DJ Switch, Offers To Pay Creatives With Hype For New Official Logo. Ghana Twitter Reacts

DJ Switch, the rising young female DJ in Ghana is on the search for a new official logo and she’s offering to pay for the creative work with the new & invisible cryptocurrency called HYPE.

Hi fans, i need an official logo branded, DJ SWITCH GHANA. The best designer gets hyped on all platforms. ♥️🤹

— DJ SWITCH GHANA (@djswitchghana) January 4, 2019

I responded to the tweet by quoting and sincerely sharing my hope that that wasn’t her own tweet and possibly one ignorantly shared by her social media manager or publicist who’s placing her reputation at risk.

Hopefully this isn't you tweeting. Pay creatives what they deserve. Hype don't pay no bills!! https://t.co/CbvhqOkbIb

— oyoo (@OyooQuartey) January 4, 2019

Some of her followers & non-followers seeing the tweet responded with their own feedback. Whilst others tagged their friends in the tweet others resorted to sharing witty artworks for unpaid labour.

Here you go, pic.twitter.com/tEBQCAZSAo

— William Du Bois the Great (@_KooKumi) January 4, 2019

I can't use "hype" to pay for gob3 for daavi en der

— Fish Drinkwater (@wittyrans75) January 4, 2019

Because e be hype dem go use pay for dema photoshop, illustrator and sketch licenses abi? Smh https://t.co/CF6bn2KrJX

— Edem Kumodzi 🇬🇭🇹🇬 (@edemkumodzi) January 4, 2019

Honestly, is DJ Switch or her management team saying they can’t afford to pay a creative for professional branding ?

photo by Lenze Photos

This attitude of promising to hype or ‘promote’ another creative for free work is so 2017 & 2018. It’s actually irksome and needs to STOP! Even though some may argue that hype eventually converts to clients, that cannot be compared to the immediate payment for work done. So what about paying for the work and still giving the creative accolades for good work done? When there’s rent, transport, lunch and school fees to pay others are offering invisible hype cash. In Ghana, most brand and logo designers are freelancers hustling and grinding everyday trying to make ends meet. As a freelancer, I know how it feels when a prospective client offers hype instead of paying for my services. It’s disrespectful and draining.

Those of you tagging your friends in the tweet, it seems like you don’t want your friends to prosper eh? How should your friends survive in an economy of $1 - GHC4.83 ? You people are dream killers. Infact if your friend tags you in the tweet, block that friend. We don’t need this in 2019.

Creatives who want to be promoted should make it their resolution to know how to hype themselves in 2019. Self-promotion using social media will get you the eyes you are looking for. It’s not a one-time venture but one which requires strong persistency.

I hope her management team sits up and hires professional branding experts to handle not only her logo but her total personal brand. A logo is just one of the aspects of her brand. We need to respect creativity and 2019 isn’t another year to continue this slow mud-drag. Man is trying to make some money!