hi guys, i know there is a lot of differing opinions out there on magazine advertising for surfboards.i dont want to get ito debate over adverts. i have committed to a full page advert here in on of the better mags. i just drafted up this one page and wonder if i could get a few opinions on its effects. im in this issue with many other shapers so i wanted the major aspect I differ from others to show.
Hi Dave
It looks good. Very different to most other ads that I have seen. It wasn’t like most others were you look once at a glance but study all the detail. Plus the boards look realy hot to. A good selection of designs that include the light harted side as well as some boards that have a message.
Which mag is it going in?
Keep well
Very nice ad in my opinion. It fits your style and shows your range of shapes.
BTW-You guys have the coolest sprays and graphics I have ever seen. I am especially fond of Number 245 in the Standard Catalogue. Too bad I’m in the U.S. Would you mind if I used that design on one of my homegrown shapes? I’d be happy to add a link to your site on my website in return.
feraldave, I’m a big fan of your artwork. Very eyecatching and original. Checked out your site numerous times for some inspiration or ideas.
My constructive criticism on the ad (sorry, I’m a graphic designer):
Too much order in the choas. The background images give a kind of punk/DIY flavor while the board pictures are all exactly vertical and somewhat stiff. Try rotatating some of the boards a little bit. Maybe push the longboard off to the right so that one rail runs off the page. You’ve got some key features you want the reader to notice, your logo, your #, and your web address. Use the boards (think of them as arrows, kind of leading the eye) to lead the readers eye from one feature to the next. The font on the text at the bottom seems too sterile for the layout. Maybe write the info by hand with a Sharpie (felt-tip marker) and scan it in. Or better yet, spray the info on a scrap piece of foam and take a digital pic of it, and work it into the layout.
Just my .02. Take it with a grain of salt, those were the first ideas that popped into my head.
Nice ad it does give a feeling to the type of work you are doing and i think it represents you. I agree with Lawless (I also dable in design so that may be why) You seem to have a good punk look going I’d re-orientate the boards so they are not as clean in their layout. The font as well needs to change. I agree write it by hand or if you don’t like that idea there are a pile of grunge fonts that you could download off the web. The drawings in the backgrounds are very nice i might even grunge them a bit by just losing parts of them here or there. They don’t have to show every line perfectly. As well there seems to be a clear break between the top of the background and the bottom. I’d try and blend these two together or at least make the break not so straight. All in all though i think it’s a good ad it really showcases your work and you did a great job in showing a variety of artwork.
thanks guys, its in waves magazine in feb 2005. dont apologize for being a graphic designer thats one of my next career choices! im self taught with photoshop /illustrator. i like the random kaos ideas but i had in mind the diy background contrasting with the order/structure of getting a designer/shaper to turn random into performance.
as for using ideas from my website… go for it, i see many attempts and some improvements regularly. they usually are the best part of a year old when they go up there on the site. i only update my cataloge once a year as the 30 odd shops i deal with have a hard copy of it on thier counters too.
FeralD - I liked the ordered boards upon chaos. Reminded me of the airplanes/crosses flying in perfect formation over the grim cartoons on the ground in Pink Floyd, the Wall. It works. Definitely something I’d spend a few minutes longer on than usual, puzzling over in a magazine.
Here’s some really cool distressed typefaces that might go with that layout:
http://www.misprintedtype.com/v3/fonts.php
Got any pics of new stuff you’ve been doing?
Do you hand cut the stencils you’re spraying or are you doing them on a computerized vinyl cutter?
Wow I was blown away by your website. Very Professional. Airbrushes are very artistic, dont see that very much. I like your ad, but I am not into advertising. Why are your boards so thin ??? I was looking at your shortboards. 2 - 2 3/8" very thin … Maybe you need to talk to Cheyne Horan… thanks DR … good work
Hi Dave,
I like the ad but I would maybe increase the contrast a little on the boards just so they stand out a little more. Or basically just make the white on the boards a bit whiter. I agree with what the others have said about the font too.
Keep up the great work Dave!!
Kind Regards,
Matt.
Dave, very nice stuff…Are some of those graphics printed on rice paper? The Sid Vicious Anarchy one in particular,
I’m outside your target group but I don’t get the connection between the punk stuff and the message of your boards as art. But just about every surf ad anymore looks to me like it was made by teenagers with attention deficit problems so don’t take my opinion too seriously.
Off the top of my head:
Art museum. Mona Lisa on the right. Picasso on the left. Your board in the middle. Crowd of surfers -backs to us - staring up in awe at the board. Caption. You know it when you see it.
Michealangelo’s studio. He working with hammer and chisel on a chunk of marble with half of your board already exposed. Caption: Who makes your art?
Stuffy English auction house. Your board on the block. Stuffy rich people in front row making descreet bidding jestures. Winner is hot babe in bikini making the shaka jesture.
You want it? Get it.
sorry about the new stuff… i gotta keep some of my cards hidden! oh well its nearly christmas and the updated cataluoge is due out on new years! i do use a plotter to cut vinyl stencils.
no shipman all the graphics are sprayed on the filler with thinner based acrylic