Visual Designer for Learning
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Visual Designer for Learning ☼
HELLO,
I’M FRANKIE.
I design so humans feel seen.
ABOUT ME.
Teaching has been at the heart of all of it.
From the classrooms in Johannesburg to speaking on stages in London and Kuwait, there have been some wonderful surprises along the way, including being named one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in Education.
And now, I get to bring that journey into my work at Kami. I love being part of a team that genuinely cares about helping teachers and students around the world.
Being seen is the beginning.
Design MAKES the next move
Possible.
It all started with a cardboard dream.
Growing up in a small town, I used to spend hours at our local library reading everything I could about Johannesburg and its landmark buildings. Johannesburg felt huge and exciting compared with the place I knew, and I remember thinking, one day, I’m going to live in the big city!
So I started building my own Johannesburg out of cardboard. I loved taking a place I could only imagine and making it real enough to see and shape.
When I became a teacher, making became part of how I taught too. I wanted students to do more than fill in answers. I wanted them to draw, build, explore, question and turn the ideas in their heads into something they could see, share and believe was possible.
That same love of making guides my work at Kami today. Frankie Griffin Studio is my personal space for sharing ideas, learning resources, and creative experiments with teachers.
Lines lEAVE ROOM FOR WHAT COMES.
When I used to teach Art, some students would tell me, “I can’t draw.” I’d tell them they didn’t need to start with a whole picture. Start with one line. Because the moment that line appeared on the page, they had already added something to the universe that wasn’t there before!
Then one line became two. Two became more. And slowly, those small marks started forming something they could see, shape and make completely their own.
That was always the bigger idea. A line might seem small on its own, but put enough small ideas together and they can become something you never imagined at the start.
FOUR IDEAS HOLD MY WORK TOGETHER.
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I love a bold visual! But it should help a student understand, begin or think. If it only adds noise, it does not need to be there.
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Give students enough clarity to begin, then leave room for a question, choice or discovery to change what happens next.
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A click should do more than click. I want students to notice, choose, test, compare or rethink.
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I love what technology, including AI, can make possible! But the thinking and judgment still belong to teachers and students.
Where purpose has taken me.
Sharing what I’ve learned has taken me to Dubai, Kuwait and London. At Bett London, I got to speak at the Google Teaching Theatre about staying human in an AI-driven world. It was one of many talks and keynotes I’ve had the joy of giving over the years.
I’ve also had the chance to talk about education on national television and was named one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans in Education.
All of these wonderful experiences mean a lot to me, but what I love most is meeting teachers, hearing what they’re seeing in their own classrooms, and coming away from every conversation inspired and full of new ideas!
THE LIBRARY.
This is where the philosophy becomes something you can use. Each piece I design should make a first move clearer, widen the route, or help a human continue.
STRUCTURED JOY NEWSLETTER.
Experiments with visual design, practical activities, and the questions behind them. I send Structured Joy occasionally, when there’s something I’m excited to share!
SAY HELLO.
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