Sherif Apampa’s sensitive design practice tackles “Nigerian culture, boyhood and innocence”

Sherif Apampa is one of those creatives that’s balancing it all. The Abuja-based artist and designer has an expansive practice in the arts and entertainment industry. From his independent studio Our Forever Youth Studio, to his graphic journal Gods Own Country, Sherif’s work documents his homeland of Nigeria, with bold and beautiful image making across mediums. “I have an affinity for image treatments, and my techniques lean towards an analogue feel, which I achieve by hand or with software,” he tells It’s Nice That. “Textures are an important part of my work because they bring a human touch.”

Sherif’s tactile and illustrative approach to graphic design has been influenced heavily by cinema and photography, as well as From Form – the creative studio for design and film that has continuously been a site of inspiration for analogue effects. With a range of disciplines intertwined into his work, Sherif hasn’t subscribed to the label of ‘artist’ or ‘designer’ as of yet, his practice is, however, “governed by the philosophy of using art as an entry point to communicate a message”.

The designer believes that viewers often find a way to connect to his work through its tactile qualities, or, through his subject matter. His portfolio has a sensitive and sustained focus on “Nigerian culture, boyhood and innocence”, he shares. “In one sense, it’s my way of grieving what was lost. In another, I want to give people what I think they need: Nigerians need national pride to fight apathy, and men need to find themselves again.” These themes were explored in Sherif’s recent project Player Club, in which the designer highlighted Nigerian football heroes across history in a series that framed each figure as a player collectible card. The recognition of these players was a response to the removal of history as a stand alone subject in the Nigerian school curriculum up until January this year, that “stripped Nigerians” of positive, influential figures to look back on, Sherif explains, “Player Club is my way of fulfilling this.”