Icephe is a visual studio founded by Phumle April, a graphic designer and illustrator based in Cape Town. The name “Icephe”—meaning “spoon” in isiXhosa—carries the essence of care, craft, and nourishment. It reminds us that design, like a spoon, can serve, hold, and feed meaning.
Our work is rooted in the hand-made—illustrations that take up space with intention and speak a language of their own. Each piece is a conversation between the past and the present, between what we inherit and what we create. At its core, Icephe exists to craft visuals that not only please the eye but also speak to the heart, honouring the richness of Afrikan vernacular visual language.
This philosophy runs through every collaboration and project we touch. Together with our clients, we continue to reshape and build stories that reflect who we are and what we value. Some of the people and brands we’ve had the joy of working with include Absa Cape Epic, But-lit, Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung South Africa, Jive Cool Drinks, Pan Macmillan South Africa, American Express, Chimurenga, Orderkasi, and more.
Through Icephe, I celebrate the many who came before us—the visionaries who remind us of our greatness and the immense creativity this continent holds. Every project is an offering, a small gesture toward what we can continue to share with the world.