Yaw Berma, known creatively as BLACKA, is a Ghanaian artist and graphic designer whose work sits at the intersection of music, culture, and visual storytelling. His creative journey began in music—within Afrobeat, hip‑life, and hip‑hop—where he developed a deep feel for rhythm, emotion, and narrative. That instinct naturally evolved into graphic design, where he now translates sound and energy into bold, intentional visuals.
Rooted in African culture and urban aesthetics, BLACKA builds worlds out of symbols, color, and text. His flagship piece with JuxPrint, "Adinkra Wisdom,” fuses a Ghanaian‑inspired festival mask with the visual language of Adinkra—Akan symbols that carry proverbs, philosophy, and spiritual meaning. Around the mask’s face and jewellery, echoes of Sankofa, Gye Nyame, Dwennimmen and more are woven into a single, watchful visage. Layered with the “Blacka” wordmark in full‑color gradients, the piece feels like walking through a night‑time festival: drums in the distance, history on your chest, heritage at full brightness.
That same approach runs through his other works. In his “Blacka Live Free” logo, red‑gold‑green paint splashes collide with a sharp gothic wordmark and a quiet motto about joy and self‑definition—a visual statement for diasporans and youth who refuse to shrink their identities. In designs like “Enjoy Your Life” and the more minimal “LIFE – Body Mind,” he uses large typographic forms filled with imagery to talk about balance, wellness, and the everyday art of being alive. Pieces such as the triangle‑grid “BLACKA” logo and “BLACKA Since 1990” (anchored by a row of Adinkra symbols) show his love for pattern, geometry, and heritage encoded into modern streetwear.
Spirit and faith also surface in his work, especially in designs like “By His Grace,” where a flowing script, dove iconography, and speed‑infused gradients meet—a piece that feels at home in both church basements and festival stages.
As both musician and designer, BLACKA understands how visuals shape perception—especially in the worlds of music, youth culture, and diaspora storytelling. He uses that dual perspective to create pieces that don’t just look striking, but also elevate the stories and brands behind them.
In the JuxPrint x BLACKA – Festival & Mask Series, one of the key and fun exercises, was placing Blacka’s pieces inside the JuxPrint Heritage “ecosystem” so they fully carry the JuxPrint Heritage agenda.
Blacka flawlessly turned his original pieces like Adinkra Wisdom, Blacka Live Free, and By His Grace from their original identity, philosophy, and faith based stories into full‑colour statements that fit perfectly into the JuxPrint Heritage agenda. It’s fine‑art detail, tuned for the streets: part gallery wall, part carnival route, part heritage you can carry on your chest.
Guided by originality, consistency, and growth, his mission is to build a visual language that travels globally while staying true to his Ghanaian and African roots. Through collaborations like JuxPrint x BLACKA, he aims to tell real stories, archive symbols of wisdom and joy, and leave a lasting impression on anyone who wears or encounters his art.