misled.media

I’m Malcolm Bellew.

I grew up as a latchkey kid and a misfit in Cleveland, Ohio. Like a lot of people, I was told there was a “right” path I was supposed to follow. But pretty early on, I realized that my interests, my strengths, and the way I saw the world didn’t fit into that mold. That disconnect brought a lot of self-doubt—imposter syndrome, comparison, and the constant feeling that I was somehow behind everyone else.

What kept me steady through all of it was art and music. Whether I was playing guitar or sketching out ideas, creativity became both my escape and my way forward. It was how I made sense of things when everything else felt out of place.

I first found my way into formal design in vocational school in 2006—and failed out. Years later, I gave it another shot at Cuyahoga Community College. This time, it stuck. I graduated in 2019 as the top designer in my class with an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design & Visual Communication. That second chance taught me something important: the timeline doesn’t matter. The commitment does.

Before college, I was introduced to screen printing through a friend in the punk scene. During school, a professor gave me a small press. That moment changed everything. Screen printing combined what I loved about design with something physical, hands-on, and real. From the first pull of the squeegee, I knew I had found my lane—turning ideas into objects you can hold, wear, and live with.

Misled Media grew out of that same mindset.

The name reflects not just my own path, but the stories of the businesses, bands, and individuals I’ve worked with—people who felt unsure, overlooked, or off the expected track. “Misled” isn’t about being wrong. It’s about discovering that feeling lost can actually mean you’re moving toward something more honest, more personal, more yours.

My work lives in that space: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The imperfect. The handmade. The ideas that don’t always fit neatly into categories, but carry meaning, story, and intention. Every print, every design, every collaboration is part of a larger process—one shaped by experience, experimentation, and a refusal to settle for generic solutions.

If there’s anything I hope my story shows, it’s this: you don’t have to follow a prescribed route to build something real. Your differences are not weaknesses—they’re the foundation. Misled Media exists to help bring those ideas to life in a way that feels authentic, tangible, and true to who you are.

Get lost.
Create something honest.
Let’s get lost together.

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