A Black Woman has transformed her college hobby into a multi-million-dollar design company
Abeshinbioke said that three years ago she was studying graphic design at the Parsons School of Design, and had started freelancing as a way to build out her portfolio. “At first, I did design work for T-shirts and flyers, but then I began constructing sets to display my photography.”
In November 2020, Abeshinbioke transitioned from small-scale installation work to creating her own brand, which was inspired by the meaning of her traditional Yoruba name, “born to treasure.”
Seeking cheap alternatives for the sets that inspired her, Abeshinbioke had to use limited funds and resorted to materials from discount and hardware stores.
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The support of community members and social-media followers facilitated my transition from passion to profession. She said that she gained traction when she began to share more of her work on Instagram and connect with industry peers there, further noting that she would go live to display her building process. is a public speaker
@doseofdots, Dotun Abeshinbioke, is a public speaker.
Abeshinbioke’s posts circulated, and businesses began to hire her for jobs, as well as her friends referring her to other creatives seeking design for projects such as music videos.
”One of my followers directed me to the production studio collaborating with the artist Fabolous. Abeshinbioke shared that he had a song with Davido and Jeremih, and the video shoot was in New York. ”
“They had seen my work and needed a set.” I divided the budget up front, based on the cost of materials and labor, which had been given to me.
After undertaking the project, Abeshinbioke broadened his scope of work to include album covers, events, and brand activations, resulting in increased fees.
She said that as the work progressed, the budgets of set design projects ranged between approximately $5,000 and $10,000.
After connecting with Creative Collective NYC (CCNYC), a networking platform and production agency for creative freelancers to connect with partners, Abeshinbioke experienced an increase in business in 2021. Her building sets for Foot Locker was made possible by this.
Abeshinbioke has designed for the #REELJOLLOF Ghana versus Nigeria basketball game, the Billionaire Boys Club, Pokémon, the New York Yankees, and CCNYC’s 2022 CultureCon event, among other projects.
Abeshinbioke has hired two graphic designers, appointed a project manager, and enlisted contractors and freelancers to assist with branding and web design for their projects.
