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Business & Tech

Ferndale DIY Profile: Robert Stanzler, Logo Maker, Company Creator

As part of our DIY series, we asked Ferndale residents five questions about what DIY means and how they put the philosophy to use.

Robert Stanzler created the emblematic Made in Detroit logo and brand back in 1991 and now runs Detroit Manufacturing, a design company that produces clothing and accessories with iconic images that forge a link between Detroit's celebrated past and its dynamic future.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Robert Stanzler. My company is called Detroit Manufacturing. In 1991 I created the "Made in Detroit" logo and brand. I managed and did all design for that company until a Clarkston-based corporation bought it and moved it to north Oakland County. I created Detroit Manufacturing to keep my Detroit/Ferndale-based production team employed and creating products. The new brand is a continuation of my design (and business) philosophy of high touch, local, affirmative Detroit-themed design.

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In addition to our Eastern Market office, we were among the original core vendors at and have participated in Ferndale DIY Street Fair since its inception. In 2011, we are proud to be a sponsor of the DIYSF.

My great grandfather worked in the Ford Highland Park assembly plant. My grandfather learned typesetting (the precursor of modern graphic art) at the Ford plant and later founded The Highland Parker newspaper in the 1930s. I am the fourth generation of my family to live and work in metro Detroit.

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My mission is to forge a link, through design, between what Detroit has been and what it can become. Detroit Manufacturing draws on the positive, dynamic aspects of Detroit's industrial, musical, and automotive history to create a distinctive regional aesthetic.

2. What does DIY mean to you?

It means imagining goods and products, rather than just waiting to see what others create and put on store shelves for our consumption. It also means freedom and independence for Ferndale's emerging creative class.

3. Tell us about a DIY project (or projects) you have worked on and why it was DIY.

My entire company is a DIY project. I'm especially proud of programs we've created that open young people's eyes to their own power to create (to do-it-themselves).

4. Why does the DIY attitude fit Ferndale?

Because Ferndale is the crossroads of independent Metro Detroit. Its residents are street-savvy enough to comprehend the DIY movement, PLUS possess the drive and resources to launch micro-businesses in this new economy. Ferndale also understands the spirit of community (we small businesses support one another and grow together) better than most.

5. Who is your favorite DIY artist/musician/human?

My current favorites are Chris and Tiffany Best, the local couple who created .

This profile is part of Ferndale Patch's month-long  where we talk with residents, artists, musicians, crafters, anyone with an opinion about DIY. The project will lead up to the DIY Street Fair Sept. 16-18. If you'd like to participate, email Ferndale Patch editor Terry Parris Jr. at terry.parris@patch.com.

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