We recently connected with Geoffrey Evans and have shared our conversation below.

Geoffrey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

So, the idea of creating my own design business started on the campus of Florida A&M University (FAMU). FAMU was thriving with talent; from influencers and content creators to music producers, photographers, and directors. There was always someone with an idea that needed to be brought to life. I always carried my laptop around the campus, designing flyers in between campus. I was known for my fast turnaround times, and outlandishly bold and colorful design styles. People knew if they wanted to stand out, they would come to me. I was approached by a classmate and colleague about turning my hobby into a thriving business. We spent an afternoon in the Orange Room, an on-campus dining center, and threw around different names. I considered “Achilles Design” as a reference to how fast I worked. Eventually, we settled on “Ivory Coast” as a shoutout to my African roots and the beauty of West Africa. At first, I felt leery about naming a design company after a country. That was really new at the time, but it stuck with me, and everyone found it unique. Afterward, I mapped out the type of services I would offer. Since the company was campus-based, I focused on offering Social Media Marketing, and campaign branding for students who were running for positions like Student-body President, and the Royal Court. After I figured out the services, I set the prices and turnaround. One of the things I did differently from other designers was that I provided options on things like logos and t-shirt designs. I also established a one-on-one relationship with my clients by staying on top of feedback, follow-up services, etc. Ultimately, success came quickly. I used a “word of mouth” system to encourage everyone I worked with to tell others about my business. To this day, that was one of the main strategies I use to stay in business.

To be direct, I always knew I would succeed as an independent designer because there aren’t too many others who are doing what I’m doing. My passion wasn’t always about creating but also about helping others unlock their individuality through amazing designs. I use that philosophy as a motivating factor in the success of my work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey as a digital artist started in Middle School, where I gained popularity for creating a series of comic books that impressed the students and teachers. At the time, I was very at arms with what career I wanted to pursue. I had an imagination. I had ideas. I liked to draw. But I wasn’t sure if there was a job that encompassed all of those things. For the next couple of years, I danced around the idea of becoming a film director or a game designer after college. After discovering photoshop in a printing class during High School, I was finally set on becoming a graphic designer.

I started out creating movie posters and title cards for my TV Production classes. Then, I was tasked with designing the souvenir booklets for a gospel show that my family collaborates with every year in Augusta, GA. My journey continued into my college years, where I became the graphic designer for the Student Government Association of Florida A&M University. It was around this time that I ventured out into different forms of multimedia, like time-based design, websites, video production, photography, and animation. Now that I had so many different skills under my belt, I decided to take on entrepreneurship and found Ivory Coast Designs, LLC. Being a business owner gave me complete control over how much I charged for services, and the types of clients I worked with. It also gave me some extra money to spend, so I wasn’t relying on ramen noodles and a meal plan while living off campus. I eventually went on to work with 150 clients from all over the world, including law firms, celebrity promoters, religious groups, influencers, and countless small businesses.

My stellar portfolio attracted the attention of music festival retailers, government agencies, and military-owned IT firms, all of which I had the honors of working with over the past decade.

Currently, I am still offering freelance services as we speak. I have developed a strategy for balancing traditional work with an employer and doing all of the fun independent stuff as a freelancer on the side. All in all, I am proud of how far my talents got me and I am thankful for the friends, mentors, teachers, and family that helped me get to where I am today.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

I always appreciate the time to tell this story. So, a few years back, I received a request to create a t-shirt design for a “Black Lives Matter” campaign demanding an overhaul of the justice system. Yeah, sounds serious, doesn’t it? So, I did my thing and developed a collection of t-shirt designs, and sent them to the client. The only thing that was on my mind was who these designs would attract the attention of all celebrities involved at the time. Little did I know I would get a call from a publicist asking me to cease all production of any design. Apparently, there was someone mailing out packages full of explosives to anyone involved in any form of the civil rights movement. Thankfully, the person was caught and I was told to resume design. I never felt so nervous in my life. I was just a 20-something making art on an outdated Macbook, what would they want from me? haha.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

So, I grow my clientele by doing two things: First, I encourage first-time clients to tell others about my business. A lot of clientele comes from referrals. I also throw in discounts to incite more referrals.

Second, I plan to make “follow-ups” to projects I previously completed. I would ask questions like “I’m glad your logo turned out great, are there any other designs you need at the moment? or “Would like an updated design to keep up with the current trends?” Follow-ups are really good as it lets your customers know you are passionate about helping them in the long run, which is great for the growth of their own business and brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.IvoryCoastDesign.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/IvoryCoastDesigns
• Facebook: Facebook.com/CreativeGeoff