Hi I’m mak (she/they)

I’m an artist, designer, and researcher with over 5 years of design and communications experience. I’m based in Pittsburgh, PA as the Design & Communications Coordinator at Point Line Projects. I co-founded the bookshop and community space Paper + Dirt and collaborate with writers, architects, and creatives on community-minded, care-forward projects. I’m passionate about using art and design as tools for mental health intervention, designing for neurodiversity, decolonizing design, and designing printed matter, objects, and spaces that are accessible and promote visceral safety and self-expression.

I studied Global Health at Allegheny College and Design Science at the University of Michigan where my coursework focused on systems design and my research explored architectural interventions for mental health. My graduate work at UMICH culminated in a thesis asking how the built environment influences human sensory perception considering sensory sensitivities due to embodied trauma.

While continuing this research independently, I opened a small studio, Mak.O Designs, before starting at Point Line Projects. I joined the PLP team as a part-time marketer and became the Design and Communications Coordinator the following year. Point Line Projects supports editorial and curatorial projects in architecture, art, and design, and I work as part of a creative team that shepherds these projects from concept to completion. With a focus on printed matter, I work as the lead designer on projects such as book design and layout to branding and web design. I’m the point person for client communications on design projects, and I facilitate each step of the process - writing and delivering proposals, managing timelines, designing and iterating, coordinating with printers and collaborators, delivering final materials, marketing, and invoicing. I share PLP’s commitment to supporting individuals, projects, and initiatives that uplift marginalized communities and advocate for equity within creative industries.