Day 12 • Feb 2026

Jermaine T Bell

Designer

Area of Expertise

Designer

Jermaine T. Bell is a visual designer who holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Through his work at Havas Worldwide, Bell gained footing in advertising with clients like Michelob Ultra, Liberty Mutual Insurance, and Constellation Energy.

In 2016, Bell wrapped his tenure as one of Fagan Harris' Baltimore Corps fellows, where he served as the Marketing & Programming Director for Impact Hub Baltimore (IHB). There, he developed brand identity and assets through graphic design support, managed social media, and formulated messaging and outreach plans for diverse communities.

He created the Rise Residency with author D. Watkins to highlight thought leadership in inclusion and equity. He also organized and executed all public Impact Hub Baltimore events, curated ongoing art exhibitions, and developed event structure and strategy to ensure registration through cross-promotion and partnerships.

Currently Building
Building on his work at Impact Hub Baltimore, Bell is now an Open Society Fellow where he hopes to engage the communities around ExitTheApple, located in the Barclay neighborhood.

"I hope to create a system that supports Black artists and allows their ideas to grow and thrive. I am excited about my partnership with ExitTheApple, which already has an established reputation within the community."

In 2015, as Programming Chair of AIGA, Bell spearheaded REdesign & REbuild, an initiative that partnered with The Neighborhood Design Center to rebrand and relaunch marketing collateral for small businesses after the Baltimore unrest of April 2015. The Druid Heights Community Development Corporation was the first recipient of this work.

Bell is also a budding entrepreneur who sells handcrafted prints and stationery featuring designs inspired by the African diaspora.

The Interview

Tell me about the work you've done?

I got my start as a professional designer in an advertising agency; there, I mostly worked on social media advertisements and email marketing for companies like Michelob Ultra and Liberty Mutual. Since leaving the agency, I continued to have a focus on social media design and even branched out into social media management. Lately, my work has drifted more toward grassroots organizations, artists, non-profits, and startups. However, I still dabble in corporate work—I just designed some collateral with the Red Bull Amaphiko Academy for their upcoming launch here in Baltimore.

What are your proudest accomplishments of your career?

Launching my own small business, jtbeezwax, a line of stationery and prints. It started as just e-commerce, but just one year in, I am carried at Nubian Hueman in DC and Keeper's Vintage & Knits, Soy, Metal boutique in Baltimore.

"Completing a design degree as an adult, an 'untraditional student' with 15 credits and 60 hours or more of homework—all while working two part-time jobs and maintaining a relationship—was definitely my biggest challenge!"

What have been your biggest struggles in your career?

Completing a design degree as an adult, an 'untraditional student' with 15 credits and 60 hours or more of homework—all while working two part-time jobs and maintaining a relationship—was definitely my biggest challenge! But I wanted to learn everything I could about design, and I wanted to do that at MICA, and I did!

What are you doing that's special that sets you apart?

I am an Open Society Institute Fellow currently, which allows me to plan and develop programming that is near to my heart. I'm helping artist Pierre Bennu create capacity and programming at ExitTheApple, his studio, which he has opened to the community as a space for gatherings like community meetings or art openings.

What has your experience been as a person of color in the design industry?

It's been interesting! I have learned a whole lot by being the only person of color in a lot of rooms, but even in the seven or so years that I have been doing it professionally, I am happy to be seeing changes—slowly but surely!

"Design can stop thinking of itself as an institution, and instead as a collective of human beings. The idea that 'design' is an impenetrable monolith is what allows people to hide, and not hire underrepresented people!"

How can design be more accommodating to underrepresented populations of people?

Design can stop thinking of itself as an institution, and instead as a collective of human beings. The idea that 'design' is an impenetrable monolith is what allows people to hide, and not hire underrepresented people!