Ren Mckellar Graphic Designer

02/14/2026

Black History Month 🖤

01/04/2026

I’ve been using Photoshop since 1998.
I promise you don’t need to be scared of it.

This Spring I’m teaching a FREE Photoshop class at College of the Canyons and you’ll walk away with an Adobe Certificate.

No experience needed.
No gatekeeping.

Just clean skills and a credential to prove it.
Scan the QR code. Let’s get you official.

01/02/2026

Stepping into 2026 with a full heart and a clear mind.
This year is about peace, balance, and intention in my work, my teaching, and my community. I’m excited for what’s ahead: new classes, new creative projects, and continued work that uplifts and empowers people where they are.

If the last few years taught me anything, it’s that rest is productive, boundaries are powerful, and purpose always wins.

Thank you to everyone who’s supported, collaborated, learned, and grown with me. I’m ready for this next chapter and I hope you are too. 💛
Happy New Year. We’re just getting started.

12/01/2025

I finally got my hands on the GDUSA issue that features my work and the journey behind it and honestly, it hit me a little different seeing it in print.

Socially responsible design isn’t just a “topic” for me. It’s the work that saved me after losing a friend in 2015. It’s the reason I teach. It’s the reason I build pathways for Black and Brown students. It’s why I pour so much into community projects, equity focused storytelling, and creating access wherever I can.

To everyone who has trusted me with their classrooms, their students, their organizations, their movements, and their visions, thank you.

To my College of the Canyons and IAU students, you inspire me every single week.

To AIGA LA, thank you for letting me stand in the gap for the next generation.

And to Peace & Balance LLC… this is exactly why I built you.

This feature isn’t about recognition, it’s a reminder that design can move culture, and we all have a part in shaping what comes next.

If you get the chance to read it, I hope you feel the heart behind the work.

More to come.

— Renée McKellar ✨

10/13/2025

Today we pause to honor Indigenous Peoples' Day — a day to remember and uplift the original stewards of this land.

Before cities, borders, and colonization, Indigenous communities lived in deep balance with the earth - caring for it, not claiming it. Their traditions, languages, and stewardship continue to teach us what sustainability, respect, and community truly mean.

May we honor that legacy by listening, learning, and supporting Indigenous voices and movements — not just today, but always.

08/04/2025

Black August is not only a time to honor the revolutionaries, political prisoners, and freedom fighters who came before us. It is a moment to reflect on their sacrifices while continuing to build on the visions they carried. Black August is more than looking back, it’s about looking forward.

This month is a call to examine the ways we resist, the ways we care for each other, and the ways we continue to carve out spaces for our liberation. It is a reminder that the struggles of our ancestors were not only about survival but about creating pathways for us to live with dignity, joy, and freedom.

Throughout August, we will explore the movements and people whose work and fight have helped our communities advance and build together. We’ll also look at the systems and networks that can help us sustain and nurture our collective future, knowing that liberation requires both memory and action.

08/01/2025

🖤✊🏾 Black August is here, and I’m choosing to move with intention.

As a designer, educator, and creative spirit, this month isn’t about content for me, it’s about commitment.

Commitment to learning.
To honoring Black resistance.
To creating from a place of discipline and truth.

Black August started in the prisons but lives in our practice, how we study, how we care for our communities, and how we use our gifts.

This August, I’m stepping back from the noise and leaning into the work:
🎨 Creating with purpose
📚 Studying our stories
🧠 Reflecting on what design can really do

Not everything I make will be for show. Some things are sacred.

07/31/2025

Anti-Blackness in Design & Labor: What Chris Smalls Teaches Us
Design is not neutral, it reflects power, systems, and the values of those who shape it. From underrepresentation in leadership to cultural appropriation and tokenism, anti-Blackness is embedded in how design functions across industries.

This post breaks down:
�🖤 How Eurocentric design erases Black aesthetics�🖤 What workplace exclusion looks like in creative fields�🖤 5 strategies to design more equitably�🖤 Why labor justice and design justice are deeply connected and what we can learn from Chris Smalls’ resistance

As designers, employers, and allies, it’s on us to center Black voices, audit our institutions, and stand in solidarity with those pushing for change.
Let’s move from aesthetics to action.

🗣 Quote to reflect on: “Our profession’s silence is assent.” – Bryan Lee Jr.

07/31/2025

🖤 As AIGA LA’s Director of Education and a proud mentee of the incomparable Dr. Dori Tunstall, I’m honored to share this important upcoming event:

🎙️ DEIA Town Hall: An Open Conversation on Inclusive Design
🗓️ Thursday, August 7, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM PT | 📍 Online via Zoom
🎟️ FREE – All are welcome!
🔗 Register here: https://losangeles.aiga.org/event/deia-town-hall/

This Town Hall will be a space for listening, reflection, and collective action as we push toward a more just and inclusive design community in LA and beyond.

I’m especially excited that my mentor, Dr. Tunstall, author of Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook; will be joining the conversation. Her leadership continues to challenge and inspire me in how I show up for students, for the profession, and for the future of design education.

Whether you’re a student, educator, creative, or ally, this conversation is for you. Come ready to engage and co-create.

Let’s build something better, together!

AIGA LA is committed to cultivating an inclusive environment where individuals of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities feel valued, respected, and empowered to bring their most authentic selves into their work. It’s only with these diverse perspectives and identities that our communities ...

07/26/2025

🎨 Saturday Flow Check-In 🖤

It’s Saturday, and I’m in my creative bag! Whether I’m sketching brand ideas, reworking logos, or dreaming up bold visuals for change-makers. I’m reminded that design isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about intention, impact, and identity. 🧠✨

If your brand isn’t speaking to the people you want to reach, it’s time to fix that. 👀
Let’s make sure your visuals match your values.

📩 DM me for a design consult or check out my work at www.renmckellar.com

Empowering BIPOC creatives through purposeful design and branding on Chumash & Fernandeño Tataviam land, now known as LA.

07/25/2025

✨ Is Your Brand Due for a Refresh? Let’s Talk.

Your brand is more than a logo, it’s your message, your energy, your first impression. But if your visuals feel stale or your audience isn’t vibing the way they used to… it might be time to realign. 👀

Swipe through 👉 to see 5 signs your brand might need a refresh and don’t worry, it doesn’t always mean a total rebrand. Sometimes a few intentional updates can breathe new life into your business.

💬 In the comments, tell me:
What part of your brand are you questioning right now?

📩 Ready to elevate? DM me “REFRESH” for a personalized audit and let’s make sure your brand grows with you.