— Who We Are —
I'm Edwin Nchaga. I founded Magnate Designs in 2017.
Before and alongside the studio, I've spent nine years working on brand identity and digital design — including senior creative roles leading work for international scientific organizations and large-scale annual conferences. That experience shapes how I work now: strategy before pixels, systems over one-off artifacts, design that holds up over time.
Through Magnate, I've shipped brand and digital work for clients across consumer goods, nonprofit, hospitality, and technology — including Zero Waste Kenya, Uplift Africa, Skunk Creamery, Zawadi Booking, and Salt Dove Soul Food.
I'm based in Washington, DC, and I work closely with founders building in Kenya, across Africa, and across the US — many of them part of the African diaspora. The continent's design conversation is one I came up in, and one I'm still actively part of.
The studio runs lean by design. You'll work with me directly on every engagement — strategy, design decisions, the work itself. When projects call for it, I bring in a vetted network of senior developers, designers, and creatives I've worked with for years. The model is simple: you get one accountable principal, with the depth of a real team behind the work when scope demands it.
If you're building something serious, I'd love to hear about it.
