Santa Cruz...Timeless
For those of you who dont know me, growing up in Southern California skateboarding is just natural. But I think something we all should focus on this week is skateboard graphics. The industry today is full of brand advertising and sponsorships…most of which all ties to the one thing that you shred the most and represents who you are…your DECK. There was more to the transitional design change of Skulls and Cross Bones to the Evil Cartoon and then ultimately to the art we see today.
When skateboarding became popular in in the 1980’s it was very “Thrasher” and followed the design conventions of punk and heavy metal. This was the the critical mass period. Then skateboarding went underground from the late 80’s to the mid nineties. This period is comparable to web 1.0 and 2.0. All the wannabes left and just the core die-hards stayed to define the next generation of brands that weren’t as concerned with the “skate or die” heritage.
Brands such as Blind, Droors, New Deal, Element and World Industries defined the new renaissance. Built with a ”For Skateboarders by Skateboarders” mentality. I look at 37signals as the perfect example of a web design company that was started during web 1.0 but then helped to redefine the industry during its resurgence of web 2.0. There are a ton of comparisons to draw upon there. For example DC SHOE CO USA was created by Ken Block and the original name was Droors Shoe Company.
To understand why the art work changed you have to understand the period of time that the renaissance took place. Big pants, graffiti, shaved heads, tiny wheels, no plastic guards, no pads. The renaissance was the street… the first time around it was about vert, dogtown and all of that.
The artwork took on a novelty look for a few reasons. It started by knocking off well known logos and putting them on t-shirts. Then they moved to making cartoons that looked harmless but if you looked closer they were more provocative. Just like web 2.0 they couldn’t have cared less about the trademarks they violated. World Industry was the prime example of how do do this successfully.
Then the late 1990′s broght about another change. Whether due to the influence of urban lifestyles or popular music, skateboarding took on the “Ghetto” look. New Brands like DC, Alphanumeric, and others were positioned to influence the urban style. This is where hiphop, skateboarding and athletics had combined into an entirely new look.
Then the need and dedication to continually evolve Zero, a brand that took on the original heavy metal look, long hair, tight jeans; a throw back to the origins of skateboarding. In essence, the exact opposite of “Ghetto” became “Hessian”. If you look up what that means it almost defines todays young skateboarder generation.
“An unclean individual who attempts to portray himself as hypermasculine. Predominant in 1980s U.S.A. Common traits include dirty mullet hairstyle, pathetic facial hair, tight fitting acid-washed jeans, black vintage metal tee (cut-off sleeves optional), and “ticking-timebomb” demeanor.”
Unfortunately since then skateboarding has hit critical mass again and will need to go underground to washout the brands that are just cashing in. It is funny how it started and ended up in the same place. Now these brands have expanded into lifestyle companies that sell at your local Macy’s Department Store. That is a clear indicator that something new and original will emerge again.
It’s interesting to ponder the next changes we’ll see, especially with the rise of politics, uncertain times and propaganda like imagery that has meaning and is socially conscious will grasp the minds of our youth. It’s possible that we’ll only see a slight modification, or complex transformations with a more militant or protest twist. I can say that in my short lifetime, this is the first time I have ever seen teenagers wear a picture of a president on their t-shirts… and that is a HUGE deal. It means that kids are looking for something to believe in…that the wish wash and NASCAR like branding of skateboarders isnt selling the the Skate Or Die culture and I assure you, brands will begin to reflect this idea soon.
