Money should just work.
SurgePay was built for global Africans earning in foreign currencies, supporting family back home, and moving money without borders.
Inspired by the enigmatic allure of ravens and the sharp precision of technology, this project explores the balance between dark, sleek visuals and user-centric design.
Problem
Nigeria's fintech market is crowded with brands that look like each other navy blues, generic lightning bolt marks, and headlines about speed. SurgePay needed to break from that visual language entirely and signal something more complete: not just a payments app, but a full financial infrastructure for how Africans actually move money globally.
Our Approach
The strategic foundation was a single promise "money should just work" and we built the entire identity around what that feels like in motion. Not the absence of friction, but the presence of precision. We called it engineered energy.
The Kinetic S came from that idea directly. Rather than reach for the obvious fintech tropes lightning bolts, upward arrows, globe marks. We looked at what speed and structure actually look like in geometry. The result is a symbol with an aerodynamic slant and stepped cuts that suggest both velocity and structural integrity.
Schibsted Grotesk handles typography globally readable and professional. The color system presents Electric Indigo for authority and a neon accent for forward momentum, then expands into a secondary range that gives the brand flexibility across every touchpoint without losing coherence.
The 3D asset library and illustration system were built to the same standard: every object the stablecoin coins, piggy banks, checkmarks, umbrellas carries the brand's geometric logic. Dimensional where it needs depth, illustrated where it needs warmth. The motion system, built in Cavalry and aftereffects, traces back to the Kinetic S: the same tension, the same release, animated.
Concept
The Outcome
The brand launched alongside SurgePay's live rollout across West and East Africa. Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Uganda, with additional support in Botswana and South Africa. Shortly after launch, the rebrand was covered by TechCabal and Zikoko.
SurgePay subsequently received a Stellar Community Fund award the identity held up under the scrutiny that comes with that kind of recognition. That's the real test.
Concept
Creative Direction & Brand Identity: Osunleke Samuel, Brand Design: Osunleke Samuel, John Chuka, 3D Design & Animation: Emmanuel Asibe, Motion & Sound Design: Osunleke Samuel
More Works
(GQ® — 02)
©2026
Money should just work.
SurgePay was built for global Africans earning in foreign currencies, supporting family back home, and moving money without borders.
Problem
Nigeria's fintech market is crowded with brands that look like each other navy blues, generic lightning bolt marks, and headlines about speed. SurgePay needed to break from that visual language entirely and signal something more complete: not just a payments app, but a full financial infrastructure for how Africans actually move money globally.
Our Approach
The strategic foundation was a single promise "money should just work" and we built the entire identity around what that feels like in motion. Not the absence of friction, but the presence of precision. We called it engineered energy.
The Kinetic S came from that idea directly. Rather than reach for the obvious fintech tropes lightning bolts, upward arrows, globe marks. We looked at what speed and structure actually look like in geometry. The result is a symbol with an aerodynamic slant and stepped cuts that suggest both velocity and structural integrity.
Schibsted Grotesk handles typography globally readable and professional. The color system presents Electric Indigo for authority and a neon accent for forward momentum, then expands into a secondary range that gives the brand flexibility across every touchpoint without losing coherence.
The 3D asset library and illustration system were built to the same standard: every object the stablecoin coins, piggy banks, checkmarks, umbrellas carries the brand's geometric logic. Dimensional where it needs depth, illustrated where it needs warmth. The motion system, built in Cavalry and aftereffects, traces back to the Kinetic S: the same tension, the same release, animated.
Concept
The Outcome
The brand launched alongside SurgePay's live rollout across West and East Africa. Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Uganda, with additional support in Botswana and South Africa. Shortly after launch, the rebrand was covered by TechCabal and Zikoko.
SurgePay subsequently received a Stellar Community Fund award the identity held up under the scrutiny that comes with that kind of recognition. That's the real test.
Concept
Creative Direction & Brand Identity: Osunleke Samuel, Brand Design: Osunleke Samuel, John Chuka, 3D Design & Animation: Emmanuel Asibe, Motion & Sound Design: Osunleke Samuel
More Works
(GQ® — 02)
©2026
Money should just work.
SurgePay was built for global Africans earning in foreign currencies, supporting family back home, and moving money without borders.
Problem
Nigeria's fintech market is crowded with brands that look like each other navy blues, generic lightning bolt marks, and headlines about speed. SurgePay needed to break from that visual language entirely and signal something more complete: not just a payments app, but a full financial infrastructure for how Africans actually move money globally.
Our Approach
The strategic foundation was a single promise "money should just work" and we built the entire identity around what that feels like in motion. Not the absence of friction, but the presence of precision. We called it engineered energy.
The Kinetic S came from that idea directly. Rather than reach for the obvious fintech tropes lightning bolts, upward arrows, globe marks. We looked at what speed and structure actually look like in geometry. The result is a symbol with an aerodynamic slant and stepped cuts that suggest both velocity and structural integrity.
Schibsted Grotesk handles typography globally readable and professional. The color system presents Electric Indigo for authority and a neon accent for forward momentum, then expands into a secondary range that gives the brand flexibility across every touchpoint without losing coherence.
The 3D asset library and illustration system were built to the same standard: every object the stablecoin coins, piggy banks, checkmarks, umbrellas carries the brand's geometric logic. Dimensional where it needs depth, illustrated where it needs warmth. The motion system, built in Cavalry and aftereffects, traces back to the Kinetic S: the same tension, the same release, animated.
Concept
The Outcome
The brand launched alongside SurgePay's live rollout across West and East Africa. Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Uganda, with additional support in Botswana and South Africa. Shortly after launch, the rebrand was covered by TechCabal and Zikoko.
SurgePay subsequently received a Stellar Community Fund award the identity held up under the scrutiny that comes with that kind of recognition. That's the real test.
Concept
Creative Direction & Brand Identity: Osunleke Samuel, Brand Design: Osunleke Samuel, John Chuka, 3D Design & Animation: Emmanuel Asibe, Motion & Sound Design: Osunleke Samuel
More Works
©2026