Criolo - The Tree of Wealth

This project was the culmination of a six-month mentorship program led by AKQA Impact, designed to promote inclusion and open doors for diverse talent within the advertising industry. Over the course of the program, we guided a group of interns through every stage of the creative process — from briefing to final production — resulting in a full campaign for rapper Criolo MC. The work included a music video, a social campaign, and a web app that invited users to plant their own Tree of Wealth, unlocking course discounts and exclusive Criolo merchandise as rewards. The symbol of the campaign, created by myself, represents the Tree of Wealth, embodying its pulp, roots, and fruits — a visual synthesis of the fable’s core messages. Its structure draws from the geometry of Adinkra symbols, traditional ideograms used by the Akan people of West Africa, layered upon the Flower of Life, a sacred pattern found in ancient Egyptian art and architecture. The placement of the fruits follows the celestial positioning of Sirius, echoing the ancestral cosmology of the Dogon people of Mali, whose profound astronomical knowledge has inspired generations. More than a symbol, it’s a living map — merging myth, science, and spirit into one coherent visual language. A real-world learning journey that turned raw talent into real impact.