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I have no wares to sell, just myself and a story

Zac

Mediocre Designer
Hello fellow shop owners and burnt-out employees,

Around 8 years ago, I posted my 'portfolio' which was, even though, my own original artwork, was mostly fake logo design exercises. They were pretty terrible. At the time, I was making owners a ton of money running production and installing, while dreaming to see my designs out in the world.

Everyone here was helpful, and gave me some basic pointers. Then Gino.

During some back-and-forth PM about who-knows-what, Gino mentioned my 'less than mediocre' designs, and how nice it was of him to not roast me as a newb publicly, as he was known to do back then.

Looking back it's hilarious. I totally deserved it, and for my early 20's, I was surprisingly positive and didn't take offense, and I’d say it made me a better designer overall.

And better I am. Today, I'm here to announce that I have been striving to reach a new level as a designer. A level that, I believe, even Gino would consider to now be truly, mediocre.

It's taken a long time to become your average layout-pumping sign designer who occasionally does a vehicle wrap. But during that time, I mastered almost every machine and production process in the business along the way.

Since Covid, I've built a successful business in a different industry with my wife, and it's now running great without much input from me. So I'm back, like reflective chevron on an ambulance!

We all know the sign business is like a set of magnets. They're gonna fall off over time, but the customer always come back for another pair, even though you raise prices and keep explaining that a decal would be a better deal. But their husband would kill them if they “put a sticker on his truck.” Anyway.

If you need an average-at-best, truly mediocre designer, who can send you print-ready files and understands our industry's materials and production workflows, I'm a guy.

Whether I get one layout from becoming a MM or not, this is just my way of giving back to a site that gave me some tips and feedback, and allowed me to navigate this industry.

I was barely making minimum wage as a learn-it-all production employee in the ghettos of Little Rock, to running awesome machines, and can say I've had my original artwork printed and displayed in the real world, even it's just a plumbing van or two, every now and then. And for a Arkansas public skool education, him spell good and type reel good too.

Per project upfront pricing, expect to pay around $125 for a basic sign/wrap layout. If it's easy-peasy stuff, low-ball me and take all that sweet profit for yourself.

I guarantee all my work to be up to your meager standards, or I'll keep sending revisions until the customer finally sighs and says, “That'll work.”

Please visit www.zacdesigns.com and use the contact form to tell me how your grandkids can do better.

Edit: The tags are just what pops up when you type in Gino and thought they were funny. This is just an embellished story, mostly satire from years ago. Even though Gino swears he never roasted anyone ever, not even once. I respect him for always keeping it real and being a small part of my journey.
 
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