Meet Gabriela Lopez | Graphic Designer and Social Media Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gabriela Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gabriela, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Ever since I was little, I was always very artsy and creative, and looking back, I feel as though I was destined to be on that track once I became an adult. I always excelled in music, art class, and English, but not so much History and Science. Once I got to high school, I really wanted to be on the morning announcements and I was told I could only do that if I took Film & Audio 1 as an elective. Mind you, I had no interest in film, but it didn’t seem all too bad so I had my schedule changed. Honestly, if it weren’t for that I honestly wouldn’t know where I’d be by now because once I got to my second year in Film & Audio, I was in love with storyboarding and editing (and yes eventually I was co-anchor for the morning announcements). Being in that class, plus being a part of the yearbook committee, I was very active in photography and videography around the school and during sporting events. Since I was always everywhere, it was fun always hearing people when I walked past saying “That’s Gaby from the morning news!” Once it was time to apply for college, I knew Film was the right major for me.

Once I was a sophomore at Clayton State University, I started getting involved in organizations and because of my major, most of the leaders would match me into the marketing committees. I started out just shadowing the veterans, and I began making flyers for campus events on a website that wasn’t very user-friendly, before discovering Canva. I eventually became Vice President of Marketing for those organizations and everyone wanted me to make their flyers, even if I wasn’t a part of the org. I managed multiple social media pages and my heavy involvement on campus helped me network a lot with others during community events. Once Covid hit at the end of my sophomore year/beginning of junior year, I honestly did lose a passion for film, and I felt like I was too deep in to change my major. When I graduated and was no longer a part of those organizations, I didn’t know what to do in my life. I was unemployed and burnt out.

I never considered graphic designing as a career, and constantly being denied from job applications was proof to me that I wasn’t good enough. I was still dabbling here and there with flyers and designs, and my Instagram algorithm kept showing me videos of other female graphic designers that were freelancers, but I never had a desire to own my own business so it was cool to see that they had their things going on for them. A year in a half later, I finally landed an entry level Marketing role with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs. The job exposed me to so many of our clients that owned businesses of all ranges. Networking with them while also learning more about small business owners in Georgia, it definitely gave me a push in reconsidering my views for having my own business. However, motivation played a bi role with my intentions to do anything and I felt like I wasn’t ready.

Fast forward, those same girls I would see on Instagram would always give inspirational messages about starting your own design business, and eventually one caught my attention and I ended up signing up for her mentorship courses (shout out to Teela @designher_academy). I learned a lot from her, and started to get things rolling. I finally got my LLC in April 2024 and made GL Design & Media into a working progress!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business, GL Design & Media, is centered around making digital marketing items/products and offering social media management services for those that aren’t as creative or have the time to manage their business platforms. I feel what sets me a part is that I cater to both English and Spanish-speaking audiences, from non-profits to the beauty industry. I feel like I’m still in my early stages in my business, but I have so much to offer aside from my services, such as tips and words of encouragement for those that were in my shoes 2 years ago because like I explained earlier, I went through a lot of hooplah in my head to try and figure out what I would be doing with my life, career wise. I felt like I’ve accomplished a lot so far, such as becoming the Co-Director of Social Media
for a non-profit: Latinas Rise, but I never want people to believe that I got it all figured out because I still don’t, and I don’t think anybody else does no matter how much you believe you’ll end up somewhere within a specific timeline.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ehh I’m honestly not the best when it comes to suggesting things to do around the city, because my best friend and I are always planning trips and visiting Hartsfield-Jackson almost every month lol!

But if I had to, brunching is definitely the first thing that comes to mind, and my favorite place to eat is Nouveau, specifically their Jonesboro location. Their vibes are great, the grits are the best, and the bottomless mimosas on the weekends get you right!

If you’re into Italian, there’s a hidden gem in Decatur called Paolino, and I go a lot of times by myself and my laptop.

A walk around the Battery is also fun too, especially when the Braves are playing. Other than that, others are usually the ones that take me to places I’ve never been so even though I’ve lived here my whole life, I haven’t experienced everything that I need to.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Like I mentioned before, I spent months seeing other girls on Instagram doing what I’m trying to build now. Aside from Teela, one of my biggest inspirations come from @Jaylingraphics because we’re the same age living in Atlanta. At first I used to compare myself to them a lot and it would discourage me from feelin like I was good enough, however I learned that with marketing, thousands of people can be doing the same niche, but everyone has their own style and their own target audience. Jaylin definitely showed me that through her content and I hope to meet her one day if we every cross paths!

Aside from them, I definitely would shout out my job at ACE | Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs for giving me a different perspective in entrepreneurship. My supervisor, Nancy, was the one that helped me get my LLC step-by-step.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gl.designandmedia/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriela-lopez-73b276174