ABOUT NAAZ
(pronounced “Nah-z”)
Naaz is a Detroit-born experimental creative lab where strategy, art, and technology converge. Built at the intersection of research and imagination, Naaz approaches every project like an experiment, testing, refining, and activating ideas until they become fully realized experiences.
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We develop bold identities and immersive environments shaped through projection mapping, creative direction, and multi-sensory storytelling. Our capabilities span branding, digital marketing, SEO, and experiential design, offering clients a complete creative ecosystem for growth, connection, and impact.
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Led by multimedia artist and creative director Ashanti Africana, Naaz is rooted in future-forward thinking and a belief that technology should expand creative possibility, not limit it. The work lives across fine art, brand worlds, and physical space, translating concepts into motion, light, and presence.
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At its core, Naaz exists to push ideas further, especially within Black creative spaces, using technology as a tool for expression, access, and good. This is a place where art and science meet, where experimentation is the process, and where immersive experiences become new ways of seeing, feeling, and connecting.
Meet the Team
Lead Designer//Ashanti Africana
​Ashanti Africana is a multimedia artist and creative director with over a decade of professional experience working across graphic design, marketing, and visual storytelling. Her practice blends art, strategy, and technology to create work that is immersive, intentional, and culturally grounded.
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She began her formal training in time-based media at Eastern Michigan University, developing a strong foundation in motion, narrative, and experimental visual forms. Ashanti later graduated with honors from the University of Michigan–Flint, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, along with an undergraduate certificate in Digital Communications and focused studies in Data Analytics and Interpretation. This interdisciplinary background allows her to approach creative work with both intuition and analytical insight.
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Throughout her career, Ashanti has led branding and marketing initiatives for small businesses, artists, and community-driven organizations, while also collaborating with national brands including Target. Her work and perspective have been featured in Teen Vogue, Forward Thinker, Full-Time Contractor, Mother, and other platforms highlighting creativity, culture, and innovation.
As both a fine artist and strategist, Ashanti approaches each project as an experiment, grounded in research, shaped through iteration, and executed with care. Her work reflects a future-focused mindset, using technology as a tool for storytelling, access, and expansion, particularly within Black creative and entrepreneurial spaces.​