Valerie Amoaku

Brand designer working across identity, packaging, editorial and creative direction.

A love for design and creation that started in middle school with Tumblr edits and Naruto AMVs.

14 years later, I'm a brand designer and creative director pairing my internet fluency with my NYU psychology degree. Whether I'm creating personality-based brand identities or executing international editorial campaigns, my design is always built around how people think and react.

Tools

A decade of hands-on software experience, backed by three years of applying those technical skills directly to commercial and editorial workflows.

Raster

Photoshop

Executing frame-by-frame hand-drawn animation, generating packaging mockups, and designing short-form carousel distillations.

Vector

Illustrator

Logo construction, dielines and production artwork that goes to print.

Motion

After Effects

Building custom motion graphics, applying visual effects, and editing short-form video content for social distribution.

Edit

Premiere Pro

Assembly edits, lavalier sync and first cuts before a final mix.

Colour

Lightroom

Culling shoot deliveries and color correcting across editorial features.

Interface

Figma

Web direction, layout systems and handoff for build.

Vector

Affinity

Print-ready output and vector work outside the Adobe subscription.

Brand Design

The MELTDOWN

Self-initiatedRestaurant / F&B2025

An end-to-end brand world for a Miami grilled cheese shop in the Wynwood Art District, designed to feel as bold, indulgent and nostalgic as the food itself.

Anthony's Naturals

Anthony's NaturalsHealth & Wellness / F&B2025

An identity, packaging system, and e-commerce presence for a single-ingredient superfood brand rooted in Ghanaian tradition.

Komorebi

Self-initiatedTea / DTC2025

An end-to-end brand identity for an artisanal tea brand rooted in mindfulness and Japanese tradition.

NINELIVES Boba

Self-initiatedBubble tea / F&B2025

A brand identity and packaging system for a contemporary boba brand, created as an antithesis to a saturated market.

NOA

Self-initiatedMusic / Artist Branding2026

A self-initiated debut EP brand identity for NOA, a Ghanaian-American alt-pop artist, designed to read as accessible Western pop on the surface and as a Ghanaian pride catalyst underneath.

Seaflora Sanctuary

Self-initiatedHospitality / Wellness2025

An end-to-end brand identity for a coastal retreat where restorative luxury meets ocean calm.

Butterfingers

Self-initiatedNail Lacquer / Cosmetics2025

Sometimes a project starts just because you like the color of orange juice in a glass. That was the jumping-off point for Butterfingers, a just-for-fun packaging experiment turning food aesthetics into cosmetic branding. I designed the main nail lacquer box to mimic a wrapped stick of butter, and to expand the theme, I created a promotional assortment set called "The Breakfast Minis." I designed a miniature cereal box to hold the collection and created a conceptual mockup of a tabletop shoot to bring the morning meal concept together.

Select A Location

Drag to spin the globe. Tap Accra, London or Tokyo to see the campaigns I've produced in each city for my independent editorial publication, BLACKSTAR Haus.

Drag to spin tap a marker

Editorial &CreativeDirection

Five campaigns for BLACKSTAR Haus, produced across Accra, Tokyo and London. Concept, casting, styling direction and execution, from a love hotel in Atami, Japan to a feature shoot for a Ghanaian rapper.

VA Airways Boarding pass First class

From TPA Tampa, FL

To ACC Accra, Ghana

Passenger

V. Amoaku

Flight

VA 2026

Date

On request

Class

Global Editorial

Seat

01A

Gate

VA Airways Keep this stub

Passenger

V. Amoaku

Route

TPA - ACC

Class

Global Editorial

Seat

01A

Tokyo, Japan 2026

Namichie

This cover feature for Ghanaian-Japanese artist Namichie was produced across three time zones. With me in Florida, a creative director in London, and a local crew shooting at a love hotel in Atami, Japan, we built the concept around her mixed heritage. We took visual cues from the film Sakuran and Oiran aesthetics, fusing them with Ghanaian culture, and if you search Namichie today, our photo is the first result you see.

Executive Production, Travel Coordination & Co-Creative Direction Valerie Amoaku
Creative Direction Efuwa Aikins
Photography Mia Sato O'Neal
Styling Indra Ito
Makeup KANAKO / BIANCO BIANCO

Namichie

Motion Atami, Japan 2026

Accra, Ghana 2026

Issue 002

The concept was a direct response to the hyper-masculine imagery common in Ghanaian media. We used gender-bending pieces to soften his image, but we didn't want to omit his masculinity. We wanted to show a softer, gentler and more artistic version of a male subject.

Executive Production & Creative Direction Valerie Amoaku
Styling & Co-Creative Direction Supreme Eleblu
Photography Emily Brownett

London, UK 2026

Efuwa Aikins

We found Efuwa Aikins through the Dazed 100. For this feature, the art direction was straightforward. We used heavy flash to put a spotlight on her nail art. The harsh lighting highlights the details of her work and keeps the imagery focused on her craft.

Executive Production & Creative Direction Valerie Amoaku
Co-Creative Direction Efuwa Aikins
Photography Shenell Wellington

Accra, Ghana 2026

Joey B

The sound of his new release Sexy Highlife inspired the art direction for this Joey B shoot. We aimed for a lounge aesthetic that felt tropical and off-duty, framing him as a guy at ease in familiar surroundings, instead of a formal studio setup with heavy staging. The visuals mirror the laid-back tempo of his album.

Executive Production & Press Coordination Valerie Amoaku
Co-Creative Direction Supreme Eleblu, Emily Brownett

Accra, Ghana 2026

Haeven

Haeven's music belongs to the Alt scene, mixing her Ghanaian and Nigerian roots into a rebellious sound, so we wanted the editorial to reflect that. The styling borrows from the subculture's nonconformist attitude, mixing patterned layering with second-hand jewelry, and we kept the set design minimal so her attitude remains the focal point.

Executive Production & Creative Direction Valerie Amoaku
Styling Supreme Eleblu
Makeup Vanessa Yeboah
Photography Agyeman Duah

MOTION

On Their Block

BLACKSTAR Haus 2026 Premiere Pro

An episode of On Their Block, BLACKSTAR Haus' interview series. Visual treatment, videographer brief, and first-assembly edit, covering lavalier sync, dialogue cuts, and the music bed before final mix.

The Power of Color in Film

Future Realities, NYU Direction & edit 2023 Premiere Pro

An exploration of symbolism and the emotions evoked by color across film, edited as a visual essay.

DICE — NYU KNESIS DANCE COVER

NYU Knesis Edit & frame-by-frame animation 2023 Premiere Pro & Photoshop

A brief study in cut and direction, working to a brief on cue points and focus. Frame-by-frame animation layered over the dance break.

View more motion works

Select two of my disciplines to see how they intersect.

Let's play for it.

Rock, paper, scissors. I win, you owe me an interview.

Rock beats scissors · Scissors beats paper · Paper beats rock