Balance, a Surf – Design Brief

Brief: Develop an identifiable logo and sample adverts for an aspiring clothing manufacturer to market a surf clothing label.

Introduction: Discussions with the clothing designer have revealed that their feelings towards were based nostalgia. Surfing had become too mainstream and surf had become high street, household names. The ‘counter-culture’ element of early surfing had been lost, and niche brands had been taken over as multinationals entered the market. Some favourite older brand identities included in early discussions were , Rusty, Town and Country:

Changes to the sport and its clothing industry have resulted in brands losing their purity and positioning. The best example of this is Quiksilver becoming a high street brand:

This is doubtless down to increases in popular demand for extreme sports. Surf brand recently sold to an equity firm for $825million. Billabong itself was started by two surfers in the late ‘60s and their classic designs, along with high manufacturing standards are what made the brand popular. Quicksilver’s clothing has lost focus, as have Billabong’s. Muted, classic colours with simple, elegant designs have been replaced by very ornate, highly patterned designs. While floral designs are reminiscent of older Hawaiian traditions, the execution of these designs by Quiksilver and Billabong tend to be loud and busy – completely at odds with the surfing tradition and the aesthetic forwarded by the client. Howies clothing has also alienated its target market, when bought out by Timberland. Dilution of brand ideology was as inevitable as it was short-sighted.

The client wants a return to a more innocent time, where the love of surfing was what mattered, and surf brands made lifestyle clothing, rather than trend uniforms. A name and logo was required to form a brand identity that would encapsulate this renaissance.

Company Name: The name Balance was proposed, being directly relevant to surfing. It also represents a more discerning, considered approach to life.

Logo: The logo was constructed to be reminiscent of a more purist surf brand. Clean lines and a monochrome treatment was the first draft, above. This is to be developed to create a more complete and complex aesthetic and palette. Experimentation with the logo is sought, in terms of the weight of the image, it’s geometry, depth, the font used and so on. A range of uses is sought also – with the box, without the box, with the text and without (as on previous page).

Strap Line: The name Balance lends itself to a number of strap lines. Examples include ‘Get some balance in your life’, ‘What is life without balance?’ and ‘Balance is key’. This theme is executable in multiple variations and is consistent with the brand language.

Advertisements: 2 examples of adverts are sought. Basic examples are provided below.

The advertisement examples above and below suggest a nostalgic return to purist surfing sentiments. Rather than mainstream high street values, Balance would seek to position itself alone, on a beach. Adverts should contain simple imagery of beautiful waves, idyllic settings and a solitary, free ‘soul’ surfer. Emphasis should be made on the nature of the brand’s genesis – clothing made for surfers, by surfers.

While outside of the scope of this project, there is potential to further commercialise the Balance brand. Many popular surf brands diversify into other extreme sport avenues, while maintaining credibility. Balance could produce the following off-shoots:

• Balance:Winter (snowboarding / winter sports) • Balance:Wheels ( / BMX / Mountain biking) • Balance:Water (Surfing and other water )

Get some balance in your life!

www.balanceiskey.com

Project Deliverables: • Development of the draft logo provided, to include colour palettes and logo geometry. • 2 mock-up adverts (stock footage may be used)