Cardtonic Hosts Designers to Discuss Creativity in the AI Era

Fintech companies are not usually associated with discussions about design. That’s what made Cardtonic’s latest event stand out.Cardtonic recently did something different. It invited around 30 Nigerian designers into a room to talk about design, AI and the future of creative work. The event, called The Mixer, was not a product launch. There were no new fintech features on display. Instead, the conversation focused on a question many designers are wrestling with: what happens to creativity when AI can generate polished designs in seconds? That discussion eventually led to the launch of the Perfectly Imperfect Challenge, a competition that offered three designers ₦1 million each.

A Room Full of Designers

The Mixer brought together designers from different backgrounds and levels of experience. The real focus of the evening was not the networking or the refreshments. It was the conversation itself. AI dominated much of the discussion. Designers debated whether new tools were making creativity more accessible or simply flooding the internet with work that looked increasingly similar. Cardtonic’s Design is Changing report provided a starting point for some of those conversations. The report argues that audiences are becoming more aware of overly polished, automated-looking content and are responding differently to work that feels more human. Whether everyone agrees with that conclusion is another matter. But it reflects a debate already taking place across the creative industry.

From Discussion to Competition

The company used the gathering to launch the Perfectly Imperfect Challenge. The brief was simple. Designers were asked to interpret the idea of “perfectly imperfect” through their work. The challenge ran from June 1 to June 14 and offered a total prize pool of ₦3 million. Three winners received ₦1 million each. At a time when AI can generate logos, illustrations and marketing visuals almost instantly, the competition encouraged designers to focus on the things machines often struggle to replicate: personality, originality and perspective.

More Than a Fintech Story

Cardtonic’s involvement in the design space might seem unusual at first. The company built its reputation by helping Nigerians access global payment services through products such as virtual dollar cards. More recently, it expanded into travel services through its eSIM offering. Yet many of the products people use every day are shaped by designers. The apps, interfaces and digital experiences customers interact with do not exist without creative work behind them. That may explain why Cardtonic sees value in engaging with the design community. Whether The Mixer becomes a recurring event remains to be seen. What is clear is that Cardtonic wants to be part of conversations taking place beyond fintech. For one evening, at least, the focus was not on payments. It was on the people designing the digital products that surround them.