Yes [John J.] Custer, is related to the American General. He is also a born-n-bred Texan, hovering plant dad, and a traditionally trained graphic designer, illustrator, and art director who failed art history at the University of North Texas, twice.

Over the past decade Custer’s carved out a niche balance of independent and freelance clients ranging from Fortune 500 contenders and, “Fake News,” institutions to Mom-and-Pop boutiques and non-profits alike. A conceptual graphic artist, Custer focuses on concise and witty works in mediums both familiar and unfamiliar to him for people, places, and things that give a damn. He’s won a couple of awards and been published a few times over the years in books that have more dust on them than he’d like to admit in his Brooklyn studio. 

Currently he serves as a sub-art director, time-to-time, for The New York Times Opinion Section and a consulting design director for Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg’s podcast production company Pushkin, in addition to his continuous collaborations. He’s also recently gotten his hands wet with ceramics and is experimenting with short form poetry—we shall see.