Kpotongo

(cup-tounge-go)

KPOTONGO

Derived from the Yoruba culture, Kpotongo is a word used to describe the abundant and fullness of hair. Kpotongo is a project created to celebrate and acknowledge textured hair and the history of how hair is used through history in different cultures. For this project, I designed and curated the imagery and layouts using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.

KPOTONGO TALKS

I wanted to incorporate more personalized videos of people speaking about their own experiences with their hair alongside submitted hair stories in the 'Kpotongo' book.

I find it important to have both written and visual stories because reading and listening to others speaking about an intimate part of their lives is an important part to their journey.

I asked black women to talk about their hair journey because I know the importance of doing your hair and the process of getting it done is different for everyone and I wanted to show that in this interview I conducted, edited and shot.

KPOTONGO BOOK SPREADS

For these spreads, I sent out a survey asking others to talk about their experiences having textured hair and how it shaped their lives growing up. The called out text here in magenta states: "being in school and wondering why my hair didn't look like everyone else's and I felt like something was wrong with me."

With these spreads, I wanted to interact the words with the images and have it mimic curls by using different weights and colors. For this spread the called out quote states: "There was a concept that taught me that my curly hair was not pretty enough, but it can be if I take care of it."

This spread showcases a fact that I wasn't aware of about Native American culture and their use of mohawks. This finding influenced me more to create more imagery and do more research on how hair has been an influence on the lives of people and their culture.

This spread showcases how the people in Oaxaca, MX have been using their hair as a lifestyle throughout history.

This spread showcases how cornrows were used as a from of survival for enslaved africans during slavery. Now, we use them as a hairstyle by using multiple parts and patterns that trace back to ancestors.

This opening layout displays artwork that i designed and wanted to incorporate in my book as a way to play on mens hairstyles that i've seen my brothers had growing up.

Using more of the curved text, I wanted to keep the text interactive and playful as I feel hair can be at times.

INSTAGRAM

As a final deliverable, I wanted to make Kpotongo and my designs accessible to everyone through social media. By utilizing social media, I was able to reach a larger audience and make the brand more recognizable.

Project Elements

Below is a series of additional elements used as deliverables for the Kpotongo brand. Majority of these elements were used in the Instagram and some images from the Kptongo book that expands who Kptongo is and expand on people's personal stories on their hair.