On Saturday, October 4, 2025, Regal Hall in Ikeja pulsed with colour, energy, and conversation as designers, creatives, and technologists from all over gathered for the Untitled Designers Conference 2025 (UDC2025). With the theme “Creative Possibilities: Designing Africa’s Future with Intelligence,” the event captured a generation determined to fuse creativity, culture, and technology into a single force for innovation across the continent.
Organised by the Untitled team, UDC2025 was a celebration of Africa’s creative power and a reminder that design and intelligence are not abstract ideas. Instead, they are the building blocks of the continent’s next creative economy.
A Day of Insight and Imagination
The event opened with Dára Sobaloju, Product Design Lead at Treepz, delivering a keynote titled “Will AI Take Your Job?” a question that has dominated creative circles for months. He argued that artificial intelligence will not erase designers but elevate them. “Yes, AI will take your jobs, but not in the way you think,” he said. His session struck the perfect balance between inspiration and practicality, encouraging designers to evolve rather than resist.
Afterwards, Linda Ojo Taiwo, a revered iconographer, lit up the room with a heartfelt talk on authenticity. “Authenticity is your superpower,” she told the audience. “The greatest designers are vulnerable.” Her passionate plea for African designers to weave cultural truth into their craft reminded everyone that originality begins with identity.
Later in the day, Joyce Eboh took the stage to unpack how AI is reshaping Nigerian fintech and what this means for designers building the next generation of banking experiences. Drawing from global case studies and local realities, she explored how design can bridge the gap between innovation, compliance, and user trust—while positioning Nigerian products to compete globally. She ended her session with a forward-looking challenge to fintech founders and designers: to start exploring Model Context Protocols (MCPs) as a way to train and condition their systems to adapt to new CBN regulations and policies, rather than rebuilding frameworks from scratch.
Panels that Stirred the Creative Mind
The first panel, “Beyond Boundaries: Unlocking Creative Possibilities Across Design, Tech, and Visual Storytelling,” featured John Dada, Anthony Azekwoh, and Uncle Aise, with Deborah Dada (Big Debs) moderating. The conversation flowed between creativity, experimentation, and culture. John spoke about the discipline of iteration and detail. Meanwhile, Anthony discussed the courage to experiment and tell stories that provoke emotion. Aise, founder of Sippy, reflected on the importance of community and simplicity, the ability to translate complex ideas into intuitive products.
Later in the day, Orezi Mena and Murphy Usifo took the stage for one of the most practical sessions of the conference. They focused on career growth and financial leverage. Murphy’s now-viral line, “The best designers don’t always win. The best known designers win,” drew thunderous applause. Together, they unpacked how visibility, negotiation, and consistency can multiply creative income and influence.
Expanding the Conversation
The programme also featured a mix of technical and creative sessions that added new layers to the day’s discussions. Cowrywise designers Obasola Akintola and Dara Fakoya delivered a lively co-talk titled “Beyond Aesthetics: A Case Study of a Brand Design Team, Their Laptop and a Dream.” Their session offered a glimpse into the challenges and victories of building a design culture within a fast-moving fintech.
Soon after, Chukwu Adaeze Victoria, Brand Designer and Strategist, hosted “Adaeze Weds AI: AI x Branding x Design.” It was the conference’s first technical AI workshop and explored how designers can collaborate with intelligent tools without losing their creative voice. Dennis Emeruwa followed with “AI + Design: Opening New Creative Horizons,” urging attendees to rethink what is possible when technology meets imagination.
In addition, speakers such as Osa-Ogbeide David The X Effect, Ìbùkún Adelekan of FairMoney, Nkeiruka Ifeonu of Celedom Corp, and Rukayat Yaro, founder of The DWR Community, added their own insights to the growing dialogue about creativity, culture, and innovation.
Interactive Energy and Moments that Mattered
Beyond the conversations, the conference offered moments of fun and connection. Exhibitor Mastermind CC elevated the experience by offering free headshots to the first 100 attendees, alongside a demo of their content creation and gear rental services. It was a thoughtful reminder that access to professional resources remains a game changer for many Lagos creatives.
Then came the viral moment of the day, a playful Trackpad vs Mouse showdown during the lunch break. Two teams of designers were given 30 minutes to design under pressure, and Team Trackpad clinched the ₦500,000 prize. The friendly competition injected humour and adrenaline into the afternoon, blending learning with pure fun.
A Vibrant Community in Motion
By noon, every seat in Regal Hall was filled. Students, agency designers, freelancers, and founders mingled effortlessly. The atmosphere was electric yet relaxed, filled with spontaneous collaborations and shared discoveries. Between sessions, groups huddled to discuss projects, exchange contacts, and debate new tools. It was networking at its most organic. This proved that Lagos remains one of the most vibrant creative cities in the world.
The Undercurrent of Authenticity
Every major voice at UDC2025 returned to a central idea: Africa’s creative future depends on its authenticity. In a world of templates and algorithms, identity is the last frontier. It is not imitation but introspection that will define the next wave of African design.
The Untitled Designers Conference 2025 did not just showcase creativity. It solidified Lagos’ role as the heartbeat of African design thinking. It was a gathering that balanced ambition with community and reminded everyone that the future of creativity will be intelligent, inclusive, and unmistakably African.
