Two outdoor chairs made of light wood with white cushions and matching pillows, positioned on a matching striped rug, with a small white table between them holding a small flower arrangement, under a white wall with a decorative design reading "TO JOY JOURNEY."

JOURNEY TO JOY

Roles: Full Event Branding, Merch Design, Creative Collaborator

2024

Washington, DC

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Journey to Joy was a one-day immersive experience created to empower, uplift, and nurture women of color through wellness, knowledge-sharing, and authentic connection. The event featured inspiring speakers, interactive breakout sessions, curated wellness resources, and culminated in a 45-minute themed concert titled Sip, Rock, and Heal. Each attendee received a wellness kit and space to reflect, rest, and reconnect with her personal path to joy.

CREATIVE NARRATIVE

The project began as a simple lunchtime conversation among three women that evolved into something sacred. We wanted to create a space for us, for Black women, to exhale. A space that didn’t demand productivity, perfection, or performance, but instead offered restoration. Every detail of the experience, from the program flow to the scent in the room, was designed with intention, softness, and reverence for Black womanhood.

People gathered at an indoor event, with some engaging in a ceremonial activity, such as a prayer or blessing, around a large bowl on a table.

DESIGN CONCEPT

When developing the visual identity, my goal was to translate that emotional journey into design form. The word joy feels immediate and radiant, but the journey to it is layered, an unfolding process of healing, learning, and rebirth. I wanted the branding to hold both: the light of arrival and the beauty of becoming.

I began exploring symbols that represented motion, expansion, and evolution. I was drawn to the imagery of a continuous path, something without a clear beginning or end. Circles and ovals appeared first, but I landed on a form inspired by a racetrack: an unbroken loop that bends, stretches, and widens. Not because life is a race, but because each return to ourselves, each rebirth, feels like completing another lap. With every loop, the track widens with new wisdom, deeper knowing, and more capacity for joy.

After experimenting with distortion and flow, I finalized a design that felt both dynamic and grounded. The track remained visible, an anchor to the theme of movement, while its soft curves echoed the fluidity of the healing process. The result was a visual system that balanced intentional imperfection with radiant optimism.

A woman with short hairstyle, glasses, and earrings, dressed in a white suit, smiling and speaking into a microphone at an indoor event with green foliage and a decorative emblem in the background.
Two women hugging and smiling in the foreground, one wearing a red hat and the other in a leopard-print top, with a group of people blurred in the background, indoors at an event.
Two women smiling and taking a selfie at a social event with a white wall, some tables, and food in the background.

OUTCOME

The branding became the through-line of the entire experience, woven across digital assets, printed materials, and custom merchandise. Journey to Joy now stands as both a visual and emotional study in how design can hold space for healing and celebration, especially for Black women navigating toward their own versions of wholeness.

A woman with long dreadlocks and wearing a wide-brimmed tan hat sits cross-legged on a cushion, holding a microphone while surrounded by white candles on an ornate Persian-style rug, possibly in a meditation or musical setting.
Close-up of a woman's hand with jewelry, reaching into a metallic bowl.
Two women holding hands, standing in a bright, spacious indoor setting with other people in the background. One is wearing glasses and earrings, and the other has long wavy hair and a watch. There is a large metallic bowl in the foreground.
A wicker sofa with a white cushion and a brown pillow with yellow text. Next to it is a glass table with a laptop covered in stickers. The setting appears to be in a cozy indoor space with a beige wall and a patterned rug.
A woman in a light green dress holding a microphone and some papers, standing in front of a dark green leafy wall with a gold-colored design.
A person sitting at a table with a yellow and white patterned tablecloth, holding a notebook with handwritten notes. They are wearing a beige shirt and headphones, with a plaid jacket draped over the back of the chair. On the table are a smartphone with a pink case, a black bag, a black remote control, and a closed laptop. The background shows a white wall, a television, a green plant, and a fire alarm.
Journey to Joy logo.
A woman with glasses and a bun hairdo, dressed in a black hoodie and gray pants, holding a cup, and talking to a seated woman with braided hair in a gray jacket at an indoor event. There is a green wall with a logo in the background, and chairs and bags are visible.
Display of books, a tote bag, a baseball cap, and various items on a table at a market or event, with a window in the background.
People attending an indoor event, seated at round tables with floral centerpieces, with some individuals wearing name tags. Two women are sitting in the foreground, with their eyes closed, one dressed in beige and the other in red. The background shows more attendees, some standing and some seated, in a well-lit space with large windows and a green plant wall.
Two women having a conversation in a decorated indoor setting. One woman with dark curly hair tied up, wearing a white cardigan over a white dress, gesturing with her hand. The other woman with long wavy hair, wearing a beige jacket and black pants, holding a blue shopping bag.
Two women standing together at an indoor event, both smiling at the camera. One woman is holding a cup of coffee, and there are people in the background, some wearing crowns. The setting appears to be casual with tables, a green wall, and some decorative elements.
Three women sitting at a round banquet table with a beige tablecloth in a spacious, industrial-style event space. Two women in foreground wearing glasses, one with a purple hat, the other with a headscarf, smiling at the camera. The third woman on the right wears glasses and a pink top. There are decorations including a small potted plant with yellow flowers on the table. In the background, two women are standing, one with a fur coat and the other with short hair and glasses, with a stage area partially visible behind black curtains.
Two women hugging warmly, smiling in a warmly lit indoor setting with a green wall and decorative elements in the background.
A beige sofa with a decorative pillow on each side, a small clear table with a yellow flower arrangement, a patterned rug underneath, a wall with a quote in golden cursive writing, and a large black speaker on a stand.