Will anyone fight for an award if it weren’t worth the fight? This year’s VGMA awards have clearly revealed the value and prestige associated with it.
Have you wondered how such a prestigious award comes to life? Well, it definitely begins from the ‘blackboard”.
May I introduce the creative mind behind this year’s masterpiece. The 2019 VGMA award was designed by Nobert Fosu, a Communication Design graduate student from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He completed in 2009-2013.
He’s the current CEO of Visual Dummy GH, a firm that deals in video editing, animation and directing and web designing as well. He was known to be one of the best animation students during his time at KNUST.
Norbert, a creative genius, is also believed to be the brain behind Kidi’s Sugar album cover art. His design was declared the best out of many artworks by other designers who participated in the competition and was awarded a whopping sum of GH¢5,000 as a reward for his creativity as can be seen in a post by Kidi on his Instagram page.
Norbert believes the future is bright. He believes that in a developing country like Ghana, there is so much untapped potential, particularly in employment opportunities for the youth.
“There are many talented young people that end up in mundane professions because they do not have the opportunity to nurture their talents. Helping young people grow creatively is a passion of mine,” he stated.
Making of #VGMA20 plaque
Norbert hopes to have his own creative studio. Create a space where young artists can grow creatively, join the digital market, and be employed. His aim, he said, “is to become instrumental in the advancement of the visual arts industry, and he believes that this is very possible to achieve.”
Norbert’s passion in the development of the creative industry and creative minds also led him to set up a non-profit art programme FRNDS Foundation, which seeks to empower children in underprivileged communities/families with creative skills. Nobert hopes that through this foundation, disadvantaged children with creative skills and knowledge will be self-sufficient in the years to come. The foundation he said, “will help children with the right mentorship opportunities in their areas of interest, particularly screen printing, beadmaking, graphic designing, picture making, textile printing, among others.”
He hopes to gather enough resources to make this dream a reality.
Currently, Ankofrah Jewelry, a company that deals in exquisite beaded jewelry, has volunteered to help train underprivileged children in the art of bead making and jewelry designs to support the foundation.
By Louisa Twum-Baah