Design as access
Professional branding shouldn't be a luxury only established companies can afford. I build so more founders get to look — and feel — credible.
About
Design, strategy, and a little soul
I'm Tia James — a brand identity director and creative who believes design should empower, connect, and heal. Here's the story behind the work.
Who I am
A creative leader building brands where people feel seen.
With over eight years in brand identity and creative strategy, I'm the Founder and Lead Designer of MonaDen Studios and the Brand Identity Director for Black Tech Saturdays — a fast-growing movement building underrepresented wealth, tech, and innovation from the ground up.
My journey includes work with brands like The Lip Bar, Doner, and the City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department — grounding me in both the storytelling and the systems behind design that actually works.
The story
The vision was always there. The audience is catching up.
A career built doing exactly what I was told I couldn't
In a college design review, I talked about what I loved: designing graphic tees and apparel. What came back wasn't encouragement — I was told I wouldn't be successful on that path. I left the room, sat down in a stairwell, and called my mom in tears.
Years later, I've built a career doing exactly that. Not out of spite — out of a quiet, stubborn belief that the vision was always there, and the audience just needed to catch up.
From Detroit to Houston, one project at a time
I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BFA in Graphic Design and moved through internships — including Doner and The Lip Bar — that gave me technical range and professional footing. I spent six years as a graphic designer for the City of Detroit's Planning & Development Department, building templates, infographics, and materials for Detroit neighborhoods.
Each project added vocabulary to a practice that was becoming distinctly mine — grounded in both the storytelling and the systems behind design that actually works.
Then came Black Tech Saturdays
As Brand Identity Director and Lead Designer for Black Tech Saturdays — the Detroit-rooted movement building an ecosystem where Black and Brown founders don't have to leave to grow — I design event branding, merchandise, social campaigns, and large-scale experiences for founders building in real time.
Project after project, I saw the same thing: the ideas were strong, but the branding often didn't reflect them. Founders were walking into rooms where first impressions are made in seconds, without the visual language to communicate the quality of what they'd built. Closing that gap became my whole focus.
MonaDen Studios — and choosing myself
In June 2025 I stopped splitting my attention and made MonaDen Studios my full-time work — a boutique studio for bold, thoughtful, deeply human brand identities. I learned the hard way that if you don't value your work, other people won't either. I undercharged and overextended until I understood that my experience and instincts were the service, not a commodity to discount.
Now I'm developing a Canva-based course and community — So on Brand Club — for founders and small business owners who need professional branding without a professional design budget. The receipts are early but real, and the scoreboard is still being written. That's exactly the point.
“Your worth is not determined by what someone is willing to pay you.”
— Tia James
What I stand for
The principles behind the work
Heart + strategy
The most magnetic brands are both felt and thought-through. I lead with warmth and back it with a plan that actually converts.
Rooted in community
My work is about helping underrepresented communities thrive — designing spaces and brands where people feel seen, valued, and empowered.
Whole-person creativity
Design and healing come from the same place for me. Whether it's a brand system or a sound bath, the purpose is the same: empower, connect, heal.
Charmed by Intuition
My wellness brand and healing practice — where I hold space for rest, energy, and ancestral wellness through sound and breath.
Beyond design
Design and healing come from the same place for me.
Outside of design, I'm a certified Sound Healing Practitioner and Reiki Level One healer. Through Charmed by Intuition, I create healing spaces that help my community reclaim rest, energy, and ancestral wellness.
Whether I'm building a visual brand system or guiding a room through breath and sound, the purpose is the same: to design experiences that empower, connect, and heal — online and in real life.
Let's build a brand that gets you seen.
Whether you're launching, rebranding, or finally ready to look as credible as the work you do — I'd love to hear what you're building. Let's make something magnetic together.