Once upon a time, there was a black knight…
But let’s be serious for 2 minutes! The story actually begins in April 2015 when I met Jesse. I discovered a young man full of energy and overflowing with projects. He was promoting his first book, “The WHAT, WHY and HOW of Charity.” It seemed like this guy wanted to change the world all by himself. And the most incredible part is that he firmly believes in it. But he knows there will be others, and he wants to bring them together under an inspiring label. He understands the power of writing, and beyond what will be built, he knows that it’s the words that will remain as Legacy, to use the right term. Around a drink, very late on that Sunday night, I religiously listen to the vision of young Jesse Happy. He was already making scenes and giving talks at that time. Very present in the meetings of young Cameroonian entrepreneurs, expatriates, and other spaces that mix the African diaspora and the dynamic youth. In his flow of ideas, his need is clearly identified.
A brand to build around publishing
He then proposes to me to build a branding around this vision. This young man who firmly believes in the development of his continent (Africa, yes!) and wants to speak, write, motivate, inspire, and touch a generation. It’s a project that speaks to him particularly. And he is so passionate about it that I agree without hesitation. He tells his vision very well. And that’s probably the key. His art of storytelling.
I now have to start a visual identity project around publishing. A signature: Mr. Africa. It will now be the cornerstone for the publication of writings to inspire a new generation of Africans. The brief is simple: it has to be original… and African.
It sounds simple like that, but keep in mind that the client is Jesse Happy. At the time, he told me, “I don’t just want a graphic designer’s job. I want a specialist who can understand my vision and translate it into something simple, strong, and timeless.”
At that moment, it’s not just a creative job; it’s a personal challenge he subtly throws at me. While on the surface, he said we just needed a nice logo, every little comment he made hinted that he saw much more than that. There was something in the air whispering that we would go much further than books.
Building the Mr. Africa logo
It’s the practical moment. To start a good logo, there are simple steps to follow. After doing the traditional benchmark, you define your three construction axes, which generally revolve around the What, How, or Why of the brand you’re trying to build. After this exercise, you start sketching, which I also recommend doing in different styles, having previously looked at what is common in the industry and what is easy to adapt (not like the Total Energie logo).
But for Mr. Africa, I stuck with the Why? And I wondered why Mr. Africa.
From what I understood, I had to outline the contours of a new Africa, based on what we have, what we can, and what we are. And that’s what I did. Drawing the contours of a new Africa, with what we have, the land, what we can, manual labor, and what we are, sentimental people. A fly swatter dipped in the potopoto, imperfect handwriting but with a confident stroke. And there’s Mr. Africa.
An iconic version is designed for the back of the books, but it will also serve as a favicon for the web. Yes, I am convinced that Mr. Africa will not just be books gathering dust on shelves. The ‘r’ in Mister as Africa is anecdotal at this level of competition.
Being original and African is the basis of the brief. The other expected qualities of the Mr. Africa logo: simple, strong, and timeless. To appreciate them, there is no better judge than… Mr. Africa.
The Impact of Jesse Happy/Mr. Africa
In general, I develop branding that gives reach and consistency to the product at the heart of the project. The scam of the century is when the product is the one that provides all the reach and consistency of its branding. It’s rare enough to be noted in an environment where many people rely on design to save the life cycle of a generally mediocre or even poor product. And I can assure you it works. In Jesse Happy’s case, I wanted to sell his books, but in the end, I sold… Jesse Happy.
Books, conferences, seminars, team building… Mr. Africa is on all stages, on all platforms, on all continents. Protean, he becomes Mr. Speaker, Mr. Corolearner, and even Mr. CEO when needed.
Mr. Africa, this case study, ultimately teaches us a simple lesson: the quality of design and visual identity is not enough to make a personal branding project successful. The vision, the quality of your communication, and the organization of the actions and achievements for which you want to be recognized will do about 60% of the job.
What was originally a well-crafted storytelling for a publishing brand has become, over the successes of Jesse Happy Carlton, a successful personal brand. He has turned Mr. Africa – Words of the Future into what I would define here as a Way of the Future. An inspiring path to build Africa. Because that’s what we should ultimately remember from the approximate forms of this Africa. We have a continent to build.
