About Us

DSGN8 makes nervous system tools and mental health gear for real life—things you can wear, write in, or stick on stuff that help you notice patterns sooner, get anger out safely, and stop tolerating treatment your body knows is not okay. These aren’t cute affirmations for a good day; they’re tools for when your brain is fried, your heart is cracked, and you still have to function at home and at work.

After years of medical chaos, burnout, and relationships that looked good on paper but left my nervous system wrecked, I started building the tools I wished I’d had. Pieces that could sit on a desk, live in a bag, or go on your body and quietly say: “You’re not crazy. Your body is giving you receipts.” DSGN8 is where all of that lands—office‑safe, screenshot‑safe, trauma‑aware tools that actually hold up in real life.

What DSGN8 Does  

Everything I make falls into one of three buckets:

Personal  

Tools you carry on your body or in your bag—shirts, hoodies, and small gear that work like wearable reminders. Subtle enough for the office or school pick‑up, honest enough for therapy.

For Work  

Notebooks, office supplies, and desk‑friendly tools built for burnt‑out brains who still have to show up. Job‑focused tools that are screenshot‑safe and HR‑safe, so if someone sees your notebook or your mug, it still makes sense.

For Home  

Pieces that live on counters, fridges, and nightstands. Stuff that helps you track receipts, offload mental load, and make the house feel 2% safer for your nervous system and the people in it.

Custom Requests

I take on a limited number of design‑only projects for values‑aligned brands—logos, mini brand systems, layouts, and occasional custom runs of DSGN8 tools. If you’ve got a project and like how my brain works, send a quick summary and I’ll let you know if it’s a fit.

Meet Nicole, Founder + Designer

I’ve been designing for over 20 years—publishing layouts, trade show graphics, campaigns for big brands and tiny ones. My brain loves structure, systems, and turning messy ideas into something usable.

Then life happened. Medical stuff. Grief. Relationships that looked fine from the outside but had my heart rate at 120 and my kids walking on eggshells. After all the relationships I’ve been through, I stopped caring about making things that only look good on a moodboard. Now I design for the nervous system first.

The same design brain that used to build ad spreads and event booths now builds wearable reminders, work tools, and home helpers for people whose bodies are tired of being ignored. Before anything ships, the question is simple:  

“Is this going to make someone’s real life a little more livable?”  

If yes, that’s DSGN8.

Contact

Have a question or a custom idea in mind? We’re here to help—reach out through our Contact page. (Please no solicitations.)  

If you’re not sure where your idea fits but you think I might be the right designer for it, send it anyway and we’ll figure it out.