Graphic Design in Nigerian Advertising: A Case Study of Campaigns in Kano

Graphic design plays a central role in the construction of advertising messages, shaping how products and services are perceived by target audiences through the strategic use of typography, colour, imagery, and layout. This study examines graphic design conventions and their communicative effectiveness in advertising campaigns produced and displayed in Kano, the commercial hub of Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone. A content analysis methodology is applied to 120 advertising materials sampled from outdoor billboards, print media, and digital screens across three major commercial districts in Kano metropolis. Design elements including colour palette selection, typeface choices, use of Hausa language text, and the incorporation of culturally resonant imagery are systematically coded and analysed. In-depth interviews with 15 professional graphic designers and advertising executives based in Kano supplement the content analysis. The theoretical framework draws on visual rhetoric, semiotics of advertising design, and the cross-cultural communication literature. The study examines whether design approaches in Kano reflect the cultural and religious sensitivities of the predominantly Muslim North West market and how they differ from design conventions observed in Lagos-centric advertising literature. Recent scholarship on African advertising design has emphasised the underrepresentation of regional design traditions in academic research, a gap this study addresses. Findings are expected to contribute to the graphic design education curriculum, advertising industry practice, and cultural communication research in northern Nigeria. Keywords: graphic design, advertising, Kano, visual communication, cultural aesthetics