The Commuters Canvas started out roughly in 2021 with an essay appealing for the need to recognize Nigerian transportation decor as an art form on par with other countries and cultures such as India, Kenya and the Philippines. After this article, I began research into the different styles of transportation decor and highlighting existing research surrounding this art form in Nigeria. I scoured through books and archives, often sharing my findings on my blog and instagram.
In 2024 I was recruited to work on research for the Danfo Font 2.0 (s/o to Ogbeni Seyi), where I met with other team members most notably David Udoh . Since late 2025 I have been working with him as a researcher to contribute to a living archive of Nigerian Vernacular Design named Caveat Emptor alongside by personal exploration of Nigerian transportation art; The Commuters Canvas.

The ‘2026 is my year’ Graphic Calendar was born out of my desire for nostalgia, physical products and collaboration. Mid 2025, I began a project for a soon to be released physical product that hit various hurdles such as production delays, sample sizing and logistics given the items were best manufactured abroad. By November, I realized I would not meet the timeline for a December release and had to pivot which was when the idea of a calendar came about.

Another reason for the preference for a physical product was because a lot of my work and research has been very digital and given the state of media and digital spaces today, I desired authentic, intentional media and storytelling in a collectible archival format. Although my research focuses on the physical due to its nature, the actual research, dissemination and collaboration often happens on ‘intangible’ , digital platforms and can be lost in the endless stream of information we receive.

I was inspired by @/renographic’s (Instagram) modern translation of the physical calendar. It is a version of the calendar that highlights the physicality aspect of planning and life while incorporating modern trends in design. I resonated with this as the calendar presented a chance to delve into the array of design seen on all the different modes of transportation . Similarly, from childhood till date the physical calendar has been a staple in my life. I remember receiving these at my auntie’s various associations, seeing them hung at schools and getting quirky dog themed desk calendars for secret santa. The draw of nostalgia and the logistics for a simpler physical product made the calendar a great choice.

The overall concept for the calendar was easy: transportation art in Nigeria. I wanted a familiar and easy introduction that still emphasized the unique decor and vehicles. I created mood boards based off the ideas I formed for each month. I had specified details down to the minimum size of the calendar listing for readability .

I began researching paper specifications, sourcing for printers and fine tuning the logistics of the actual creation of the calendar. While selections were being deliberated on with vendors, I started reaching out to artists ; who were a healthy mix of people whose work I saved and admired and those who were aware of the cultural and artistic nuances of the transportation art in Nigeria. A week later, artists were paired with various months based on their skillset, past work and timeline. During this time, the marketing plan for the calendar was also being developed.

The first iteration of the samples, which were out the week between Christmas and New Years, were used to create marketing content . Due to the holidays, artists delays and a batch of production reprint, the calendar was not released till the first week of January as opposed to the last week of December as planned.

In hindsight I could have been more sensitive to certain contexts which relate which transportation art. CIP; I’m partial to May and chose it for the scene that emphasizes the Eyo Masquerade iconography seen on buses and other similar iconography. This falls into a grey area since the festival does not follow a strict calendar.

Month Breakdown

Cover Art

Concept idea: The year 2026 written in the middle in Danfo font with the background showing all the different modes of transportation and their different decorative styles ; bolekaja, keke napep (front and back), petrol tanker , lorry back, eastern / southern Nigeria lorries, danfo and Okada .

Actual:

January

Concept idea: Blue monotone painting reminiscence of the tow trucks in Lagos. The Lagos tow truck font (white and yellow font with black drop shadow) will have identifiers such as ‘Lagos tow truck’ (top) and a random Nigerian number as the bottom font. The engine horizontal grid is where will be the calendar listing will be. The name of the month will be where the truck manufacturer is.

Actual:

February

Concept idea: back view of a lorry (top to headlights no mudflap) showing tailgate art of a man and a woman in flat african popular painting style (barbershop) with the tail reading ‘sorry baby no time for love’. Red, black and pink themes with the mudflap reading month name.

March

Concept idea: one focusing on the back windshield art of the danfos in lagos. Glass will be silver or grey and have the name of the month written in danfo font and style (offset path/stroke) and reflective with the name plate having the calendar listing. For this the perspective size of the name plate can be bigger to accommodate the month listing with the hazard type lines along with black icon details

April

Concept idea: Back view of dispatch box with the calendar listing on it. Should have the religious and artists stickers on it (windows 8 background style, colourful) and the name of the month will be on the number plate.

May

Concept idea: Danfo yellow background – with black iconography characters. There will be an outline of a danfo bus on the top part with the eyo masquerades being the focus . Let it be like the masquerades are bursting out of the frame . The name of the month will be sort of like negative spaced into the masquerades written in the bubble font found on the buses. The bottom left corner beside the calendar listing will have the guy on the boat icon.

June

Concept idea: petrol tanker inspired, calendar listing for the month can either be shown in a circular format inside the tanker or alternatively it’ll be in a rectangle under the tanker in the space before the mudflap .With the background being on a road . It’ll have the calligraphy styled ‘highly inflammable no smoking’ written on it while the month name is at the bottom as a mudflap or in place of the highly inflammable smoking sign (preferably the latter).

July

Concept idea: a green helmet of an Okada (specifically Gokada green) with other stickers from transportation archives eg asian tiger, rose, asian dragon , flame ,etc and the month name written in a lagos stencil font (check Lagos a city at work by Olakunle Tejousho ) on the top of the helmet . The visor will be the months.

August

Concept idea: yellow background but with the art focusing on the windshield and front of a keke napep . From the top to the headlights bar of the keke. The brand name (TVS) will be the name of the month or the text at the top of the parallel vinyl framing of the windscreen, the calendar listing will be on the windshield . Geometrical parallel framing on the window.

September

Concept idea: Trailer opening to reveal brown cows coming out but the art focus should be on the back panel doors incorporating northern nigeria geometry inspired design with the month name under the first cow on the mudflap in similar mudflap art. Calendar listing will be under this design in a most likely rectangular format following the color scheme of the above art.

October

Concept idea: slightly side view of a hoard of decorated okadas driving through a road carrying flags; nigerian, and the name of the month and the calendar listing will be rectangle under in corresponding colors . Reference to independence.

November

Concept idea: back view of keke napep with the calendar focusing on the hood (black background with shading to reflect the curved nature). the writing on the top part of the hood can house the name of the month along (text inspired by the type of fonts seen on kekes) with other relevant text and the little windscreen will be the calendar listing. full page will be 3/4 black and 1/4 keke napep yellow. could include the back lights

December

Concept idea: Bedford bolekaja with the month written on the name plate ontop of the vehicle and the calendar listing in the vertical fringes in front of the vehicle.

Luckily given my research, 95% of the pictures for the mood board were from my archive. The rest came from references from other artists such as Demola Ogunajo (whose work references a lot of transportation art), Ife Aminu and Tife Sonaike (who incorporate African popular painting style in their work), Caveat Emptor and Flickr for the dated pictures. I had clear pictures of what I wanted and drew sketches for the artists when needed . Of course miscommunication did occur in some situations however they were favourable. For instance, I’d wanted the month of October to be solemn to represent the state of Nigeria: Not as a longing for colonial era but as a chance to reflect on the journey and the state of the country . However that has been quickly reoriented as a remembrance for EndSars which are closely related.