We caught up with the brilliant and insightful LaQuisha Wallace a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

LaQuisha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

I have been in the marketing field for the past 10 years and during that time I have learned and grown in my area of expertise which is graphic design by serving my gift in many different areas. The most profound way in which I have seen that growth is serving my gift in the local church and non-profit organizations. I have watched churches and non-profits grow exponentially because of the right marketing. People are not just drawn to bright lights and pretty colours but they are drawn to a message that resonates with them. I have sought to establish visual identities and brands that speak to the consumer base and makes people want to be a part of the overall vision of my client.

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?

In 2013 at the age of 21 I had set out to go off to school to study business while I was in my hometown working. I was already accepted into the university of my choice and was awaiting money from scholarships I had applied for with such anticipation. I wanted to embark on a new journey outside of THE BAHAMAS but those scholarships never came through. I had quit my job in faith expecting that what I was believing God for was going to happen and it didn’t. I found myself at home for a year completely broke and trying to find work but everything kept falling through. All I had was a laptop and a desire to make money to support myself and I had no clue that it would birth a strong passion for marketing and media. I went on YouTube and began to learn everything I could about graphic design and for an entire year I created graphics for persons, businesses, organisation for free to try my hand at something new. After a year I said to myself there’s no way that I can keep doing this without making money. I loved doing it but clearly I couldn’t make it on love alone. As I established my business in December of 2014 clients started to come out of the woodwork. I began creating artwork for large companies in The Bahamas, Churches, Organisations, Personal Brands, Entities and started to garner international clients over the past two years. My overall approach as a designer has set me a part in my field because marketing and design is an emotional experience for me. I want people to feel something whenever they see something I have created. Almost that it provokes you to a decision of whether or not you want to be a part of whatever that business or organisation is presenting to you. I absolutely love what I do and getting to personally connect with my clients and to hear their hearts about their brand makes that much easier for me to connect and build with their vision in mind.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In the world that we are in now everything is on social media. Social media has been an amazing help in getting the word out there about my business but what I have learned over the years is the most effective strategy, in most cases, is word of mouth. I have amazing clients that love what I do for them and continue to tell other people about my business and connect me with organizations they believe need my help.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I am very connected to my clients. On some level they become family because I believe that their brands are an extension of who they are as individuals and the only way that I can build on that reality is if I get to know them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fifthdesignmedia.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/fifthdesignmedia
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/fifthdesignmedia

Image Credits
For the Personal Photo – Rayanda Nairn