Jendaya is a luxury e-commerce platform built to connect African and diaspora designers with high-end consumers globally. Conceived by founder Ayotunde Rufai, the platform set out to redefine luxury through a cultural lens. Ultimately, using the power of community, inclusion, and design to bridge continents and conversations.

As Jendaya prepared for its 2021 pilot relaunch and first funding round, the team approached HYD Studio to build a cohesive brand identity and communication system. They wanted one that could inspire confidence among investors, resonate with consumers, and express their mission to elevate African creativity on a global stage.

The e-commerce landscape was saturated with uniformity. All platforms built for scale rather than soul. We saw an opportunity for Jendaya to do things differently: to create a luxury marketplace that felt alive with colour, culture, and connection.

Jendaya needed a distinct visual and verbal language, one that could bridge local authenticity and global sophistication, creating a brand as vibrant as the communities it served.

Our work began with understanding the brand’s core narrative. What Jendaya does, how it does it, and most importantly, why. Through collaborative workshops with Ayotunde and the founding team, we identified the three pillars driving the platform: inclusivity, cultural representation, and redefined global luxury.

From this foundation, we crafted a brand strategy and voice system that could communicate both credibility and emotion. The language positioned Jendaya as a cultural bridge, translating the richness of African artistry into the language of modern luxury.

The visual identity took cues from the brand’s dual heritage: bold, expressive colour inspired by African palettes juxtaposed with soft lilacs and pinks, refined by minimalist typography. The result was a system that felt expansive but still grounded and dynamic, designed to reflect discovery, movement, and connection.