For the month of August, we’re pleased to present Tyler Deeb of the Misc. Goods Co. as our Featured Maker!

After years working as an in-house graphic designer, Tyler decided to go into freelance.  The idea of working for himself appealed to him, and at first projects rolled in. But one day, Tyler found himself in the office with no projects. No content with being idle, Tyler designed a playing card—the jack of spades. He continued to design more cards over the course of three months until he finished the entire deck. Broke and with a family to support, he turned to Kickstarter to fund the manufacturing cost of the cards and to his surprise raised over $140,000!

Thus the seed was planted for Misc. Goods Co. From there, Tyler branched out to T-shirts, flasks, wallets, card deck holders, and a recently completed coffee coil. His process for designing new products is as free-flowing and unconventional as the company name implies. Often he will simply realize that it would be interesting to produce a product and start designing it much in the same way his original cards were born. He is the creative source behind all the products of the Misc. Goods Co., making each product a personal labor of love.

An Orthodox Christian, Tyler often draws from his faith to infuse meaning into his products. His playing cards and t-shirts feature messages inspired by the Book of Ecclesiastes, conveying the transience of existence and nature of impermanence; his flask encourages both enjoyment and moderation, and his wallet reminds the holder the importance of saving and also generosity. Tyler tends to develop his products before thinking of the wisdom he could impart with them. Interestingly these messages are not direct Biblical phrases, but rather quotations of Tyler’s own creation; what matters to him is sharing in the wisdom that comforts and guides him in his everyday life. Even if his audience isn’t necessarily aware of the source, allowing Tyler to communicate with his audience on that personal level means the world to him.

Tyler is currently considering expanding both his line of products and his business reach. For a hint of what might be in the future he is especially proud of his new coffee coil, calling it his favorite product. Tyler is incredibly thankful for everything he has and is excited to follow where it leads him into the future.