Hi, I'm Simon Macharia
I blend creativity with strategy to deliver impactful designs that speak louder than words.
My Story
A journey of passion, creativity, and the relentless pursuit of meaningful design.
The Seed of Creativity
I am Simon Macharia Mugo — a graphic designer, visual storyteller, and the creative force behind Simon Designs. I was born and raised in Waihara village, Iria-ini Ward, Othaya Constituency, Nyeri County, Kenya, where much of my upbringing was shaped by my grandmother, Gladys Wangeci Macharia, whose warmth and resilience left a lasting impression on who I am today.
My creative journey began earlier than I could articulate. At Kigumo Primary School, a quiet but powerful curiosity for art was already stirring within me. It was my mother, Tabitha Wothaya Mugo — who had studied Arts in college — who unknowingly planted that seed. I was captivated by her projects, so much so that every day after school in Class 1, I would rush home and ask her to draw me a kettle. There was an inexplicable satisfaction in watching lines become shapes and shapes become something real. I began drawing my own, day after day.
By Class 3, during a Kiswahili lesson on Zana za Vita with Mr. Mutuanyingi, my peers began stacking their exercise books on my desk — asking me to draw for them. Something in me had quietly become recognized. By Standard 6, during a Social Studies lesson with Mr. Mugambi, I didn't just draw the map of Africa in my exercise book — I traced it onto a carton, cut it out, and lined the edges with string. To me, that wasn't extra effort. That was just how my mind worked. I concluded my primary school journey as School President, proud to have led with the same passion I brought to everything I touched.
Art Finds Its Form
Mukurwe-ini Boys High School in Mukurwe-ini Constituency, Nyeri County, was where art began to sharpen into something more deliberate. In Form 2, I sat down and drew the school's administration block entirely from observation — and was satisfied. But the real test came when the school's founding principal, Mr. Henveld, who had been living in the United States, was due for a visit. I was asked to create artworks as a gift for him. I produced three pieces — the administration block, the parade ground with the old admin block, and the dining hall — all done on manila paper. On the day of the presentation, my quiet pride was knowing that my art would travel all the way to the United States. I believe it's still there.
By Form 3, the school carpenter sought me out to do the naming inscriptions on newly purchased staffroom seats — a task I carried out faithfully after the 4 PM classes. Art had become more than a hobby; it was my quiet contribution to every space I occupied. I completed secondary school having served as Secretary and Discipleship Coordinator of the Christian Union — learning that creativity and service could walk hand in hand.
From Passion to Profession
The leap from raw passion to professional skill happened during my campus years pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Statistics. A laptop — acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic as institutions moved online — became my gateway. The turning point came when Mr. Mwatha, the new principal at my former high school, believed in my ability enough to ask me for a logo. With no design software and only Paint and online resources at my disposal, I found a way to deliver. That moment lit a fire.
Curiosity led me back to the school, where I discovered a newly introduced computer course and met Mr. Tom, the teacher who introduced me to Adobe Illustrator. After waiting hours for the software to transfer to my laptop, I left with one mission: understand this tool completely. His words stayed with me — "with this, you can create anything in this world." I took every free moment between lectures to download tutorials, follow them step by step, and push deeper. Illustrator led to Photoshop, then InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D. I was building a full creative arsenal — entirely self-taught.
After producing several projects that connected me with people I never imagined I'd work with, I recognized that my skills were genuinely marketable. Simon Designs was born — still within campus walls — as a brand built on craft, growth, and a desire to help others tell their stories visually. Since graduating, the brand has grown remarkably, serving colleagues, friends, business owners, and leaders across Kenya. Through logos, publications, posters, and more, Simon Designs has become a brand that builds other brands.
Skills & Expertise
A comprehensive toolkit combining creativity, strategy, and technical excellence Amazing Its amazing.
Graphic Design
Set
- Logo Design & Branding
- Business Cards & Stationery
- Flyers & Posters
- Social Media Graphics
Pencil Art
Great
- Portrait Sketching
- Realistic Drawings
- Custom Illustrations
- Hand-drawn Artwork
Strategic Thinking
Amazing
- Data-Driven Design
- Problem Solving
- Brand Strategy
- Visual Communication
🎨Design Tools
Creative Philosophy
The principles that guide every design decision I make.
Design is not decoration — it is communication. Every line, every colour, every space carries a message. I believe that great design doesn't just make things look beautiful; it makes people feel understood. My work is driven by the conviction that behind every brand is a story worth telling powerfully — and I exist to tell it.
Purpose Before Aesthetics
Every design decision starts with a question: what does this need to achieve? Strategy and intention always precede style.
Curiosity as a Craft
I am entirely self-taught — and that hunger to keep learning has never left. I approach every project as an opportunity to discover something new.
Clients as Collaborators
I don't just deliver designs — I build partnerships. Your vision, refined through my craft, becomes something neither of us could have created alone.
A Personal Note
The person behind the designs — my story, my roots, my passion.
Some people discover their passion. Mine discovered me. Long before I knew the word "design," I was the boy in Class 1 who couldn't rest until my mother drew me a kettle — not because I needed it, but because something about watching lines become a thing of beauty gave me a satisfaction I couldn't explain. By Class 3, classmates were stacking their exercise books on my desk, trusting my hands to bring their pages to life. By Standard 6, I wasn't just drawing a map of Africa — I was cutting it out of cardboard and edging it with string, simply because my mind couldn't stop at "enough." I didn't know it then, but creativity wasn't something I was doing. It was something I was.
I didn't grow up with design software, a studio, or a mentor who handed me a blueprint. What I had was a grandmother who raised me with quiet strength in a village in Othaya, teachers who saw something in me worth calling forward, and a relentless inner drive that refused to stay still. In high school, I drew the administration block for a visiting principal — and watched my art leave for the United States. A carpenter sought me out to inscribe staffroom seats. A principal trusted me with a logo before I even had the tools to make one. Every single time, I found a way. That is the foundation Simon Designs is built on — not perfection, but the willingness to show up, figure it out, and deliver with excellence.
Today, proudly rooted in Othaya, Nyeri, Kenya, I carry every one of those moments into the work I do. The boy who traced maps on cardboard is now the designer who builds brands. The campus student who taught himself Adobe Illustrator through downloaded tutorials — one step at a time, in every free moment between lectures — is now the creative behind logos, publications, and visual identities that have helped real people and businesses grow. Simon Designs was never just about making things look good. It has always been about proving that with passion, curiosity, and an unshakeable commitment to growth, you can build something remarkable — from wherever you are, with whatever you have.