Nakita M.Pope

Nakita M. Pope is the Chief Chick and Principal Brand Strategist of Branding Chicks, a boutique branding agency in Atlanta, GA, with clients all over the United States. Branding Chicks specializes in brand strategy, development, consulting, and management for femme-owned businesses and femme-focused brands. She helps clients narrow their focus, gives their brands a voice, slingshot their confidence, and clarifies their message to resonate directly with their audiences. She also helps businesses large and small to brand or re-brand to attract and grow customer bases for new products and professional services through custom, creative, relevant brand-promoting strategies.

Over the past 25 years, she has worked as a brand strategist, graphic designer,creative director, and brand manager, giving her experiences that inform how she works with her clients. Her passion for brand strategy also extends to her advertising strategy, branding, and design professorship at The Creative Circus for 13 years. In 2019 she also took on an additional role as their Diversity & Inclusion Advisor and, a year later, the Design Department Senior Advisor role. In 2020 she was named one of Graphic Design USA Magazine’s People to Watch.

Nakita graduated from Hampton University in Hampton, VA, obtaining a B.A. in Graphic Design. She then went on to a graduate design program at The Portfolio Center (now Miami Ad School) in Atlanta, GA. She is involved in several professional and non-profit organizations. She is a core team member of African-American Graphic Designers (AAGD), a member of the African-American Marketers Association (AAMA), and a board member of Good Thinking Atlanta. In 2022 she was named one of the African-American Marketing Association’s Black Marketers on the Rise. In 2020 she was named one of Graphic Design USA Magazine’s People to Watch. In 2021, she was honored as an AIGA Atlanta Fellow for making significant contributions to raising the standards of excellence in design within their local, regional, and national design community.

Along with her work and passion projects, she now gets to share her knowledge and experiences with diverse audiences on the international speaking stage for organizations like WPP Global, BBDO Atlanta, Phoenix Design Week, The One Club, Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Georgia Tech College of Business. As always, her goal is to wield her crayons for good.