Geoffrey Evans of Temple Terrace, FL on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Geoffrey Evans. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Geoffrey, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What battle are you avoiding?
That’s a good question. Really it’s stepping outside my comfort zone. Trying to find that new hobby. Something that gives me the flare I need to keep going and get more out of the short time we have here on Earth. As a 34-year old black male living in a country, in today’s political climate, I always found myself stuck between remaining faithful towards the things I always loved doing — gaming, catching up on my favorite youtube documentaries, working out, etc. and having to broaden my interests just to keep up with today’s definition of “oh you’re interesting!” So I definitely have to go with that.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi! I’m Geoffrey Evans, but you can call me “Geoff”. I am a multi-dimensional artist with over 10 years of experience in digital marketing, web development and brand direction. Since 2015, I have brought visibility to over 200 clients around the world with my design imprint, Ivory Coast Designs. I started Ivory Coast during my junior year at Florida A&M University. It was a simple conversation between a communitiy leader and myself, who noticed my reputation as a rising artist after dozens of successsful projects on campus. “Why don’t you start a company!? You’re way too talented to try and clock in for someone!”. The goal was simple, help non=profits, greek orgs, and small business LEVEL UP. Most of my design peers would name their company after themselves, while I wanted to be different. Naming a company after the Ivory Coast, a country out of West Africa, helped me stand out alot. It tells of a bold legacy, a story of triumph and value, and it communicates to my audience that this company isn’t just about me, but what I can do for those that I work with, Currently, I just completed a series of autographed posters for Daniel Pesina, a martial arts instructor and one of the original actors of the first Mortal Kombat games. I also finished a developing websites for college-bound students, and a health foundation advocating for better health screening for young athletes. I’ve given my all to this industry, and I will continue to create and help change the world, one flyer at a time!

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Meeting Chris, a good friend of mine and my mentor, really helped shaped how I saw myself in a big way. Before, I was what you would call a “starving artist”. I did work whenever I felt like it. I spent days lounging around watching anime. I spent up my college money the second it dropped. The list went on. He was the first to tell me that my skills had value in many areas like the Government, business owners, etc. He helped me structure my time, my money, and even taught me the importance of owning an LLC. I am forever thankful for those nights where he pushed me to stay up and finish a design days before the deadline, resulting in repeat clients for my amazing work. I blossomed as a student, a graduate, and now a business owner and what he taught me resinates even to this day.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me one major thing: Never be afraid to ask for help. For years, I struggled with finding a stable workplace where I felt I would be a cultural and talented fit. It was a silent battle. Some days I starved. Some days I felt useless. It was a never ending spiral of rejection. I had to sit back and think, “Geoff, you have a talent. That’s something not too many others have right now. Ultilize that, even when you don’t feel like it”. One day, I took the leap of faith and posted a recent design I did. I never liked posting my work because it usually never got the recognition I would expect. But this time, it was a little different. I’m a member of a fraternity, an HBCU alumnus, and have plenty of friends I met along the way. I was not the same unknown creator I was from years ago. 2 clients came from that. Then, those 2 clients referred 2 more. While I feel like I’m not where I want to be, I am definitely much more confident now than I was this same time, last year.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
For me, it’s gotta be the reality that sometimes a solution to the problem is the problem itself. I’ve been in many different — heated– discussions concerning the AI boom. Everyone had the same opinion – it’s terrible, it’s scary, it needs to go away. I told them, “have ya’ll ever been vaccinated? you know whats in that vaccine? the virus itself. Reprogrammed to help you build immunity”. The discussion stopped. I never approached AI with the theory that it could replace everything, but rather enhance our methodologies and processess we already have. Sitting at the table and pitching an eco-friendly alternative to AI that pays artists and brings water and electricity to neighborhoods hosting large data centers would go much further than simply turning away from AI entirely. It was a hot take, for sure, but it brought wisdom to an otherwise divisive situation.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
We all aren’t promised a tomorrow. But If I were given 10 years left, I would definitely stop sitting on everything I really wanted to do. And not just design stuff, either. I want to create comic books, adventure novels, movies, the whole nine yards. And for whatever reason I was given that time, if I were bed-ridden, I’d definitely pull out my “idea-journal” and make sure someone in my corner pitches it to anyone with money. Those have to exist!

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