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BY:COM HEIDIMBRANDES UNI T Y
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urn on local high school football this fall, and you’ll likely see the work of Anthony Wuestenfeld. Wuestenfeld is a mild-mannered regional bank manager by day, but at night he’s creating the decals that local football fans all recognize. As owner, of Pro Line Designs of Norman, Wuestenfield designs, prints and creates some of Oklahoma’s most recognizable team decals for more than 50 schools. What started as a hobby grew into a successful business that now serves schools in eight states. While Pro Line Designs values each of its customers, being local and helping local schools is what drives Wuestenfeld’s passion. “I love working with the local guys,” Wuestenfeld said. “Every Friday, I get on the local channels that are playing all the football games, and I record every one of them. It drives my wife crazy, but I just have so much pride seeing my decals on the players.”
HOBBY TO BUSINESS
Pro Line Designs specializes primarily in sport decals, but Wuestenfeld actually started his small empire with collectable helmets. In 2000, he started making full-sized replicas of special helmets like the University of Oklahoma’s throw-back helmet with the big red stripe down the middle. “It kind of went from there. I started doing player-specific helmets and mini-helmets for award programs like the Westmoore senior awards,” he said. “One day, someone with one of the booster clubs suggested doing fullsized helmets for the local high schools. “That’s when I really got started.” Self-taught on graphics and computer artwork, Wuestenfeld began working with local coaches on designs for decals for local school teams. He de62 | November 2019
Norman Banker’s Passion Leads to Thriving Graphics Venture signed the concepts the coaches came up with, but he used a third-party vendor for the actual manufacturing of the decals. “I officially did my first team decal six years ago when I did Westmoore,” he said. “At the time, I did a bunch of other stuff, but now I do strictly helmet decals. When I got tired of the quality the third-party vendors had and got frustrated by all the mistakes, I decided I needed to do the printing and stuff myself.” In May 2018, Wuestenfeld bought all the equipment to make the tough, flexible decals, rented a spot in Norman and began pumping out his own decals. “I started doing schools all over like Yukon, Choctaw, Broken Arrow, Westmoore, Southmoore and smaller schools like Oklahoma Christian School,” he said. Early on in the business, he connected with coach Justin Jones, who coached at Bishop McGuinness, through Twitter. When Jones became the coach for Norman North’s football team, that relationship grew stronger. “Anthony really goes above and beyond with the concept ideas I had for the design,” Jones said. “He goes beyond what any other vendor does. I started working with him when I saw that his product is high quality, but what really strikes me is how he cares about his company. He goes well beyond to make sure his product is exactly what you want. He takes the time.” It’s also why Jones began recommending him to other coaches such as Atoka, Cashion and Rush Springs. “I design the decals, but the coaches usually have an idea of what they want. I just help conceptualize
that idea into the finished design,” Wuestenfeld said. “I get to see my decals on the news and in newspapers, and it’s just so much fun.”
STICKING TO THE FUTURE
Pro Line Designs’ decals are as tough as the players on the field. They are made specifically for helmets out of tough, thick and pliable material that can handle the banging and bruising that comes with a physical sport. But the printing and manufacturing requires specific equipment. “I may have done my first team decals six years ago, but I started in-house production in May 2018,” Wuestenfeld said. “This is fun for me. I’m passionate about it, and I love to do the design and application. I’m learning every day. It’s a constant changing process and I’m always learning ways to be more efficient.” In addition to football helmets, Pro Line Designs also creates decals for other sports and award decals. Wuestenfeld even made memorial cancer ribbon decals for the local fire department. “This year, I did 56 schools. It’s a lot, and I just added Lexington. We are here to help, and I absolutely love working with the local guys.” The local guys love working with him too. “It all starts with talking. I’ll text him with a concept, and then we will have a conversation about what exactly the design should look like,” said Jones. “He’ll graphically design it and send it back to me for my revisions or thoughts. He’s open to ideas, and he doesn’t get frustrated with the process. I think he has fun with it. I certainly have fun with it.” For more information, visit www.prolinedesigns.net.– BSM
