Dreams and Digits

Growing up I spent a lot of time drawing comics and reading all books of all sorts from the library. Science was my favorite subject and Dad often asked me whether I wanted to an artist or a scientist.

Pick one.

Why not both?

At 18, one of those dreams came true with my first gig, which was writing short stories, and a running comic strip for the Nation Sunday papers. But then at around the same time, I stumbled upon a beautiful book on the history of advertising, and I decided then and there that I was going to be a creative director. To that end, I started my Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing at the Catholic University of East Africa. But again, shortly after completing my studies, I stumbled upon a ye-old CD-ROM copy, containing stunning websites and captivating animations built with Macromedia Flash. And I knew instantly—this was it. So I picked up a few books on web design and learnt the craft. I have been living that dream ever since, and it has both art and science.

Along the way I went back to school again. And did my Masters in Interactive Multimedia from the University of Technology, Sydney. It was a buffet of all things digital media, including web development, graphic design, film and video production, computer animation and social studies. For my final paper, I chose to research and write about "viral marketing". This was way back in 2003 before the age of social media and platforms like Facebook and TikTok. It is now an everyday term, as every creator and their dog works to go viral. The idea being that you create content so engaging and compelling, it sells and spreads by itself, as everyone happily shares it everyone else. No advertising spend required. But I digress... where were we?

Yes. During and immediately after my studies I did some casual freelance work, mostly for small businesses. I enjoyed talking to founders about their business, its strengths, challenges and how their website could make it thrive. We would look at competitor sites, see what worked and what did not, and how to beat them. Their tastes shaped the core design ideas. And every website was unique, reflecting the values and uniqueness of that business. It was a kind of branding.

Armed with a brand new degree, the plan was always to seek employment and so I went out and found it working within some big and small Australian companies. Over the next twenty years, gaining valuable experience, working as a very good technical cog within their wheels.Yet, something was always missing. Like I was neglecting a part of myself. The part that can attack a problem from multiple angles, and build a solution from the ground up that meets the business needs, looks good and works great. The artist and the scientist. The one man army.

But that neglected part has had enough. It is time to activate my full potential, while doing great and outstanding work for the small businesses that need it. It is time for Jogola Digital.

At Jogola Digital, we specialize in brand strategy, web design services, and digital marketing strategy to help small businesses grow. Your business deserves a brand that stands out, a website that works as hard as you do, and a marketing strategy that drives real results.

Let’s make it happen. Let’s build something exceptional together.