It’s getting easier by the day for your average person to become a graphic designer. Fire up a Canva account, and you can have  a logo in minutes. And Lord knows AI is only making that easier, and more surreal.

But, as things get easier for the masses, it puts a premium on stuff made by hand. Time was that it took blood and sweat to make the world beautiful. But, today? Well, imagine a robot trying to paint a boombox on a brick wall or the hood of a car. Foe some things, technology and machines won’t do. For those occasions, you need an airbrusher. Like, for example, John Zant.

John Zant, never quits pushing for better public art, better signage, and a better visual environment for all of Acadiana

John is celebrated in Lafayette for his hand painted designs. He likes the tough jobs and has developed a knack for painting on any kind of surface, like signs and glass and metal and brick. He grew up in New Mexico and moved to Lafayette in the 1980s to go college and picked up an airbrush when a fraternity brother got him a job at a local store.

John spent years honing the skill and went on to launch a career in exterior art. He painted his first mural at Pioneer Park in Jennings and today gets contracts from local businesses looking for signage or designs that will help them stand out.

Standing out is the name of the game in the high-end shoe business. Kids line up around the block to get the first shot at a limited edition sneaker. But if you want your footwear to be truly limited, you might hire Brandy Cavitt to paint your shoes.

Brandy Cavitt, bring her your new or old store-bought sneakers or dress shoes and she’ll personalize them with made to order colors and graphic design

Brandy is a graphic designer by trade. But her obsession is shoes. In 2024, she launched Shoe Fly Dirty Coast, a company that customizes sneakers on demand. The work is intensive. She conditions, massages, strips and softens shoe fabrics of all types — canvas, leather, you name it — so they can properly take paints. And she uses the high-end stuff to make the colors pop and stick. The process takes days but it can add years to the life of a shoe once properly treated with sealant.

Brandy’s play is to cash in on sneaker culture, which puts a big emphasis on one-of-a-kind, hard-to-find wearables.  Brandy grew up in the Lafayette area and started her career in graphic design at 21. She’s also a musician and previously worked for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s office.

John Zant, Brandy Cavitt, Christiaan Mader, Out to Lunch at Tsunami Sushi

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. Photos by Astor Morgan.