Today we’d like to introduce you to N’kele “Kelly” Davis.
Hi N’kele “Kelly”, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a Black girl with a beautiful, cultured name that’s often mispronounced. I’ve been called Nicole, Nykel, and everything in between but my name is N’kele. Still, most people have called me Kelly since I was a little girl.
Many of my clients may not know that I was born and raised in West Baltimore. My story begins in Sandtown Winchester, a neighborhood full of grit, flavor, and unforgettable moments.
Summers were spent riding bikes with my cousins, hearing loud dirt bikes in the distance, grabbing 25 cent frozen cups and penny candy, heading to teen nights at Shake and Bake, and hearing every parent say, “Stop running in and out of my house.”
I was raised in a small, close-knit family by a strong single mother while my father served a 24-year prison sentence. Life wasn’t always easy, but it was always mine and God was in every moment of it, molding me.
I was deeply loved by my grandparents, a Baltimore Arab and a hospital manager. My late Grandma Dot and I shared a bond that shaped me deeply. My mom, a teenage parent, defied the odds and earned not one but two college degrees. I’m my mother’s oldest child and the oldest girl of my father.
As a little girl, I was soft spoken but carried quiet strength. My late uncle and my mom made sure I knew how to stand firm. I was always captivated by entertainers. Singing and dancing lit something in me. Though I was shy, there was always a light in me waiting to shine.
And I loved to read. In a city that didn’t always celebrate bookworms, I found my peace in pages. Harry Potter was my favorite in the early 2000s. Books were my escape and my magic in a world that could be tough.
This is just the beginning. I carry my name, my roots, and my dreams with pride.
I attended Carver Vocational Technical High School in Baltimore City, and it was there I started to find my voice a voice of a shirt girl complex, teenage rebellion and jokester. I wasn’t the best academically, but I was resourceful. My mother was working two, sometimes three jobs while going to school full-time to pursue her degree in social work. Times would get extremely hard for us but my mom never gave up on us. I went through seasons of teenage rebellion. But in those same years, I found my first taste of entrepreneurship.
Money was tight, and I wanted the things I saw on TV, so I found my hustle. I started selling candy at school. That moment lit something in me. I didn’t know the word “entrepreneur” then, but I was already walking in it. That spirit stayed with me through my twenties as I moved between childcare jobs, customer service roles, and even tax preparation. I was always helping someone with something, guiding, encouraging, serving. But I also knew deep down I wasn’t made to work for someone else forever.
I remember the day I looked at my boyfriend and said, “I can’t keep doing this. I don’t want to work a 9 to 5 anymore.” We were living together in a small apartment, and I could only pray that he understood. I was about to take a leap of faith with no steady income and no clear plan. I needed him to understand that this was going to change everything.
That leap led me to a walk-in closet.
That’s where I began my journey as a graphic designer, in the walk-in closet of our shared apartment. I had a used Mac from a refurbished electronics store and a copy of Adobe Photoshop, one of the most complex design programs out there. I had no training. I just had time, grit, and YouTube tutorials. I started designing logos, messy at first, but they were mine. And I was building something.
Eventually, I left my job, or better said, I allowed myself to be fired. I had reached the point where I was ready to bet on myself. But shortly after, I found out I was pregnant.
I was scared. Not because I wasn’t ready to be a mother, but because of the pressure of society’s expectations. Here I was, unmarried, an entrepreneur with no “real” career, and carrying a child. I allowed fear and self-doubt to creep in. I questioned if I’d make it. I returned to work during my pregnancy out of fear, not faith. I didn’t have a backup plan. But God did.
Everything changed when I had my daughter Ava, just months before the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the world faced uncertainty, I found clarity. Staying home with my daughter awakened something in me. I didn’t want to send her into a system that didn’t reflect our values. So my partner and I made the decision to homeschool. I used my childcare certification, prayed hard, and trusted God with the rest.
When Ava turned one, I returned to graphic design, but this time with purpose. My audience had never left. My platform was still there. And when I returned, it felt like I had never left either.
But something had changed.
Clients came to me for logos and left with vision. What started as a branding service became a divine assignment. I realized that design was never the final destination. It was simply the door. God had called me to help people see their purpose , not just brands but gifts. Conversations turned into purpose sessions. I began seeing how creativity could be used as ministry.
It still took years for me to fully surrender to that truth. But earlier this year, everything came full circle.
I was saved and baptized the week after Easter. I now attend church in Baltimore County, and I lead a faith-based women’s group called The Higher Call. We started with a 30-day fast in March, twelve women fasting and seeking God together. And those twelve women are still with me today. We meet weekly for Bible study, and through their growth, I’ve found my own. They don’t even realize how much they’ve helped position me for purpose.
Today, I’m still a full-time graphic designer through my business Call Kelly Design and Branding Studio. But I’m also walking in my assignment, equipping women to discover purpose, deepen their relationship with God, and walk by faith. I recently launched The Call to Purpose, a virtual workshop and coaching space where women can come to be equipped, healed, and activated into their divine assignment.
And above all, I’m a homeschooling mother to my five-year-old daughter Ava, who is full of light, personality, and purpose of her own. She keeps me grounded, inspired, and trusting God every single day.
No, my story isn’t wrapped up in a perfect bow. It’s one of process, pain, discovery, and divine direction. But I know now that every step, every struggle, every late night in that walk-in closet was all preparation.
God is using me. And I’m finally letting Him lead.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it definitely wasn’t a smooth road. One of the first major struggles was identity, truly understanding who I was. I was in my early twenties when Instagram was just beginning, and before that, we had MySpace and early Facebook, which weren’t anything like social media today. I was just stepping into adulthood, trying to figure out myself, and suddenly social media was added into the mix. That made it even harder to separate who I was from what the world expected me to be.
And that’s key, because when you step into entrepreneurship or leadership of any kind, identity matters. If you’re unsure of who you are, you’re going to hit a lot of walls. But those obstacles weren’t wasted. They helped mold me. You either overcome your experiences or become bound by them. And by the grace of God, I overcame.
Another struggle was building a business without the structure. Back then, social media wasn’t built for marketing. There were no in-app payment systems, no tutorials, no Cash App links in bios. If you didn’t already know how to set up systems, you were winging it, and that was me. I was a hustler, yes. But I didn’t have formal business training. I had to learn through trial and error.
That season taught me so much, and it’s why I’m passionate about helping clients today. Even if they come to me for logos or brand visuals, the conversation often goes deeper. I help them think about systems, purpose, and long-term structure because I know what it’s like to start from scratch with no blueprint.
Looking back now, I see clearly that what I lacked in education, God made up for in experience. Through my faith walk, I’ve learned that God doesn’t need you to be qualified in the way man defines it. Yes, there are fields where formal education is necessary, but when it comes to divine purpose, God qualifies those He calls. He trains you through life, through process, through obedience.
Every struggle, every gain, every delay was a part of the training. Even me designing MySpace pages, doing basic coding, I see now that it all led me here. God wastes nothing.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Yes, I am a self-taught graphic designer. I would say I specialize in brand development through purpose. I started off designing logos, flyers, and even Snapchat filters, and from there, I began educating myself on the deeper layers of branding. Over time, I learned the importance of brand identity and how it goes far beyond just creating something that looks good.
One thing I’m proud of is my ability to educate clients who may not fully understand marketing. That has actually been my slogan for the past two years: “It’s more than a logo.” Because it really is. I help people understand the basics of branding and simplify the concept of marketing by relating it to how we function as everyday consumers. When you can shift your mindset and think like the people you’re trying to reach, it changes how you build your brand from the ground up.
What sets me apart is that I don’t just design. I partner. I support. I hold my clients accountable. I help them see their vision clearly, even when they’re unsure of it themselves. I always say, I may not be the best designer in the world, but what I bring is something deeper—clarity, encouragement, and direction. That is why I believe God uses me as a vessel in this space. People feel safe sharing their dreams with me, and I don’t take that lightly.
Over the last seven years, I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs across the U.S. and beyond from Baltimore to Florida, Louisiana to Texas, Sacramento to Canada, Chicago, Maine, Detroit, and more. Every client and every project has been part of my purpose journey.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Working with me is simple. You can visit my website at www.callkellydesign.com to explore my services, book consultations, and view my latest projects. I love collaborating with creatives and professionals who are walking in purpose and ready to elevate their brand.
Call Kelly Design and Branding currently partners with some amazing talent here in Maryland. I work alongside two state-of-the-art photographers: YRN Photography, led by Dr. Austin Hill, and Triple Love Photography, led by Tiffany Chante, who is also an incredibly skilled makeup artist. I’ve also partnered with Chase It Mobile Bartending, founded by Jasmine Peacock, who not only runs a mobile bartending company but also leads a powerful mentorship program for women in business.
These partnerships reflect the heart of what I value collaboration, creativity, community, and Black excellence. Over the past few years, it has been an honor to grow alongside these individuals as a graphic designer and see how our collective work has brought so many visions to life.
If you’re looking to build something purposeful, elevate your brand, or collaborate with someone who is faith-led and creatively driven, I would love to connect.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.callkellydesign.com
- Instagram: Callkellydesign
