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A good story can live in any format.
That simple premise is being explored by Jeunanne Alkins, founder and creative director of Everything Slight Pepper, who has been challenging the impact that good design can have across multiple spheres of life.
Creativity runs deep in the Caribbean, where vibrant colours, diverse cultures, and unique stories meld into a unique tapestry. Yet through her unique perspectives on life, Alkins has carved out a space that celebrates the beauty and identity of Caribbean life, wrapped in witty, engaging designs and storytelling that resonate locally and internationally with audiences of all ages.
From her early childhood in Trinidad and Tobago, Alkins was captivated by the world of art and design.
"I was fascinated by the graphic elements of ads like Coca-Cola and their clever designs,” she explains. "That's when I realised I was drawn to graphic design."
Dabbling with computers at her parent's business place, Alkins soon realised that she had a knack for design, and soon her mother connected her with soca artiste Denise Belfon, for whom she produced a CD cover.
"Looking back at my earlier work was eye-opening since I have recently gotten into some aspects of design for what I thought was the first time, when in reality I had been dabbling with certain media and formats in design since I was a teenager," Alkins points out.
Her career started taking form with studies at The Caribbean School of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at UWI Mona, where she explored all multimedia disciplines in 2002.
"That experience at CARIMAC taught me the value of exploring storytelling across various types of media, and left me with an incredible network of media professionals,” she says. “One thing that I find very rewarding about my studies at UWI Mona, aside from the programme, is the people who all have this regionalist perspective on what it means to be from the Caribbean. In our own ways, we are all working to bring awareness to what connects us as Caribbean people, rather than what makes us different from each other.”
Jeunanne quickly found a home at MACO, one of the leading lifestyle publication brands in the Caribbean, where she honed her design skills. Eventually, she led a graphic design team that worked closely with dozens of other creatives, including photographers, writers, and sales teams, to build that brand into one of the best lifestyle publications to this day.
"One of the best pieces of advice I can give to young or emerging designers – and I do take time to mentor as much as I can – is to work with a design team when you just start out. It helps you to understand the nuances of working in a team with different personalities, and understand aspects of business before you embark on creating your brand or starting your business," she says.
She did just that.
After leaving MACO, and along with her colleague-turned-friend Shelley De Melliac, Alkins immediately dove into several significant projects that veered away from her comfort zone of magazine design. The projects piled on, including work on a beach house publication, one of photographer Noel Norton's books, and eventually, Machel Montano's Boy Boy and the Magic Drum children's storybook, the latter of which left an impression. Having explored the design world’s potential, Alkins opened one of her many upcoming businesses, starting with her design studio.
The name “Everything Slight Pepper” was inspired by the ubiquitous Trinidadian street food, doubles, and the uniquely Caribbean phrase "slight pepper", a nod to how people order their food with just the right amount of spice. Alkins chose this name not only for its cultural resonance, but for its deeper meaning.
"Doubles is the greatest unifier," she explains. "It's enjoyed by everyone, regardless of race or class, and it's affordable to all. That's the essence I wanted in my brand – something everyone could connect to.”
Launched in December 2009, Everything Slight Pepper quickly became known for its vibrant, clever designs, from consumer goods to children's books to cultural products. By tapping into the stories and traditions of the Caribbean, Alkins has created brand identities that evoke a sense of pride and joy in our heritage.
"For me, it's about capturing the essence of our culture," she says. “The Caribbean is filled with stories, and I want to be a part of preserving and sharing them."
Alkins's designs are far more than aesthetically pleasing—they serve as cultural artifacts that preserve the stories of the Caribbean. From her work on the children's storybook Boy Boy and the Magic Drum, she eventually created her own universe of children's storybooks that have appeared almost everywhere in T&T.
"We're living in a time where our culture is being influenced by so many external factors," she notes. "It's important that we create spaces where our stories can thrive, where Caribbean people can see themselves and their experiences reflected in a way that is authentic and celebratory."
Her stories and those she collaborated with others on include Ready. Set. Hatch! (about sea turtles that visit our North Coast), Alex the Awesome and the Crazy Quest for the Golden Pod (about our Trinitario cocoa) and The Most Magnificent (about the Magnificent Seven buildings that grace the Queen's Park Savannah). In October 2024, she released Play Ah Mas, which will reach meaningfully into the stories and characters of Trinbagonian Carnival to reimagine our mysterious and traditional Carnival characters for an entirely new generation of youngsters.
"This is the first in a series in the edtech space where, through the brand Bright Eyed, we are going to make learning fun, and delve into our culture and our stories," she explains. “Play Ah Mas is very collaborative, with artwork from Nicholas Huggins and Adira Khan, and also features lyrics by Keron Boodoosingh, and of course, the stories from yours truly. We are basically teaching students in a way that is fresh and eye-catching.”
While she does not wax poetic about the creative process, she does highlight an overlooked challenge in education: “Think about why textbooks are boring and story books aren't – it's just a matter of good design.”
In November, Bright Eyed will make its global debut as its founder heads to Finland for the Hundred Innovation Summit, where she will showcase the brand’s vision for edtech that bridges the gap between cultural education and technology-enabled learning experiences. This summit is an exciting opportunity to present the Caribbean’s vibrant storytelling tradition on a global stage.
Alkins also recently concluded her part-time lecturer position for the Design Lab Level 3 course in the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) at UWI St Augustine.
In the classroom, she introduced students to the wide range of possibilities within the design field.
“I wanted to show them that there's more than just ‘graphic design’ – you can work in branding, product design, even environmental design," she says.
She also brought several real-world practitioners from her network to provide context. Much like her design work, her teaching philosophy emphasises simplicity and cleverness.
"Good design doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to resonate with people.”
And though she considers herself more of a 'true true creative' than an outright entrepreneur, she reminds anyone embarking on that journey to remember strong foundations including trademarking, protecting your ideas and IP, and always ensuring that you work with strong systems in place, including financial and legal ones.
In the fast-changing world of design and creativity, Jeunanne has managed to carve out her unique space, blending her passion for Caribbean culture with her drive for innovation. While her body of work for clients grows, she has also leveraged her design talents to build her own creative initiatives and share her own stories – which are part of our collective stories.
That’s how we craft the Caribbean’s creative tapestry – one story, one design, one cultural thread at a time, each more vibrant than the last.
You can find Bright Eyed on wearebrighteyed.com and @wearebrighteyed on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
