Who the hell is Ennie Fakoya?

We only work with cool people. And we thought it was time to share some of their thoughts with the world, so we’re chatting with members of the DixonBaxi studio about what makes them who they are. Introducing Ennie, a strategic storyteller with a love for animation and crocheting, who’s also one of our interns.

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Who are you and what do you do?
Hello hello! My name is Ennie, and I’m a copywriting intern here at DixonBaxi. I work with words, and how they string together better stories for brands.

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What’s your story?
I’ve been a writer since the wee age of eight-years-young. Fast forward to today, and I’m still very much in the business of writing, both for brands and the fictional universes I come up with myself. I’m a third-culture kid, with roots in Nigeria, Grenada and finally, the UK, where I went to secondary school and sixth form.

I’m on my third gap year, and with no immediate plans of going to university, I’ve been slowly but surely making my way through the creative industry as a “strategic storyteller”. I’ve been freelancing since 2020, from brand design to brand strategy and creative direction. With no real work to show off my shiny new skills in, I had to create and answer my own briefs. Everything I learnt (and unlearnt) was poured into my portfolio, which landed me here at DB.

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What are you working on right now?
Sports. More specifically, the narrative of sports and its place in the lives of people that love it. As a non-sports fan, it’s interesting to pick apart what draws people to it.

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“I think that there are a lot of people that believe design alone is enough to change lives but realistically, the only way you truly cultivate change is by rooting your design in the long haul. Now, if we’re talking about whether design can change our conversations, then 100%. The more you talk, the more people listen, and getting people to listen can take years.”

Describe your working style in 3 words.
Chaotic. Experimental. Holistic.

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Tell us about some of your interests. What are you into?
I’m interested in anything and everything fashion, film, art and design. I think the intersection of all of them together is really fascinating, especially when it’s built off of experimental creativity. I’ve garnered an affinity for crocheting over the past few months. It’s surprisingly very peaceful but also incredibly time consuming. I love anything animated, from Attack on Titan to Scooby Doo. There’s something about 2D characters that have no bearing on my real life that puts me at ease, especially when i’m stressed out.

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Do you think design can change the world? How?
If used properly, yes. I think that there are a lot of people that believe design alone is enough to change lives but realistically, the only way you truly cultivate change is by rooting your design in the long haul. Now, if we’re talking about whether design can change our conversations, then 100%. The more you talk, the more people listen, and getting people to listen can take years.

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If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I don’t know what I would change, actually. I’m sure there’s a lot that needs to be different, but when I think about it, like really think about it, all I know is that I want people to actually be open to change. It’s easy to want change, but that is an act of thousands. People have to be willing to accept it in order for it to become a tangible thing.

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What’s the last song you listened to?
Shinunoga E Wa by Fujii Kaze. The guy probably swallows CD’s for breakfast because his live performances are as beautiful as the songs themselves, if not more.

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Why do you do what you do? What motivates you?
I tell stories because it makes me uneasy, but in a good way. It’s like when you’re excited about something but you’re also incredibly nervous because you want people to share in your passion. Likeness is important to me, and so is the universal nature of storytelling. It motivates me to pull more detail out of the mundane, and the result is always awe-inspiring, no matter how long it takes.

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What’s your definition of good design?
Good design starts a conversation. I feel like if a person sees something that doesn’t pull someone into asking a question then it’s quite useless. Even if it’s a stupid question like ‘why does that T look like a stick man’s body?” More people should ask stupid questions. Stupid questions have more weight to them because there’s no need to convolute the design. It can exist just as is.

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