Designing the Story: Olalekan Isiaka on Art, Film and Finding Value

In 1999, Olalekan Isiaka walked into a production environment without knowing he was entering the career that would define much of his creative life.

A Fine Arts graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where he majored in painting technology, Lekan had always enjoyed imagining structures and bringing different elements together. He simply had no name for what he was doing.

That changed when he came to Lagos to help his foster brother, Bankole Adedoyin, a sound engineer and recordist. Through him, Lekan met Bedford Boluebi, who was involved in the pre-production of an M-Net reality show.

When Boluebi asked what he knew about production, Lekan replied:

“In my head, the only thing I know about production is the production of goods.”

He soon discovered another meaning of production—and that his art training could become the foundation for a career in set and production design.

FROM FINE ARTS TO PRODUCTION DESIGN

Lekan began with F4D Media Production in 1999, working on the stage for Let's Dance. He later worked on MTN Project Fame, painting the academy and contributing to stage construction.

The experience taught him how to translate imagination into physical structures and communicate designs to carpenters and other craftspeople.

He began to see the connection between art school and production design.

“In art there are elements and principles of art and all these things are the tools that you need to work with when you are designing.”

His career later took him through Wazobia TV, where he worked as a set designer, and EbonyLife TV, where he contributed to sets and props for its maiden reality show, Sisters. In 2018, he joined Funke Akindele's production company, moving more fully into film production design and working on projects including Jennifer's Diary, My Siblings and I and Omo Ghetto: The Saga.

WHAT DOES AN ART DIRECTOR DO?

For audiences, a film set may simply look like a house, office or street. Behind that image, however, is an entire department responsible for creating the environment in which the story unfolds.

Lekan explains that the production designer heads the art department, while the art director oversees set designers, dressers, carpenters, runners and others, reporting to the production designer.

He also notes that these roles are not always structured consistently in Nigeria.

Ultimately, however, he believes titles should not become a source of insecurity:

“At the end of the day, you design the sets and you create the sets.”

THE STORY COMES BEFORE THE BUDGET

When Lekan receives a script, the story comes first.

He wants to understand the director's vision before developing his own ideas. He then works with mood boards, breakdowns and the director's deck before considering whether the budget can support the creative vision.

Budget constraints are a reality, but he prefers finding intelligent alternatives rather than immediately compromising the idea. An existing location, for example, might be transformed rather than constructing an entirely new set.

“I'm very flexible.”

For Lekan, the key question is how to achieve the desired result while respecting the producer's financial reality.

WHY PRODUCTION VALUE MATTERS

Lekan refuses to believe that a limited budget should automatically mean poor production value.

Audiences do not see the financial challenges behind a production. They see the finished product—and social media has made them increasingly attentive to visual details.

A character described as a billionaire, for example, should inhabit an environment that makes that identity believable. Poorly chosen furniture, lighting or sets can undermine an otherwise strong story.

For Lekan, production design is therefore not an afterthought. It is part of storytelling itself.

COLLABORATION, NOT CREATIVE WAR

Lekan believes production design works best when departments collaborate.

If the director and production designer establish a particular visual direction or colour palette, costume, lighting and other departments must understand and support it.

Creative disagreement is inevitable, but it should not become a power struggle.

“If the director is not agreeing with me, then I have to agree with him. We have to find a common ground.”

The objective is not to prove who is right. The objective is to make the production work.

THE VALUE OF THE ART DEPARTMENT

Through his company, Just Art, founded around 2013, Lekan continues to work across painting, studio design and production.

He is particularly passionate about younger creatives. He believes many focus too heavily on quick money while neglecting personal development, professionalism and presentation.

He wants people in the art department to understand their importance. The camera, lighting and acting departments all depend on the environment they create.

“If you are not there, if you don't create this thing, there won't be the film.”

A PROFESSION THAT NEEDS A STRONGER VOICE

Lekan believes production designers are still not adequately valued or compensated.

Pre-production work, recce, mood boards and preparation are not always properly paid, despite the long hours and significant responsibilities involved.

He believes creatives must also learn to communicate their value, negotiate professionally and resist the temptation to accept every job out of desperation.

“You don't need to be everywhere. You don't need to collect all the jobs.”

He also believes production designers need to come together and develop a stronger collective voice.

THE FUTURE IS THE NEXT JOB

Lekan sees Nigeria's film industry becoming more structured, with professional departments receiving greater recognition.

He also dreams of eventually designing an epic-scale production. Projects of that magnitude require substantial time, money and preparation—sometimes six to eight months—but opportunities of that scale remain part of his ambition.

For him, however, the future is not simply about bigger productions.

“The future for me is actually my next job. How do I improve? How do I serve?”

His ultimate legacy is integrity. He wants to be remembered as someone who delivered value, remained authentic, collaborated, adapted and could be trusted.

“I might not be the best designer or the best art director, but at least my integrity should speak for me.”

After years of transforming imagination into physical spaces for film and television, Lekan Swanky understands that sets eventually come down and productions eventually end. What remains is the work—and the reputation of the person behind it.

For Lekan, that name should mean something.