Twenty Years
of Designing
Without Limits
Branding • Digital Design • Educator • Pittsburgh, PA
The Designer > Software Principle
Great design isn't just based on the software.
It's based on the resourceful designer with scrappy skills to make things happen.
The tools have def changed throughout the years. I've seen many platforms rise and fall. I've seen new apps appear every year promising to make design “easy.” But the truth is that no matter how easy software and apps try to make it, the programs don’t create powerful brands, it's the designers who do.
I've been designing on the internet
for more than twenty years.
Long before drag-and-drop was a thing, I was figuring out how design worked with whatever tools I had. I came from the bottom scrapping up from making graphics look legit using Microsoft Paint. At the time, I didn't have access to get anywhere near enough money to afford Photoshop. But that didn't change that I wanted to be in the designer game. Most of what I had was Microsoft Paint and a few basic photo editing programs, and my graphics still competed with those who had Photoshop.
That experience shaped everything I do today.
Although, I've made it up the ranks to have Adobe Creative Suite at my disposal, (which I like to call the "Infinity Stones of Design" ), that scrappy designer instinct never left.
Today I help creators use both conventional, and unconventional, tools and apps to stop borrowing other people's aesthetics, break free from the templates and prompts, and start building something they can genuinely say they designed on their own.
First Client.
Open Door.
Early Design Work
It was 2001, and I was on a site called Black Planet, and there I became enthralled with the options of choosing themes to make your profile your own. Then a couple years later, MySpace spawned, and I was the go-to girl on that site if you wanted a custom HTML layout of your dreams. I also created club flyers within the event promotion company I made at 18, Eternalreign Productions.
By 2008, I completed my first paid project: designing a logo and website for a Pittsburgh-based Alternative and Horrocore music duo called Morbid Sikosis. That project opened the door to years of freelance design work helping creators, entrepreneurs, and online personalities build their brands. By 2010, I got into the interest of photo retouching and manipulation, creating a brand called Aesthetic Elixir.
Since then I've worked on 50+ branding and design projects, creating brand identities, websites, digital graphics, and visual systems for businesses and creators. One of my specialties is branding boards: strategic visual systems that map out a brand's colors, typography, imagery, and direction so everything feels cohesive. In additon of having a solid foundational career in Multimedia Curation, my freelance work as Brand Systems Designer and Design Workflow Strategist helps creators build cohesive visual brands without relying on restrictive design platforms.
Design as
Cultural Voice
Influenchill & Cultural Design
In 2018, I launched Ebony Can Design to focus fully on branding and digital aesthetics. That same year, I created Influenchill, a creative clothing brand based on limited-time drops exploring culture, internet commentary, and visual storytelling.
Influenchill gained regional attention after I released the "Hood Lives Matter" graphic during a controversy involving a Carnegie Mellon University mapping project. The design was featured in local Pittsburgh news (KDKA and Post Gazette) and sparked community conversation about representation, and bias through digital culture.
Designing for
Live Digital Spaces
The Pandemic Era
During the COVID-19 era, I expanded into livestream media (Twitch TV) and content creation. I designed Twitch overlays, streaming graphics, and digital broadcast assets for myself and other streamers on Twitch, and Facebook Gaming navigating the growing content creator economy.
This period deepened my experience designing on a consistent basis for real-time digital environments, and collaboratiosn where visuals needed to be both expressive and functional, and I had to make sure that my design style was something luxorious and sleek, and they absolutely were.
Design as a
Real-World Tool
Digital Communications
Alongside my independent creative work, I also work in digital communications supporting vital national-level organizing efforts. I design and maintain WordPress websites, develop visual media for campaigns, and help ensure large digital platforms remain accessible and effective.
This work keeps me grounded in how design functions not just aesthetically, but as a real tool for communication and organizing in the world. This work is deeply important to me as design if more about just selling, and getting people to buy your product. There's a visual solidarity that you have to know to add to your visuals making sure that the look is powerful, yet inclusive.
Did You Know This About Me?
I'm based in Pittsburgh, PA — and the city shows up in my work. From the "Hood Lives Matter" graphic that made regional news, to the communities I design for every day.
I never went to design school. I figured it out in real time with whatever tools I could get my hands on. That scrappiness is still one of my greatest assets — and the reason I can teach others to do the same.
I started designing on the internet before most of today's creators were old enough to have a MySpace page. Two decades in and I'm still learning, still creating, still finding new ways to push the craft forward.
I noticed the same frustration happening over and over with entrepreneurs I worked with. They'd hit a wall with template tools and not know where to go next. That's why The Canva Exit Plan exists.
Beyond my studio, I work in digital communications supporting national-level organizing efforts — designing platforms, campaigns, and visual media that do real work in the world.
This one's the throughline of everything. I built a career on resourcefulness. My whole mission is proving that real design skill matters more than what's in your software subscription.
Key Milestones
Building custom MySpace pages and learning design with Microsoft Paint and basic editors — no Photoshop, just creative problem-solving and a drive to figure it out.
Completed my first paid project: logo and website design for music group Morbid Sikosis. The start of over a decade of freelance branding work.
Launched Ebony Can Design and Influenchill in the same year. The "Hood Lives Matter" graphic received regional Pittsburgh media coverage, sparking wider conversation about digital culture and representation.
Expanded into Twitch overlays, streaming graphics, and digital broadcast assets — designing for live, real-time digital environments during the growth of the creator economy.
Launching a full course teaching entrepreneurs and creators how to move beyond template-based design using Photopea and free creative resources. Real control. No limitations.
Ready to elevate your brand into luxury?
Branding
Projects
Full brand identity work — logos, branding boards, visual systems, and digital assets tailored to your business and audience.
Start a ProjectThe Canva
Exit Plan
My signature course teaching professional design using Photopea and free tools. No expensive software. Just real skills and better systems.
Explore CourseDigital
Consulting
Design strategy, workflow consulting, & guidance for entrepreneurs who want to take real control of their visual identity.
Get in TouchFOR HIGH-END CLIENTS READY TO INVEST IN WORKING WITH ME TO TAKE THEIR VISUALS TO A LUXURY LEVEL
Enrolling Soon
The Canva
Exit Plan
I noticed the same ceiling appearing for entrepreneurs and creators trying to design their own brands. Most rely heavily on Canva — and while it helps beginners, eventually the templates box you in and the advanced features hide behind expensive subscriptions.
That's exactly where my teaching comes in.
- Move beyond template-based design
- Gain real control over your graphics and brand identity
- Use Photopea — a free, professional-grade alternative
- No expensive software required. Just better systems.
