OVERVIEW: Brown Sugar Gallery LLC was born out of a pivotal moment. After graduating college in 2019 and stepping into a corporate role, COVID brought the world to a halt, and with that pause came clarity. Design was always where I needed to be. I used the lockdown to teach myself digital illustration, and set out to put my art on objects people could use and connect with every day.

THE CONCEPT: After exploring pillows, beach towels, and bags, journals felt like the perfect fit. The brand was designed to be inspiring and uplifting for everyone, but was created with Black women and girls specifically in mind. Each journal paired a biblical scripture with an illustrated Black woman in a distinct pose, her natural hair rendered in glitter. The choice was a quiet but powerful pushback against the negative stereotypes surrounding natural Black hair. 

Two years later, I expanded the brand into wall art for a summer vending event. I wanted the pieces to feel simple, fun, inspiring, and add joy to wherever they were placed. The collection included a woman riding a bike with locs and a woman with a sunflower in her hair. Texture became a focal point and I experimented with new brushes in Photoshop to achieve a rich, tactile quality in the hair and clothing. I also created a Juneteenth piece featuring a woman with kente-colored locs. The kente woven into her hair served as a visual thread connecting her to her African roots as an African American woman.

THE DESIGN DECISIONS: I came up with the company name "Brown Sugar" as an homage to Black women, and "Gallery" reflecting the artistic, curatorial nature of the brand. The logo featured a handwritten typeface, a deliberate nod to the act of writing in a journal. Every detail had a through line. Even the order cards carried the brand story, featuring an illustrated girl journaling on her bed.

THE RESULT: Over time, Brown Sugar Gallery continued to show up at vending events and generate sales. Watching people connect with the work in real time was very rewarding and four years later, people are still using the journals.