Wesley Butler felt drawn to serving his country at a young age. He originally enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps with the intention of becoming a field electrician, but was instead assigned the position of visual information specialist. This is where his career in graphic design began.
While working with the marines, he created designs and graphics for events and other happenings on base. He also made designs for visiting units and battalions.
At this time, Butler was living in California where he grew up and met his wife.
After Butler finished serving as a marine in 2002, he enrolled in art school to hone his craft. He studied graphic design at California State University, San Bernadino as well as at Victor Valley College.
Butler started his first business due to inspiration from his uncle, who was diagnosed with colon cancer and created a bucket list to start checking off.
“He bought the family ATVs, and I was inspired to design shirts geared towards all off-road enthusiasts,” Butler said.
He created his business, Off-Road Styles, in order to celebrate off-road culture. These clothes included designs of ATVs, dirt bikes, dune buggies, and more.
Now Butler works as a visual information specialist for the Indiana Dunes National Park. Here, he creates media that is printed and given to park visitors.
One of his main projects at the moment is the park newspaper that announces events, maps out self-guided tours, provides special kids activities, and has a map for when you are in the park. The newspaper is handed out at Indiana Dunes Visitor Center.
At the Visitors Center, there are temporary tattoos for kids. For a while, these tattoos were designed by people who did not work for the park but were contracted. One day, Butler’s coworker remarked that Butler could design the tattoos, and naturally, now he does.
The temporary tattoos highlight wildlife that live within the parks. This is part of the Dunes’ 15 Reasons to Save the Dunes campaign. It highlights endangered species living in the park, 15 of them to be exact. Each of these animals get their own temporary tattoo design that can be picked up at the Visitors Center or at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education.
Butler spends his free time creating as well. His apparel company, Indiana Dunes Style, sells Dunes-themed products that are all designed by Butler. There are dozens of different designs on the site and they can be applied to over a hundred different items.
Butler’s wife, Lindsay, works with Butler for Indiana Dunes Style as the company’s Marketing Manager. Their whole family shares love for the dunes, and the couple hopes that their daughter will enjoy the beaches and water as she gets older.