We were lucky to catch up with LaTrelle Lloyd recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi LaTrelle, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is a logo/apparel campaign for local rapper, Juice Lord. I’ve known Juice Lord since he was 13 years old and we are from the same neighborhood in St. Paul, MN.
In the Spring of 2022, what started as him being funny on Facebook telling people they need to “Heal Luv” and “Make Sure You Heal Luv” when going through certain situations in life, he reached out to me to help create a logo to fully promote the phrases. We collaborated on the idea for a few weeks, with the focus being on a broken heart and band-aid icon, and once everything came together people from all over the metro area were very intrigued and wanted his merch asap.
Juice Lord started selling t-shirts of “Heal Luv” just to get a buzz throughout the year, which he typically would sell out very quickly. We would later collaborate again in Winter on “Make Sure You Heal Luv”, with the same heart/band-aid icon, but we made the text to be a wavy/retro style. He also wanted to try a Neapolitan ice cream theme, selling brown, cream and pink sweatsuits. This led to him selling out this merch item within a few hours of selling it at a pop-up shop. He recently completed his first tour with local rapper Prof and took some of his merch with him.
This project is meaningful to me because it was a great collaboration of two people from similar backgrounds within St. Paul coming together and helping his merch become a huge success, and in return, he helped connect me with many different people within his age demographic and more inquiries of design work.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got into the design business after graduating from the University of MN in 2015. I officially launched my own business in January 2020. Creative work/services that I provide are logos, brand identity, flyers, posters, apparel design, business cards, podcast/album covers, wrapping paper designs and more. I’m also currently training myself to become a web designer, with the hopes to offer those services in 2 years.
What sets me apart in this business is my creativity, I’m always trying to keep up to date with design trends along with putting my own touch on ideas. I’m very easy to reach and approach through social media, email, text and such with a fast response time.
I’m most proud of how far I’ve come with juggling a business while also still working a full-time job and the clients I’ve gotten to work with over the last 3 years, with the hopes of working with more people from all places of the world. I only plan to keep growing as a designer and work on growing my social media channels with better planning.
Outside of creating designs, I enjoy watching TV shows and movies with my wife, playing Xbox, eating a mix of favorite and new foods, and playing basketball!
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The particular goal that drives my creative journey is that I eventually want to work for myself, along with hiring BIPOC employees and elevating the youth by offering a mix of different jobs/internships. I don’t know/see a lot of people of color who has their own creative business, especially in MN so I would like to be one of those who can help elevate those around me.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was that a designer needs to have a specific niche or focus within design and job hunting. Over the years, I have noticed that companies are seeking designers who are knowledgeable in design, web, social media, video, photos, etc.
It’s always good to have a a lot of skills and to always continue to add to your skillset 
Contact Info:
- Website: colorwheel-creations.org/
- Instagram: @trelly_trelle; @colorwheel.creations
- Facebook: LaTrelle Lloyd; Colorwheel Creations
- Linkedin: LaTrelle Lloyd