Tobi Oyadiran, Product Designer II

I’m a designer because of my love for art, which stems from a young age. Drawing was one of my favourite pastimes as a kid, I'd spend countless hours sketching at home and in school (I did a few detentions and sketched in those too).

If you’d asked the kid version of me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would’ve definitely told you “teddy bear surgeon”. If you’d asked me to be serious, I’d tell you “someone who designs things”.

Looking back, I guess I wasn’t far off.

I work to create more opportunities for artists to make money from their work on Spotify.

It would probably have to be my younger brother as he’s also a designer. Growing up we were exposed to A LOT of cartoons and comics so we naturally shared similar interests and pursued similar careers, but oddly enough, as we got older, our conversations haven’t really revolved around design or collaborating. If we were to work together, however, I bet it’d be something around illustration and print. Watch this space? What’s up, Stephen ;)

I’ve recently got hooked on the “tell me what you’re wearing” trend. If I had to pinpoint why, I'd say getting an insight to how others express themselves through what they wear is something that I find interesting, there’s always some sort of story, a brand someone is supporting or just an outright flex involved.

“Don’t fall in love with your design.”

Fall in love with the problem, iterations and people who need what you design.

Location: Ivar Los Park, Stockholm

Soundtrack: Mutual Butterflies - Ryan Trey 

There’s a place located along Monteliusvägen (a scenic area in Stockholm) called Ivar Los Park. In my opinion, it’s one of the parks with the best views of the city. Whilst it’s most lively in the summer months, I’ve found myself spending a tonne of time here all year around. It’s great for summer picnics, reading, watching the sun set or just rehearsing how you’d win that argument you lost months back. It's always a good vibe. 

Show some love to my friend Teo on Instagram (@teowithdoodles), he’s an independent illustrator based in Helsinki who swears he’s not that good… I'll let you all decide. Spotting miniature chairs in your day to day is a rare occurrence, so rare that a friend of mine decided to make an Instagram account for it. If you find any, take a picture and send it over to @teenychairs on Instagram! Lastly, If you’re an up-and-coming or early career design person looking to have a coffee chat, I got you. Here’s my LinkedIn.