Conversations with Zac Wilson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zac Wilson.

Hi Zac, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As an active-duty service member, we don’t exactly get paid enough to ignore side hustles. Early in my military career, I started hand-drawing crew patches for my squadron and fellow aircrew. In the aviation community, patches are a big deal, and before long I was constantly getting hit up to design custom ones. That slowly turned into the occasional freelance request for other military memorabilia—challenge coins, patches, and T-shirts.

At some point, it clicked that this might be something I could do more intentionally to help supplement my military income and after a few years I decided to start Offbeat Brands. The original goal was simple: get my name out there and build something within the military community. We’ve had solid success on that front, but growth has always meant looking beyond just one space.

More recently, we set up a small merchandise shelf at The Third Place for Kids—our favorite sensory gym located in Parker. We’ve been keeping it stocked with funny, cute, and neurodivergent-themed stickers, pins, and coffee mugs, and it’s honestly been awesome to watch people connect with the designs. It’s been a hit so far, and seeing that kind of response has been incredibly rewarding. We’re excited to keep finding new ways to show up for the community and grow Offbeat Brands in places that actually matter to us.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When we started out Offbeat Brands offered small business branding packages alongside our military merchandise and designs. With a background in marketing and design, that approach made sense. The idea was to use our design skills and military roots while also finding a way to break into the local community. Living in a more remote area, we saw a real gap: many local businesses either had no website at all, a site that hadn’t been updated in 10–15 years, or relied entirely on social media as their “website.” It felt like a practical way to apply my skillset while helping small businesses modernize their online presence.

We learned pretty quickly, though, that many of those businesses weren’t actually ready for that kind of work. They liked the idea of rebranding or building an online presence, but once the process started, communication would slow or stop entirely. In a lot of cases, clients would simply disappear mid-project. Not out of bad intent, but because the time, effort, and decisions required were more than they expected. That made it difficult to deliver quality work consistently and nearly impossible to build momentum.

Today, we focus on what we do best: custom logos and designs, challenge coins, patches, stickers, enamel pins, apparel, and other tangible, creative products. Most of our clients come from the military community, which makes sense given our roots, but we do work with civilian clients as well and we’d genuinely love to grow more in that space, especially locally. The road hasn’t been perfect, but every course correction has helped clarify what Offbeat Brands is really about and where we want it to go next.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We’re a small operation, really just three of us, and it will likely stay that way. Our focus is graphic design, with a particular specialty in challenge coins and patches, where detail, storytelling, and craftsmanship matter. Beyond that, we also create stickers, enamel pins, shirts, hoodies, and other custom pieces that let people wear or share something meaningful.

We’ve built a reputation for the quality of our design work, the products we deliver, and the way we treat our customers. That last part matters to us just as much as the work itself. We’re especially proud of the products we’ve created for the neurodivergent community, including a local product display at a sensory-friendly play place; something that feels personal, not performative.

What truly sets us apart, though, is our approach to customer service. We’re easy to talk to, genuinely approachable, and invested in the people we work with. In a space where businesses can sometimes feel distant or transactional, we aim to be the opposite: friendly, responsive, and human. For us, relationships matter just as much as the final product.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
AI is already starting to take a real bite out of graphic design, and it’s hard not to feel that impact firsthand. I’ve had more than a few customers reach out for custom work with what they describe as a “nearly finished” design — something that’s about 90% there, pulled straight from an AI chatbot. Seeing that can be discouraging; not because the tools exist, but because it quietly reshapes how creative work is valued.

It’s hard to ignore where this is headed. Within the next five years AI will likely be a serious source of job loss in the graphic design industry, especially for early-stage or concept-driven work. That’s the uncomfortable reality many creatives are already navigating.

That said, there’s still a line AI can’t cross, at least not yet. It can generate ideas and images, but it can’t manufacture a challenge coin, stitch a patch, or hold a finished product in its hands. It can’t manage production, ensure quality, or build relationships with customers. For now, the human side of the process still matters, and that’s where we continue to focus: turning ideas into real, tangible things that people can actually use, wear, and keep.

Pricing:

• $150 – Custom Challenge Coin Design
• $100 – Custom Patch Design
• $500 – Custom Logo Design
• $150 – Custom T-shirt Front and Back Design
• $75 – Custom Enamel Pin Design

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.Offbeat-Brands.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offbeat.brands/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/offbeat.brands

Image Credits
Sarah Nail