From Vision to Execution: How UX/UI Design Sharpened My Creative Direction Skills, Learning UX/UI Made Me a More Intentional Creative Director

From Scouting to Collaboration: Building the StarSinkTribe

From scouting talent to collaboration and teamwork, the creation of StarSinkTribe was another way to connect both resources and audiences across continents. I met each of the artists in a different way some, like Elson Clark and another collaborator, during a seven-day songwriting camp at Afro Afreecanna, and others online through unexpected encounters that naturally evolved into creative partnerships.

What began as individual exchanges grew into a shared vision of sound and storytelling. The process taught me how design thinking the same structure I use in UX/UI applies equally to human connection: aligning creative energy, building trust, and finding flow between different time zones, cultures, and artistic styles.

When I embarked on learning UX/UI, I didn't know it would become such a core pillar in not just building interfaces and apps but in shaping how I lead creative direction, branding, and visual identity for music and art projects such as StarSinkTribe. Over time, the skills, mindset, and structure UX/UI instills have given me a more strategic lens, deeper research rigor, and more consistent execution, far beyond screens.

In this post, I’ll share how that path unfolded, what specific UX/UI principles cross over into brand and music-visual work, and how I apply them in practice. I’ll also suggest images (from my own portfolio) you can embed to show the work visually.

Why UX/UI Education Was a Game-Changer for Me

At first glance, UX/UI might look like “just” designing apps or websites. But behind every good UX course or toolkit is a discipline of:

• user research and empathy

• systems thinking and modular design

• constraints, iteration, and feedback

• information architecture and clarity

• visual consistency (style guides, component libraries)

• prototyping, testing, validation

  
  

What this gives you is a framework and method, not just aesthetics. You learn to ask: Who am I designing for? What problem do I solve? How do I ensure consistency across touchpoints? How do I validate a direction before going full scale?

When I transitioned into more creative direction and branding, I found that many of these same foundations carried over:

1. User / Audience empathyIn UX you’re always thinking about user needs, motivations, journeys. For music and art branding, that means thinking about your audience (fans, listeners, collaborators) how they perceive visuals, what evokes emotion, what storytelling or authenticity resonates.

2. Structure + systems mindsetRather than designing ad hoc, I start building modular assets (color systems, typography, layout modules, iconography) that can be reused across album artworks, social media, websites, merchandise. This consistency brings professionalism.

3. Visual-UI vocabularyUI teaches you how to balance hierarchy, spacing, contrast, readability, micro-interactions, and states (hover, active, disabled). That sharpens your eye for visual polish even in print or non-digital media.

4. Iteration & testingIn UX you prototype, test, get feedback, refine. I carried over that notion to creative direction: mockups, mood boards, stakeholder review, small-scale tests (e.g. share a concept with close fans or collaborators) before going “live.” This reduces wasted effort.

5. Bridging strategy and executionUX/UI is often a bridge between business goals / user needs and the final interface. In creative direction, the same bridge is needed between marketing/branding goals and visual output. That dual fluency is rare, but it gives me more control and clarity over the process.

6. Scalability and consistency across channelsA brand is experienced not just on the website or app, but in social media, video, print, merchandise, VR, etc. UX/UI teaches you to think of all touchpoints and keep continuity. That helps when I create visual identities for music projects that span many media.

   
   

How I Translate UX/UI Skills into My Music & Visual Work (e.g. StarSinkTribe)

One of the biggest challenges I faced while developing StarSinkTribe was bringing together multiple artists working across different locations from Europe to Ghana, and even within Ghana across separate cities. Structurally, this required not only coordination for meetings and recordings, but also a clear system for communication and creative consistency.

Before traveling to Ghana, I designed and released the first EP, ensuring every visual and brand element aligned. The goal was to create a cover design that represented each artist’s individuality while capturing a shared, urban, and global aesthetic.

From the visual identity to the second released song “Out of Your Head” a music video shot between Berlin and Ghanathe creative direction was led by Anna Adonu Reynolds As well as the video Edit. Both the production and art direction were collaboratively executed by StarSinkTribe and myself.

From font choices to video scripts & name Idea, every detail flowed from a structured process rooted in branding, storytelling, and the UX/UI mindset. This foundation makes my work as a writer and visual storyteller more seamless, strategic, and creatively unified.

1. Discovery & Research Phase

• I begin with a creative brief: goals, audience, references, desired emotional tone.

• I run visual research / moodboard sessions (collect references from film, fashion, album art, UI trends).

• I may survey or interview a small group of fans or peers: what visuals move them, what motifs they like or dislike.

• I audit competing or adjacent artists in terms of visual branding to see gaps, what’s overdone, what’s fresh.

• After this I suggested Our First collaborative song should be Gidigidy I Wrote the script & Suggested it to the guys and A group of ppl to test the waters. The Migority Loved it so it was a go I wrote the Chorusses Created the first production & send the files to Soulsink music in Ghana for Further recording of the other members. They completed send the files back we decided on last song arrangement & done.

  
  

This aligns with UX’s “user research + competitive audit” mindset.

2. Defining Brand Pillars & Visual DNA

Based on research, I define the core pillars: e.g. “futuristic & organic,” “celestial energy,” “minimal vs textured contrast,” etc. Then I crystallize the visual DNA:

• primary and secondary color palettes (with usage rules)

• typography rules

• iconographic or pattern language

• imagery style (photography, illustration, abstraction)

• mood / texture overlays

• layout rules (grids, alignment, margins)

This is like a UI design system, but applied to the world of music visuals.

3. Prototyping & Iteration

• I mock up small deliverables first: a cover art concept, a social feed layout, a poster design.

• Then I get feedback (from trusted collaborators or fans). I refine or discard concept variants.

• I may build a little interactive prototype (e.g. simple web teaser page) to see how assets animate or transition.

• I keep versioned files and modular components so changes ripple easily.

4. Execution & Rollout

• Once approved, I roll out the visual assets across needed media: album covers, single art, social templates, merch design, website visuals, visuals for performances or visuals during live shows, etc.

• I ensure consistency: the same core elements appear (colors, logo mark, icon, spacing) so you develop brand memory.

• I monitor reception and can adapt in future cycles (this is akin to UX “post-release feedback & iteration”).

  
  

Why This Approach Delivers “Cleared” Results (Not Just Pretty Designs)

Because of the UX/UI foundation, my approach isn’t just about “making it look cool” it’s about intentional, measurable, strategic design. Some ways it gives me stronger outcomes:

• Reduced rework & wasted effort — when I validate early, fewer changes emerge late in the process.

• Better alignment with goals — visuals aren’t arbitrary; they support brand positioning, messaging, emotion, and audience connection.

• Strong visual consistency — users/fans perceive reliability and professionalism, which builds trust in the brand.

• Scalable system — as new projects, releases, touchpoints emerge, I can reuse or adapt with less friction.

• Faster decision-making — because guidelines and systems already exist, decisions become easier (is this color in palette? Is this layout in the rules?).

• More confidence in risk-taking — when the base is solid, I’m freer to experiment (e.g. bold visual risk) without collapsing the system.

In sum: the UX/UI discipline gives me both freedom and guardrails.