I’m HAM, a London based designer, strategist and visual storyteller working across culture, brands and community.

I’m half Namibian and half British, and I spent my early years moving across southern and eastern Africa before settling in the UK. Growing up between different places and ways of life taught me to listen closely, stay curious and see things from more than one angle. That layered upbringing runs through everything I make. Afrofuturism and diasporic heritage sit at the heart of my work, not as a look, but as a belief in people, possibility and shared futures.

Before focusing fully on my practice, I completed a BA (Hons) in Architecture at Newcastle University, which deeply shaped how I think about space, systems and problem solving. I also spent several years working across music and events, from record labels to street teams and live campaigns, doing what I needed to do to support myself while building the work I cared about. That mix of structure, culture and real-world experience still informs how I approach every project today.

Over the past 10+ years I’ve had the chance to work with over 60 brands including Nike, Sony Music, Warner, Adidas and the Royal Opera House. I’m often brought in for a specific output, but my role usually grows into helping shape clarity, direction and identity beyond the original brief. I feel genuinely grateful for those opportunities. They came through a lot of failures, patience, hard work and learning as I went.

Along the way, the work has been recognised with awards including the Immersive Opera Award, the British Council’s New Narratives Award, and a place in the BIMA 100 top creatives and designers in the UK.

Despite the name, HAM the Illustrator isn’t just about illustration. For me, illustration is a way of thinking and communicating. It’s storytelling, world-building, and using whatever tools are needed to help ideas land in ways words alone often can’t. That way of thinking is why the practice blends design, illustration, creative direction, branding and strategy. Real ideas are layered and human, and I believe the work should reflect that.

At the end of the day, what drives me most is people. As a neurodiverse immigrant in Britain, I had to figure much of this industry out on my own, and I know how isolating that can feel. Community, generosity and access matter deeply to me. Through my work, workshops and mentoring, I try to share what I’ve learned and support others where I can.

My hope is simple. To make work that feels honest and culturally rooted, to collaborate with care and intention, and to leave the door wider open for those coming up next.

PRESS