Perfect Production: ZeroPoint Grafix

Jim Crantas of Atlanta, Georgia, has a degree in film production and a passion for the arts. Over the years, he has created various films, posters, brochures, and graphics for family & friends--so as his client-base developed real businesses/careers, and clamored for more, it seemed only natural for him to open up an official business of his own: ZeroPoint Grafix.

Jim believes that stickers are a great way to communicate. Why? Because everyone loves stickers and they can wind up ANYWHERE. As a marketing pro, he also appreciates the way a sticker design can be expanded into other forms of media, keeping a consistent message and visual brand.

Jim's original sticker concept was for a family member in the military, integrating with fundraising applications. In honor of the countless sacrifices made by members of the military everywhere, Jim has a personal policy: if it’s for the military, all design work is free.

Of course, because it was for the military, this sticker had to look good, which is why he was happy to find Custom Sticker Makers.  "The quality and customer service is what won my business," he told us. "These stickers were for the military, so they had to be perfect!"

Of Zombies, Bands, and Spaztic Colons: Angry Drunk Graphics Keeps the Beer Money Flowing

Back in the mid-nineties, artist Steve Vincent and friends were trading comics for beer at summer concerts and eventually ended up touring with some of the bands around the country. There they met more artists, and were struck by an idea--why not publish independent comics and promote independent bands? They figured that while they might not get rich, they'd probably make enough cash to keep to keep the beer money flowing--and thus was Angry Drunk Graphics (ADG) born.

This New Jersey-based cabal of artists publishes fun titles like Vincent's Spaztic Colon series and "Odd Tales," of which Lollipop magazine said, "This is Edward Gorey and Shel Silverstein after they finish off a handle of Jack and double team Mother Goose." At the ADG website, you can also purchase Escape from New Jersey, "the best drinking game ever made," download music and purchase a variety of odd toys and stickers--among them, the Zombie Family Pack.

That's right--it's the zombie version of those ubiquitous stick figure people so often found on the backs of minivans and SUVs. The entire stick-figure fam-dam-ly, zombified. (In case you couldn't tell, the sheer genius of this astounds us.) These stickers feature, of course, that all-important URL, www.AngryDrunkGraphics.com.

Why did Steve and friends choose Custom Sticker Makers? "Over the 10 plus years that we have been doing this we've used a lot of different sticker companies," he told us. "Custom Sticker Makers have a fast turn around and great quality, but I think the main reason we use CSM is because a while back, they actually called us and suggested a cheaper way to make our stickers." He goes on to note that not many companies will help their clients save money at the company's own expense.

Rock on, G-Hawks!: KU Geology Alums Stick w/Their Alma Mater

Folks associated with University of Kansas's (KU's) Department of Geology do all kinds of cool things--such as research with the University's Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, and the Water Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey. One of the Department's professors, Paul Seldon, even had his image of a 165 million year old spider fossil featured in Nature's Images of the Year.

Naturally, KU alums are proud of their status as Jay Hawks--or, G-Hawks, as per their focus on geology. Their alma mater wants to help them share that love, and the Geology Department's most recent mascot (drawn by a student in the 1980s) offered the perfect image for a custom sticker.

KU gives these stickers to alumni to help them show their pride, as well as to prospective students at professional meetings to remind them of the KU Geology program. (The department currently offers Geology degrees at the Bachelor's, Master's and PhD level in many areas, including hydrogeology, geophysics, paleontology, and sedimentology/stratigraphy. It's home to 100 undergraduates and 100 graduate students.) 

Why did the this KU's Department of Geology choose Custom Sticker Makers to print their stickers? 

"CSM puts together a great product, they're easy to work with, and the turn around time is great,"  Elizabeth Gravatt, Alumni Coordinator for KU's Department of Geology told us. "These stickers have gone on laptop computers, notebooks, even bumpers, and they last a long time!"

Oahu Wood Bat Company: Swinging Stickers from Hawaii

Michael Kim didn't have big ambitions for his business when he started out back in December of 2010--he just wanted to offer quality wood baseball bats to the people of Hawaii at affordable prices. What started out as a part time job, however, soon blew up into a full-time gig, as Oahu Wood Bat Company became a household name in Hawaii and beyond. (Michael recently sent over a few bats to Colorado and Iowa.)

A key factor here is Hawaiian pride--backed up by the fact Michael hand-delivers these bats to his local customers.  


While his business has grown over the last year, Oahu Wood Bat Company still operates out of Michael's home (he reports that his wife and in-laws have been very patient with the baseball bats all over the house and in the garage). He also carries around a handful of different types of bats in the trunk of his car.   

Stickers have been a key part of getting Michael's business off the ground. All those baseball bats in Michael's life get shipped out with Oahu Wood Bat Company stickers, branding them--and sports fans, of course, sport those stickers on their binders and clipboards at games and practices. 

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "I chose CSM because of their attractive website and customer service," Michael told us. He went on to note that while CSM wasn't at the top of the pile when he searched under "personalized stickers," those companies that did weren't as quick as CSM in returning his emails. 

Michael's fine wood bats are online on Facebook page: Oahu Wood Bat Company. 

This Car Leaves No Tracks: The Bumpsticker w/Green Street Cred

Want to cut your carbon footprint, but can't afford one of those shiny new electric cars? Fear not--you can offset the greenhouse gases produced by your ride by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits through NoTracks.org, an organization dedicated to helping people help the environment.

The idea for NoTracks arose from a larger project John Lund and friends were working on a few years ago. Seeking a simple fund raiser, they came up with a bumper sticker campaign aimed at offsetting the carbon emissions associated with transportation. Before long, however, they realized that this kind of carbon offsetting project was an important mission in and of itself.

Given the magnitude of the environmental challenge, a big part of helping people help the environment is helping them to get others to do the same, and NoTracks bumper stickers are a critical part of the equation. When people choose to offset their vehicles' carbon emissions through this organization, they receive a bumper sticker they can put on their car that lets others know about the green choice they've made--and, of course, where they can go to do the same.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "Initially it was all about the cost, so we could do more with the money from each sale," John told us. "After finding your site, though, we really liked the efforts CSM makes towards lowering its own impact on the environment. Using inks without VOCs, recycling and reusing your trimmings, even the thinner backing paper your stickers are made on... these were all things we were happy to find." 

We're honored that the organization actually quotes from Custom Sticker Makers green sticker printing policy on its website, www.NoTracks.org--and proud, of course, to print these stickers!