Lodestar for 65
EDITORIAL DESIGN • 3D ART • DIGITAL WORLD BUILDING • ART DIRECTION • VISUAL IDENTITY • PRINT PUBLICATION DESIGN
Created for 65, a publication celebrating Ghana’s 65th Independence anniversary, Lodestar began as a conceptual feature artwork before being selected as the official cover of the book. The piece reimagines national celebration through the lens of feminine futurism, positioning Black womanhood as a symbol of vision, progress, and cultural continuity.
At the center of the composition, a woman reaches toward the Black Star, Ghana’s national emblem and symbolic lodestar. Referencing Kwame Nkrumah’s philosophy of “Forward Ever, Backwards Never,” her pose reinterprets the iconic Nkrumah monument through a feminine lens, transforming the gesture into one of aspiration, guidance, and collective future-building.
Blending surreal botanical worldbuilding with symbolism inspired by Ghanaian history and identity, the artwork explores hope, liberation, and the future of Ghana beyond independence.
In translating Lodestar into the publication cover, every side of the book was treated as part of a continuous visual experience. The back cover reveals the figure from directly behind, as though the viewer has moved around her within the space, further reinforcing the illusion of dimensionality and immersive worldbuilding. The spine extends the environment vertically, allowing the artwork to wrap seamlessly across the publication and transform the book itself into a sculptural object rather than a flat surface.
