Person smiling and holding a mug, gesturing at it

About Sam…

I’m Sam, a non-binary (they/them) branding specialist, author, and disability advocate. My work sits at the intersection of strategy, story, and care, helping health and wellness businesses communicate with clarity, purpose, and humanity.

Angell Designs was born from a simple idea: to create visual identities that are human, honest, and as beautiful as the people behind them.

As a disabled and neurodivergent creative living with schizoaffective disorder, autism, ADHD, lupus, and mobility impairments (and more!), I bring both professional expertise and lived experience to the way I design, write, and connect with others.

FAQs

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The Story Behind the Studio

I didn’t start with a business plan. I started with burnout, hospital bracelets, and an old sketchbook. After years of chaos and rebuilding, I found myself at 23 standing at a crossroad: keep barely surviving, or start living. I chose life. And slowly, that choice became Angell Designs.

What began as a side hustle turned into a full-time business where creativity meets compassion. I’ve since worked with dozens of values-driven businesses in health, wellness, and community spaces. I’ve helped them find clarity, confidence, and the kind of visual storytelling that makes people feel something real.

My lived experiences have taught me to value accessibility, adaptability, and gentleness as essentials to all aspects of Angell Designs and my life.

Whether I’m building a brand, writing a book, or advocating for inclusive spaces (online and offline), I’m driven by the hope of creating work that helps people feel seen, held, and understood, while contributing to a more compassionate and human-centred world.

Various design works laid out in a grid with a notebook on the bottom centre

Two people sitting on the floor laughing. The person on the left is wearing a white button up shirt over a black shirt and dark denim jeans. They are holding a jar of paintbrushes. The woman on the right is wearing denim overalls with a white shirt

Designing With Disability in Mind

Because creative systems should support, not suppress…
Living with bipolar disorder, autism, ADHD, and SLE lupus has shaped not just how I work but why I work the way I do.
I know what it means to live in a body and mind that doesn’t fit the system. I know how easy it is for the world to reward productivity over wellbeing, polish over authenticity. So I built my business differently. It’s built around energy, empathy, and accessibility.
Designing with disability in mind isn’t a limitation. It’s liberation. It’s proof we can build businesses that are kind, sustainable, and still wildly successful.

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Built for Belonging

Finding a home in business and in yourself…
Built for Belonging began as my personal journal. It was the story of how I rebuilt a life after losing everything, and how I learn to turn pain into purpose. But it became something more: almost a love letter to every disabled, creative, or chronically ill person trying to build a business (or life) that makes room for all of who they are.
The book explores the intersection of design, mental health, and identity. Blending memoir with strategy and storytelling with survival. It’s honest, unfiltered, and full of humour in the hard places.
Since its release, Built for Belonging has become more than a book. It’s sparked conversations about accessibility in entrepreneurship, redefined what “success” can look like, and inspired others to build their lives on self-trust, not self-sacrifice.

Buy it here
Design as Advocacy

Turning creativity into change…
To me, design is activism in slow motion. It’s how we tell stories that shift perspective, shape culture, and make care visible.
Through Angell Designs, I use creativity as a tool for advocacy by amplifying voices in mental health, disability inclusion, sustainability, and community wellbeing. Every brand I design is an opportunity to design better systems. Systems built on empathy, equity, and expression.
I believe visuals can change conversations. That colour can carry emotion. That accessibility can be beautiful. And the brands we build today can be the blueprint for a more inclusive tomorrow.

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My Journey with Disability

My lived experience with disability and mental illness taught me that creativity and care can (and should) coexist. I’ve learned to design in a way that honours humanity (mine and my clients’). That means honest communication, flexible timelines, and building systems that support, not suppress.
Because I don’t believe we have to be “fixed” to be brilliant.
We just have to be seen.
Creativity Doesn't Wait for Perfect Health

From a young age, I learned that life doesn’t always follow a straight path. I was diagnosed with lupus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. Later, at 22, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (Type 1), ADHD, and autism, after years of being misunderstood by systems that didn’t quite fit me.
Some days, I feel unstoppable. Other days, I celebrate small victories like getting out of bed or answering one email. That’s the reality of living with conditions that all fluctuate. It’s also where I discovered something powerful: design can bend too.
Finding My Own Framework

I didn’t build my career by following traditional rules. I built them by rewriting the rules. I created flexible systems, energy-based workflows, and colour coded chaos that keeps me grounded and creative. My design practice became both an outlet and a lifeline. A place where I could turn instability into imagination.
When I started Angell Designs in 2018, it was less about logos and more about liberation. It gave me a space to merge strategy, storytelling, and compassion. A space to help others build brands that reflect who they are, not who they think they should be.

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Torrens University
2026 (expected)
Graduate Certificate of Design
TAFE Queensland
2024
Certificate IV in Entrepreneurship
Queensland University of Technology
2023
Bachelor of Design (Architecture)
Griffith University
2017
Certificate of Business Management
University of Queensland
2016
Certificate of Social Entrepreneurship
Australia Prestige Awards
2026
Graphic Designer of the Year (2026 Winner)
Queensland University of Technology
2023
Tim Fairfax AC Learning Potential Fund Scholarship
Australian Institute of Architects x Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA)
2018
3rd Place 2018 Super Studio Competition

Portfolio

Guest Appearances

In the Frame

PODCAST
2026
EP21 - Sam Angell

Listen here
All About Digital Marketing

BLOG ARTICLE
2025
Wired for exhaustion: Why brands should put well-being first in 2026

Read Here
Style My Soul

PODCAST
2025
Meet Sam Angell - Australian Branding Specialist and Author

Listen Here
Living Reflections

PODCAST
2025
S2: E2 Guest Glimpse Loving the Unseen with Sam Angell

Listen Here