We Help Mission-Led Brands Stand Out and Get Results
DESIGNING WITH HEART AND STRATEGY
From branding to websites to ongoing creative support, we give your vision the visuals it deserves.
hey hey! I'm Makya
Systems Specialist
Designer
Brand Strategist
Truth is: I never planned to be a full-time designer.
Teak & Ink began as a side task. I was knee deep in community work, running events, leading programs, and designing flyers and websites for my nonprofit and the university that I worked for; doing all of the things that I felt that I needed to in order to move the mission forward. I didn’t call myself a designer back then, even when I started to notice that I was good at it. I just cared deeply about how things looked (and felt).
But somewhere between passion projects and late nights of making visuals actually work for the people and missions that I cared about, I realized just how much design shapes the way people see you.
Those early days designing for the causes that were important to me shaped the foundation of Teak & Ink.
collaboration
cultural relevance
attention to detail
social impact
By merging strategy, design, and systems thinking, we make sure that the brands we work with don’t stop at looking good. They connect, resonate, and move people to action.
Today, every project we take on is rooted in purpose and guided by the same values I learned from those early justice-focused endeavors:
They taught me that aesthetics are only half of the battle. What's most important is impact. Every flyer, website, and brand identity that I created had to communicate a mission, build trust, and move people to action. That's still true.
Here's what I've seen with clients just like you...
sound familiar?
You’re stretched thin because of on top of trying to manage your business, you have to market it.
You hesitate when sharing your website because it just doesn't look good
You only have one version of your logo and it never seems to fit anywhere
Your visuals feel inconsistent from your website to your social media, and it shows.
THESE ARE EXACTLY THE REASONS WHY I CREATED TEAK & INK
I wanted to create a studio that not only gave justice-centered work the creative care that it needed, but also a studio that combined strategy combined strategy with style in order to help visionaries like you reach your goals in a way that feels aligned, authentic, and impactful.
I truly felt that so many purpose-driven founders and entrepreneurs had powerful missions, but struggled to show up online in a way that best reflects the value that they bring. It meant that amazing folks with big ideas and bigger hearts were getting stuck behind visuals that were missing the mark.
A studio that helps you show up with the confidence of a toddler ready to head out with their shoes on the wrong foot.
So, now that you have a sense of how we roll with our clients, it’s only fair you get to know a little more about me... beyond design.
GET TO KNOW ME
(LIKE MASH FROM THE EARLY 2000S STYLE)
1. Good music to dance to
2. Good food
3. 1 and 2
4. 1 only
my ideal date night would include
1. Dining at new steakhouses
2. 80s Rock playlists
3. Spending early mornings at the gym
4. Binge-watching 90s sitcoms
happily vegan!
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I really love
1. Matching my 2 year old's energy
2. Talking his daddy's head off
3.Making a difference in my community
4. All of the above
when i'm not designing, i'm
1. Sneakers
2. Heels
3. Something in between
4. i prefer to be barefoot actually
most days, fluffy slides please!
I'M MOST LIKELY TO WEAR
1. Jamica
2. Greece
3. South Africa
4. Dominican Republic
at the top of my travel list is
1. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
2. The Beyhive
3. The thrifted finds fanatics
4. ALL OF 'EM!
i'm a proud member of
