It's a no-holds-barred death match!
I didn’t remember how long it was between…. where was the tour last? Brazil? Fiji? and J-Bay. Each day feels like two days and it makes me very thankful for the World Surf League but also very angry at it. Why must you torture me so? Why must you leave me without when all I want is professional surfing or the vague hope of professional surfing each and every day?
And so, left with no options, I decided this morning to make my own professional surfing competition this time pitting surfboard brand logo against surfboard brand logo in sudden death heats. The impetus? I was shedding my very fine short sleeved Independent Surf Co. wetsuit just off D Street when I saw a man walk by with a very very old JS board. I studied it and especially took note of the logo, JS’s iconic earth mover, and thought, “That’s a fine logo but how does it stack up to others?”
I ain’t talking the performance of the board, the price, the selection etc. etc. No. This battle is purely about logos. The first three heats follow. Vote in the comments!
ROUND 1
Heat 1
VS.
Heat 2
VS.
Heat 3
VS.
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1.Mayhem by the tinniest hair
2. Merrick due the flexibility (like putting the CA flag inside and still recognizing)
3. Rusty
You all do know that Slaters logo is a goddamned S Carabiner right? “S Biner” for short….Pronounced “S Beaner” All the other Logos are at least creative….Except JS .
1.JS
2. CI (But hate both)
3. PYZEL
Mayhem
CI
Rusty
A good surf logo should embody the core valuez of surf i.e. be ‘rad’, and simple enough for a grom to scrawl onto his desk at school or work.
Check this rabbit hole.
http://surfcrazy.com/stanle…
I like how the mayhem floats by in the ad above this missive.
JS
Slater
Pyzel
js, merrick, r.
used to draw r. on my schoolwork; got fukn good at it, then he went with the more rounded r which wasnt as good
Lightning Bolt and Town & Country. Two most recognized logos in surfboard history.
They’re all great except for Pyzel. Only one guy on earth rides his boards. Slater’s was classic right out the gate.
Heat 1: JS always
Heat 2: Merrick by default. That Slater logo sux ass
Heat 3: Classic Rusty never fails
I like the premise and the match ups are well chosen but I find that I can’t be objective. Except for the JS which I know little about, that bulldozer is fucking awesome even though I love Lost boards. Keep the match ups coming.
ha easy , Jhem , channel slater , Prusty!
Are we to assume the Grouping of Hexagons are the top seed and that SlaterKnownDesigns is the lowest-ranked competitor? Or is SlaterKnown a Trials-winning event wildcard? Perhaps an injury wildcard? **(many of the other competitors are reportedly dealing with chronic pain until further notice)
The Slater Designs logo is indeed the worst.
Mayhem
CI
Rusty
topical, yet tangental: can’t help but think the GOAT ‘may’ have drawn inspiration (lest – creative licence) from this, when contemplating his branding… ?????
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Nah, he was channelling ‘Klippy’ the Microsoft advice thing from the late 90s.
Or this https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
They all look like they are from a high school graphic design folio. A C student at that…
C’s get degrees I’m told.
But they don’t get you a job 🙂
Not in the surf industry. Only D’s, F’s, incompletes or a home-school certificate.
Yes they’ve do, designing surf logos….
Mayhem.
CI.
Rusty.
IMHO: the ultimate board brand logo was from McGrigor Surfboards.
Palm trees, mushies, awesomely naive, ornate typography… what’s not to love about this gem. Dated, yet oddly timeless.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Here’s my favourite logo. Not a board brand, but could do the job. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
… the kids are saying “yeah hup!”
This kid was saying yeah hup last Friday night. I also said thank you to Steve.
Radio Birdman Surfboards – I like It!
Yeah, but I’m not sure if it would fly.
Mayhem for the rocker
CI cause at least the jesus fish is only on the stringer
R dot because that’s how he actually signs boards
I forgot about the Jesus fish. Good enough reason for no one to ever buy a merrick ever again
1. Mayhem, but only barely. Both very 909.
2. CI – EASY
3. Suicide
Oh also: if you used the …lost logo instead, that would’ve been an automatic loss.
It’s ugly ain’t it
Biolis designs some great boards though, I’m on a freakin’ magic one right now
Goddamn if I don’t covet like five different Mayhem models.
Which one you on?
Round Up. Forgiving Step Up. One of the better boards I’ve had. Really good in 4ft to well overhead but doesn’t need a macking swell to work really well. Highly recommend
Mayhem logo was sure channeling its inner thrash metal. The Klimax one from the late 1980s and early 1990s took it a step further, full on Metal Blade Records steez.
I loved Metal Blade. I would buy their samplers and find lots of cool bands. Me and a few buddies would plan our choices so they didn’t overlap and then we would make cassette tapes for each other. Yeah, I’m old.
I skate with a guy with a King Diamond tattoo. He has lots of stories that make me realize that age is a construct and that rehab is a really good idea for some people.
The first four albums Slayer made on Metal Blade are hands down my favorite of all. They may be most well known for their work after they left the label and linked up with Rick Rubin, but their Metal Blade records were RAW!
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Aforementioned “Metal Blade” logo by Klimax surfboards…
Little known fact: Beyond his metal-ass logo, Rodolfo Klima probably surfed/surfs better than any major CA shaper of his generation.
Tommy Lee called and wants a royalty off all Mayhem boards.
Mayhem
Channel islands
Rusty