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Hello, I'm Cosy.

Visual communications professional with ten-plus years in the creative industry. Senior Designer with ten years in enterprise tech, founder of Weekly Innovations after hours. UCT-certified UX, NQF 6 Diploma, and a fresh Brand Management course from Red & Yellow.

Illustration of Cosy Manaka in a grey three-piece suit, hands in pockets
BasedTembisa, Ekurhuleni
Years in10+ (2016 — Now)
PracticeDesign · Web · Brand
After hoursFounder · Weekly Innovations

01 The short version

Where the design and the operator both come from. Honest, not corporate.

I've been creative for as long as I can remember. As a kid, that often got me into trouble — drawing on desks and clothing whenever inspiration struck. The curiosity stayed. It just shaped who I am today.

As I got older, I channelled that into more meaningful work — sketching people, experimenting with design, eventually winning competitions and presentations. Along the way I figured out something just as important as design itself: communication. I naturally became the peacemaker in my circle — listening, connecting, expressing ideas clearly. That balance between creativity and communication is what defines me.

I went on to study Graphic Design at varsity, where everything I learned felt instinctively familiar — like I'd been preparing my whole life. After graduating, I stepped into my first role as a designer at an enterprise software group, where I've spent ten years growing — developing visual identities, supporting brand communication, and learning how design supports strategy, not just aesthetics.

Alongside the studio work, I started building Weekly Innovations in 2016 — what's now a four-venture group across creative, finance, automotive, and streetwear. The same eye for clarity that shapes my design work shapes the businesses too. Both lives feed each other.

Now I feel ready to step fully into both sides of who I am: designer and communicator. Eager to contribute through visuals — and through messaging, storytelling, and strategic thinking that connects brands with people in meaningful ways.

02 Two lives, one operator

Designer by day. Founder after hours.

Both sharper because they share the same eye.

By day

Senior Designer

Enterprise software · Johannesburg

Leading design across warehouse-management, fleet-tech, and enterprise brand campaigns. Multi-channel campaigns lifted brand recognition by 80% over my tenure. Comfortable in the Adobe stack, fluent in WordPress & Elementor, confident from typesetting through to UX research.

See what I offer
After hours

Founder, Weekly Innovations

Est. 2016 · four ventures

Built Weekly Innovations as the umbrella for ventures solving overlooked-market problems — OneFive for fair short-term loans, Wheels & Daily Runner for accessible motoring, Styles for streetwear that reflects where we come from. Same operator, same standard, different audiences.

Meet the empire

03 What I actually do

Six competencies.

They show up across every project — in the design work, in the ventures, in the client work.

/01

Graphic Design

The core craft. Logos, brand systems, print, digital, editorial — ten years of shipping production-ready work across every surface a brand touches.

/02

Visual Strategy

Brand identity, typography, layout systems, and infographics that turn complex briefs into clear visual stories.

/03

Digital & UX/UI

UX research, wireframes, prototypes, and web assets — UCT-certified, ten years of shipping with engineers.

/04

Marketing & Comms

Digital marketing strategy, social media content, and internal comms. Crisis communications when things get hot.

/05

Brand Management

Stakeholder liaison, brand guidelines, voice and tone development. Fresh from Red & Yellow short course in 2025.

/06

Storytelling

Communication is design. Whether it's a logo, a landing page, or a venture pitch — the story matters as much as the surface.

04 Career

Career, chronologically.

Where I am now, and the path that got me here — including the unglamorous early stops, because they shaped how I work with people.

2017 — Now

Senior Graphic Designer

Enterprise software group · JHB
  • Lead conceptualisation and execution of multi-channel visual campaigns — increased brand recognition by 80% over the period
  • Design high-quality digital assets across social, email, and partner channels (logistics, fleet, and enterprise brands)
  • Apply UX principles to website layouts and digital interfaces, improving user retention
  • Manage the full design lifecycle: brief → concept → production → handover, across print and digital
2016 — Now

Founder & Creative Director

Weekly Innovations
  • Founded and run the umbrella group across four ventures — creative, finance, automotive, streetwear
  • Owns brand strategy, creative direction, and operational standards across the group
  • Solved a decade of overlooked-market problems with design discipline applied to finance, retail, and lifestyle
2014 — 2015

End User Computing Tutor

Rosebank College, Braamfontein
  • Tutored EUC students alongside studies — sharpened communication, teaching, and stakeholder skills that still shape my client work today
2012 — 2017

Earlier roles

O.R. Tambo · Mr Price Sport · ADT Security · EOH
  • Waiter at O.R. Tambo International — service under pressure
  • Cashier & customer service rep at Mr. Price Sport, Woodmead
  • National key account assistant at ADT Security
  • Data capturer at EOH, Midrand
  • Each role taught something the design schools didn't — service, systems, working with people who aren't designers.

05 Skills

Skills, honestly rated.

No five-star scales. Three honest tiers — what I can do in my sleep, what I'm fluent at, what I'm still levelling up.

Expert

Daily tools — fluent in muscle memory.

Adobe PhotoshopAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe Creative Cloud workflowsBrand Identity SystemsVisual Communication
Fluent

Confident production tools, used on real shipped work.

Adobe After EffectsAdobe XD / FigmaWordPress · ElementorUX/UI WireframingStorytellingBrand ManagementStakeholder LiaisonCrisis Communications
Working

Used regularly enough to deliver, still levelling up.

Digital MarketingSEO AwarenessGoogle AnalyticsSEMrushAI LiteracyProject CoordinationMultimedia Creation

06 Education

Where I learned.

Formal qualifications, in chronological order. PDF copies of certificates available on request.

2025

Brand Management — Short Course

Red & Yellow Creative School of Business
2020

UX Design Certificate — Short Course

University of Cape Town
2015

Diploma in Computer-Based Graphic Development (NQF 6, 3 years)

IIE Rosebank College, Braamfontein
2012

Information Technology Certificate

ADT Security
2012

National Senior Certificate (Matric)

Allanridge Combined School