The career of Brother Zank, founder of Custom Craftsman Signs (Sevierville, TN), has been transformed several times. Having begun as a graphic designer in Cleveland, he gradually migrated away from merciless, lake-effect snow and 2-D artwork to temperate, Dixie weather and his current niche as a designer and fabricator of custom, handcarved signage and heirloom displays.
Making the change
The son of a military man, Zank was born in Charlotte, NC, but moved with his family to Cleveland as an infant. He took his first creative job with Zarney Graphic Artists, a Medina, OH-based firm.
"I loved the creativity, but I eventually grew tired of working in two dimensions