Bhut Malumz Publications

Pikolomzi Vali’s obsession with the music made him create something for him that made him be music.

Creative Director at Bubble Life Concepts, Pikolomzi Vali, discloses how the concept of his digital content creation brand ended as his loner train. He explains Bubble Life Concepts’ initial concept as an establishment that creates visual content to send messages through graphic design and photography.

It was first established in Tarkastad as a divvision of Bubble Life Entertainment, which was a collective of creatives from different parts of Eastern Cape in 2017. It was later renamed Bubble Life Conceptsin late 2019 after the crew split since the main focus was graphic design and photography.

In 2019, Bubble Life Concepts was left as Vali and Buchule Sidondi’s responsibility. Sidondi worked as an assistant photographer but all that went down the drain when Vali moved out of Gqeberha. Vali gave up on photography since it couldn’t fit into his multitasking schedule with school. He focused on graphic design and has worked with Flash Ikumkani, Soul T Idyan, Bhut Legend, and Leo Brown. He has drawn his ability to master graphics with something he wanted to do with his whole heart but couldn’t do, music.

If you have noticed most of my work as a graphic designer, they are artworks for musicians. I think my love for music played a huge role in me becoming a graphic designer. I fell in love with graphic design when I saw what Artworks Planet Nana had back in the days and I was amazed that someone comes from the same location as I do can create something so beautiful. And I knew that I wanted to be part of something that’s connected to the music culture and that was designing art covers cause I’m not good with rapping or producing.

Bubble Life Concepts didn’t blow up until last year when Vali designed art covers for B L U E M O O N and Faces EP. He gained more confidence and started reaching out to the most prominent Xhosa trappers, Flash Ikumkani, Soul T Idyan, and Bhut Legend to submit his work portfolio. The rest was history because he scored those gigs. Komani artists he’d like to work for are Blxck X and Zcasm. Vali’s pricelist ranges from R150-R350 and his rates apply to everyone, but he sometimes charges less for his homies living off the SRD grant/still in high school.

I want to become one of the best designers in the country and I want whoever is looking at my work to see and understand the message I’m communicating through the visuals.

Vali says that he feels like his work is different from others because he doesn’t include a lot of things in his artwork(s). He added that his art is eye-catching, yet simple. He concluded that there are not a lot of opportunities in the country but he’s planning to use the skills he has acquired over the years to start a business or two.