Edinah is a multifaceted creative with a wild logic

Meet Edinah, a self-described “multidisciplinary artist who co-mingles within various industries of visual communication” based in the UK. We started following each other on Instagram a few years ago and then ended up freelancing at the same agency last year. I instantly fell in love with how she expresses herself through her brand, Wild Logic, with explorative typography, interesting compositions, and bright color palettes. She’s a constant source of inspiration for me and I find myself looking at Edinah’s work often. She works on everything from branding, web design, illustration, product design, typographic work, and more!

As you’ll read from this interview, her instagram moniker @wildlogic truly defines Edinah’s boundless way of thinking and creativity. Read on to see who and what inspires Edinah, her favorite and least favorite typefaces right now, and her career challenges thus far in her career.

Can you start off by introducing yourself and telling me about your background? 

I'm Edinah, the visionary behind Wildlogic. When I started exploring this visual world I had created, I didn't know there was a plethora of artistry that I could immerse myself within. 

From secondary school (high school equivalent), I've always adored and studied fine art, even exploring textiles for a while, alongside very academic classes. Within all that, I'd always known the fashion industry was the route I wanted to take. 

But when I enrolled in university to study Fashion Design specializing in knitwear while also studying marketing and Theology of Art, everything changed.

During my degree, various life situations happened that forced me to consider the path I was on, not recognizing I needed a break. To the point, when I handed in my last ever assignment, I ended up moving to New York for work experience in a completely different industry. 

Returning to the UK, I soon began interning as a stylist at trade shows to London Fashion Week. It was a great learning experience, however, it became extremely draining. Plus it was just not worth it for how much you were paid, and I used to commute too. 

Just imagine living in Long Island and then having to commute into Manhattan for a 40 dollar paycheck for a twelve-hour workday—it was just not worth it.

But everything shifted when I met another stylist, who happened to need help with her branding. In our final year of University, we were tasked to build a brand for our hypothetical labels, I didn't realize at the time, but it was my favorite part of the whole process.

Our connection was a straight-up vibe, and to this day she's my #businessbestie. At the time though, I didn't understand what I was doing that for 4 years we collaborated on so many projects with 0 pay. But looking back, we created transcendent visual worlds without even realizing it.

So, it wasn't until around spring/summer of 2018 that I manifested my first design client, by way of attending the Girlboss Rally in Los Angles. 

Amazing! I think you skipped describing what you do. 

So, in all of that I honestly, am not sure how to describe what I do. For real! For so long, I created with no real definition and at times that would confuse me but within that, the most wondrous experiences were unearthed. While enrolled on a Visual Design blueprint with Skillcrush, I began to realize the world in which I was a part of, but I understood my creative possibilities didn't stop there—it wasn't all-encompassing.

I would say the closest word I can say is that I am a multi-disciplinary artist that's co-mingling within various spaces of design and communication.

Yeah, that makes sense. I typically call myself a graphic designer and illustrator, but then I'm interested in art direction and all these other things. I want to leave it open enough. Sometimes I just say creative, it sort of just depends. But that's so interesting because I was like she didn't say what she does!  I wanted to know where did the name Wildlogic come from? 

While collaborating with my now #businessbestie, spiritual mentor and soul sister from beyond, she always would say, “Wow, your ideas are just so wild. How do you get from here to there?”.

I even remember back to a moment when we were on the phone, with my notes open just casually writing in various wild logic.

It's interesting for me because I've never fully considered my thought process but in these conversations, we'd have or project concepts I'd present, she'd always echo what wild interpretation I have. And it's through that, Wildlogic naturally evolved. When I created my account, @wildlogic, it was both name and pictureless. It was a space of connection, cultivation and colorful expression. However, deciding to claim that space, my confidence in my talent and process grew.

I love that, I think it's such a good name, too, and it describes what you do really well. Growing up, what did you think your career was going to be?

I had no idea. I had dreams of, say, wanting to work within the fashion industry in some way, but every time I used to pilot that thought I could never actualize that reality within in myself... it was challenging to visualize.

Sometimes, I wonder whether it's because I had a very challenging upbringing and moved around so much, with no real place to call home that foreseeing the future wasn't an option and just had to concentrate on the now.

It wasn't until I moved to Canada at the end of 2016 that I was able to mentally journey ahead and see myself beyond the now moment.

Wow! I mean, it takes some people their entire lives to figure out what they want to do. So, that's not even late. 

Where do you draw your inspiration for your work? 

Through words, mostly. When I started by just sharing them on @wildlogic, initially, as I said, it was like a safe haven for my thoughts balanced with creative expression.

I had no idea what I was doing and feel like still don't, but that's the beauty of creative and artistic exploration—the idea of being able to share my thoughts and connect with like-minded individuals through the connection of words.

Whenever I desire to share my most recent typography explorations, I have a note folder with quotes and thoughts. Whether I've said those words, heard elsewhere, or from something I'm reading, I'll write it down there.

I then choose a quote that best highlights or even expresses how I feel in the moment, and then interpret that through design.

Are there any other designers that inspire you when you’re creating a design? Do you go on Pinterest or is it typically just from your head?

Seriously, it'd typically from words of all kinds, I kid you not. That's how most of my creative ideas start.

I'm a visual person being that Pinterest is my favorite place to source. It's literally a visual dictionary that constantly uploading thoughts and ideas.

You could just be inspired by seeing anything and everything—from the corner of a table, the texture of a rug to colors—sometimes palettes come from the strangest things. I just allow that to take control once I have a thought.

There's nothing like it, you will never see the same thing twice if you don't save it. Once, it's gone, it's gone.

I love Pinterest. Pinterest is my life. I think it's interesting that you get your inspiration from words because while I do get inspired by feelings or thoughts, it's more so me visualizing what that would look, is what I get inspired by. I can kind of see it in my head first. It seems like you more so are able to take the words themselves and use that as your inspiration. I think that's really interesting. 

Yeah, thank you. You're so welcome!

I was going to ask, how did you develop your style? And now I feel like you're going to say I don't feel like I have developed my style, but you cannot say that! 

Since our first conversation, I've been able to see more of what makes me unique and that have been able to embrace the voice that I have.

When I look at past creations, I can see the journey of my final pieces from initial inspirations. For me, typography is a huge form of inspiration, from the designers behind the ligatures to the words that they type. I find type to be an expressive world that I could font shop all day.

But overall, my style is constantly evolving, and the more that I've come to accept that I love color, the easier it is for me to explore. Seriously, when I was in younger I used to wear all black every day, so admitting the appreciation for color is a new thing!

So you have a very unique approach to typography and I was wondering where does that sense of exploration come from and is there a certain way that you approach typography when you're creating a piece?

It comes down to what I'm trying to exude. For example, take the quote

"Do not fear failure, but please be terrified of regret" I consider, how does that make me feel? How would that look in my mind? Then I play around with that kind of feeling and thought, seeing what that could be represented as in the mind. Because to me, our minds are endless places where things can take form in a matter of seconds.

How do you choose typography? What is it that you look for in type? 

It's hard to answer because the varies from concept to project, but most importantly the overall vision. 

I must say, my go-to of typeface ever is a bold Druk Wide Super. However, I love all type from majestic looking serifs like Bluu Next to rounded, fun type like Poppins, there's no limit.

Pick a favorite typeface.

My favorite typeface right now is Panama, especially in uppercase. It's a condensed slightly thin typeface with serif features. For a serif, I just think it's so quirky. Currently, it's used in my branding and just love pairing it with bold sans-serifs.

Least favorite or a typeface that you think is overused, if you don't have a least favorite. 

I don't dislike or hate this type, per se, but feel Futura is so overused that it loses its appeal. It's a beautifully designed sans-serif, but you can see it straight away. It's not a bad font by any means, I just see a lot.

Yeah. It's definitely overhyped and we just need to lay it rest for a while. 

It's one of those things that's like, there are other great sans serif options that can offer similar silhouettes, that are playful. Yes, it's a great go-to, but we can have more fun.

 If 2020 were a font, what would it be and why? 

I would say Druk Wide or something else that's heavy, bold, and wide. It could even be Termina, Superwide. The reason why I choose this heavy demanding type, is because that's what this year has been. 

Direct and draining yet bold and in your face. Once you see it you'll remember it. I hear the term that 2020 is a write-off, but by no means is it. This year will not only be recorded in many historical events but be forever etched in the minds of all who have lived to experience the high and low energy that this year continues to expose us to.

Society has been pushed to the greatest depths. There's an abundance of experiences that have happened in just a short amount of time that continue to challenge our very human existence.

This year has made a mark, and I believe we should do the same. We could make history in more than what's being delivered to us.

Is there a lesson that you have learned personally this year? 

100%—I have a close relationship with imposter syndrome, sometimes we're besties. But for the first time in a long time, I felt that relationship drift off as I continue to breathe new life into what I desire to create.

This year, I've been able to cultivate honest connections, including you, with creators and creatives from various industries. I've found myself able to break down many internal barriers and heal from experiences I didn't know were controlling me and continually, merge my two worlds together internally, reflectively, externally. That's one of my biggest lessons.

And I'm very blessed for the fact that I'm able to continue to learn from this.

That's something that I appreciate as well, being able to continue to expand my skills and my knowledge and not just be like, OK, I'm out of college, I'm done. There's so much more to learn. 

I think that the way that an artist uses color says a lot about them. So where do you draw your color palettes from? I know they're very bright, bold, and expressive. 

In the beginning, pairing colors was a challenge and I used to overthink so much. But by way of @girlboss I discovered @subliming.jpg and those thoughts began to dissipate. 

Scrolling through her explorations, pairings and usage... I was in awe. They're inventive and exude a 70s aura with a modern twist and that was inspiring to me. 

Seeing this, I began to question why I thought so much on color selections and just didn't allow my mind to just create, it's a disservice to process to not continue to see what comes together.

I also really love @solacilike and @jadepurplebrown’s use of color. They're very expressive and explorative.

I definitely can see there's a lot of playfulness in your work from the color, the type, the compositions, you can tell that you don't really confine yourself to any one way of thinking or one set style, which I think is really amazing. 

What's one of the biggest challenges you've faced navigating this career path? 

Outside of self-trust—because I feel that's a challenge regardless of what industry you're in—is being OK with saying no.

I've been working hard to become comfortable saying no and changing the narrative to saying yes to my intentions and what aligns with my desires, which has recently caused me to reflect on what my deep passions are.

You see, hearing the news of Chadwick Boseman passing caused me to question so much around my intentions. Especially, when looking at the transformative body of work he had been apart of since learning about what his body was fighting.

When you just look at how intentional his projects were, it's not only incredibly empowering because maybe he knew there was an end date—not to get morbid—but also he made sure that what art he was able to make had value and impact. That's how deep he thought.

So I've begun to question, am I intending to create or intending to be creative? This quote came to me as I was sleeping, "Do we live life or does life live us?"  That was a big message of alignment that requires more self-exploration and questioning to understand. But I trust that it will uncover something greater on the other side.

So true, everything you do has to be with intention. Like you said, the fact that he knew he was going to be passing on. He had to leave a legacy. You get to define what that's going to be and you get to decide what's going to exist after you're not here anymore. 

I believe these thoughts are nudges for me to pay attention to.

What are some messages that you invoke in your work? 

Something I embody on any project is the desire to create artwork or designs alike that are visually empowering.

As human beings, we're social, visual beings of love and light... like we're not robots. We have great days and challenging moments and within all that, when someone sees something I've created, I hope that I've been able to give them a positive impact of some kind.

You want to be empowering and inspiring. Is there a specific audience that you try to talk to that you target or is it just anyone who likes your work?

Not really because I feel all different kinds of people from various backgrounds and industries are drawn towards my artwork and designs.

However, after recording a video with SkillCrush early last year in regards to my visual design journey since graduating from their blueprint, I've noticed that there's a whole other world of people who felt like how I did back then... that by connecting with them, we've co-created another community.

I think that a lot of creatives, we've had to carve out lanes for ourselves where we didn't see ourselves represented. I try to be specific about who I'm talking to because I think your intentions are important. So I typically say I'm trying to speak to black women, women of color and like the LGBTQ community, because those are communities that I'm a part of. I know that growing up like I didn't see myself represented, so I know that that's my motivation. I totally understand yours is like, look, I'm speaking to the people who they wouldn't see themselves represented or they feel like out of place and they need a place to fit in. I love that. I think that's amazing.

What would you say to up and coming creatives now?

Your voice matters, number one. What you have to say matters, and even if you compare yourself to others, no one is you, and that's your magic... your creative essence, if you will. 

Even if you see yourself in someone else, what you then decide to create, another will see themselves in you—and so on and so on.

So, if you choose not to create out of fear or of out of a negative response to something that you see, then you're doing a disservice to not only who you are, but who you could impact.

To me, creativity is boundless. For example, when we both attended the Make it With Illustrator on iPad event, we all had the same brief. However, all 50 of us interpreted the concept completely different. That is exactly what it is to be creative and have artistic expression.

There's no definition to it.

And that's something I wish I believed more in the beginning. 

Do you think that anything has changed in your work or in yourself over the past couple of months with the pandemic and then worldwide protests and whatever craziness is going on in the UK? 

Yes, I believe the meaning of social justice has shifted for a lot of people.

For me, before life as we know it existed I would echo needing to make a socially positive impact throughout all I do. And although that still remains true, it doesn't have the same meaning as it once did.

The more I explore this creative journey, I realize more and more how our emotions are rooted in what we say, do... how we act and what we create, and I think that notion flows both ways. I would definitely say I'm an emotive and intuitive designer as well. I can't just do something with no meaning, but because of the last few months and seeing the world with the veil lifted, that meaning has changed.

I can relate. I say no to a lot of projects and it's not about the monetary value. Most of the time. It's just because it just doesn't align with the type of work that I want to do. I am getting to a certain point where I do need a certain budget because I have to survive, but at the same time, I'm not just going to take any project, you know. You have to draw the line somewhere and you have to know what those lines are. 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In interviews, this question was always so challenging. But the more I understand who I am, I realize that answering this question of the future doesn't have to equate to material manifestation, instead can be rooted in how I hope to feel and what I hope to succeed at. 

So, I want to continue exploring what that means for me. It's not that design will slow down design or anything like that, but I definitely feel that there willl be certain things I won't do any more.

If there is a need that you have from anybody that's reading this, what would it be? So whether that a specific type of job, whether that's a company, whether that's like I want to work in this industry, is there anything that you haven't done yet that you want to do? 

The entertainment industry, I don't know whether it's the music industry or the movie industry. I am obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I love comics and gaming. Literally, I have 3 generations and I'll probably get the next one too.

So, being able to work on projects in those worlds and industries would be a blissful dream.

So Marvel hit her up.

YASS! And Disney!

I'm a firm believer in speaking things into existence and asking for what it is that you want. So that's why I ask that question because you never know whose path you could come across, who's like, oh, I didn't even know she liked games.