Inkardia Brand Development

Brand Identity Design, Visual & UI/UX Design, Web Design & Development (Webflow), Screen Printing & Physical Production, Copywriting & Creative Direction, Photography Art Direction

Inkardia began as a personal artistic outlet and evolved into a fully realized clothing brand where design, meaning, and physical craft converge. As both the creative and technical lead, I oversaw every stage of Inkardia’s creation — from naming and brand philosophy, to visual identity, interface design, and even physically printing the garments myself. The brand's core is emotional — expressing philosophical introspection through minimal design and premium quality.

I designed and developed the e-commerce experience with Shopify as the backbone and Webflow and Figma for prototyping. I also produced all the brand photography, packaging, and apparel mockups — building a hands-on pipeline from concept to customer.

As the sole designer and founder behind Inkardia, I wanted to create a brand that felt alive, introspective, and human. My goal was to build an e-commerce experience that not only sold graphic tees but told a story with every interaction. The brand needed to convey a sense of care — both in the way it looked and in the way it functioned. I took ownership of every piece of the process: naming, visual identity, web design, and screenprinting. It was important that the product reflected the same sense of intentionality as the interface it lived on.

The primary challenge was to design a brand that felt cohesive across mediums — one that would hold up digitally while also translating with clarity and emotion onto physical apparel. I didn’t want a generic e-commerce site; the experience needed to match the intentionality and weight behind the designs themselves. The visuals had to convey the themes of introspection, obsession, and boldness, while the interface had to remain usable and clean. Balancing expressive storytelling with clear functionality was at the core of the design problem.

To approach this, I began by developing a visual identity that could scale across print and screen — from tags and labels to product pages and packaging. I then designed the full digital experience in Figma, using modular components. I prototyped interactions, adjusting pacing, transitions, and layout spacing to feel deliberate and story-driven. Every decision — from typeface to scroll behavior — was rooted in the brand’s core philosophy: intentional design as emotional storytelling.

Designing the website in Webflow allowed me to move quickly and visually. I designed in Figma and then translated over to Webflow, building out the experience responsively across breakpoints and tying in dynamic CMS fields for scalability. Each product page was tailored to feel like a mini editorial — with room for copy, visual hierarchy, and whitespace. From hover states to load interactions, every micro-interaction was purposeful.

I also created unique CMS fields for each project and shirt, allowing me to manage content easily and future-proof the system for growth. The design balances motion with simplicity — letting the products speak while layering in just enough interaction to feel alive.

In addition to digital design, I took the brand into the real world — hand-printing every shirt in my studio using eco-conscious methods. This was more than a production step — it was part of the design process. Printing allowed me to understand how my graphics functioned on fabric, how ink interacted with cotton, and how tactile decisions impacted the end product. I experimented with puff paint, halftones, and color layering — not as afterthoughts but as extensions of the design system.

The physical act of printing grounded the brand in something tangible. It reminded me that design is about more than pixels — it’s about craft, process, and the care behind what we put into the world.

One of the biggest goals was to ensure that Inkardia didn’t feel like a seasonal or novelty project. It had to feel timeless and cohesive — capable of growing while staying rooted in its founding principles. To do this, I built a flexible design system across web and product that was easy to maintain, expand, and scale.

The backend of the website was set up using CMS structures to allow easy updates and new drops. The physical design system for the shirts included a standard for print placement, labeling, and packaging that could be applied to future collections. The brand voice — both in writing and design — was intentionally crafted to feel human and unpolished, avoiding sterile e-comm norms in favor of something raw and heartfelt.

The Outcome

The final brand represents a tight integration of UX, UI, and physical craft. From scroll interactions to shirt tags, the entire experience feels thoughtful and holistic. Customers have responded to the brand’s personal nature, and many reach out to share how the messaging or graphics resonated with them. As a designer, this project pushed me to expand beyond screen work — and showed me how meaningful a product can be when it’s built slowly and with intention.

Launching Inkardia has been one of the most creatively fulfilling experiences of my career. It allowed me to merge digital design with tactile storytelling — building a brand that’s expressive, scalable, and deeply personal. The site has received strong organic traffic, and early sales have validated the product-market fit among design-conscious buyers.

But more than metrics, Inkardia has reminded me that design is about care — about building something with soul, brick by brick. Whether it’s a pixel or a drop of ink, the attention you give it matters. And that’s what people respond to.