Fight Club: Battle of the Brands!

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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Forthright
Forthright
9 years ago

1.Mayhem by the tinniest hair
2. Merrick due the flexibility (like putting the CA flag inside and still recognizing)
3. Rusty

Itsalldead.
Itsalldead.
9 years ago

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 .

TheHomelessBoner
TheHomelessBoner
9 years ago

1.JS
2. CI (But hate both)
3. PYZEL

Italo Post Heat Interview
Italo Post Heat Interview
9 years ago

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.

Preston
Preston
9 years ago

Check this rabbit hole.
http://surfcrazy.com/stanle…

Kook of the Day
Kook of the Day
9 years ago

I like how the mayhem floats by in the ad above this missive.
JS
Slater
Pyzel

Dennis Commentary
Dennis Commentary
9 years ago

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

Student8888
Student8888
9 years ago

Lightning Bolt and Town & Country. Two most recognized logos in surfboard history.

Lightning Bolt Thrower
Lightning Bolt Thrower
9 years ago

They’re all great except for Pyzel. Only one guy on earth rides his boards. Slater’s was classic right out the gate.

turts
turts
9 years ago

Heat 1: JS always
Heat 2: Merrick by default. That Slater logo sux ass
Heat 3: Classic Rusty never fails

?uzzled
?uzzled
9 years ago

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.

Brutus
Brutus
9 years ago

ha easy , Jhem , channel slater , Prusty!

Tronald Dump
Tronald Dump
9 years ago

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)

Radical Moose Limb
Radical Moose Limb
9 years ago
Reply to  Tronald Dump

The Slater Designs logo is indeed the worst.

Dooma
Dooma
9 years ago

Mayhem
CI
Rusty

KRIS
KRIS
9 years ago

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…

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
9 years ago
Reply to  KRIS

Nah, he was channelling ‘Klippy’ the Microsoft advice thing from the late 90s.

haroldbethyname
haroldbethyname
9 years ago
Reply to  KRIS
Eddie Haiku
Eddie Haiku
9 years ago

They all look like they are from a high school graphic design folio. A C student at that…

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
9 years ago
Reply to  Eddie Haiku

C’s get degrees I’m told.

Eddie Haiku
Eddie Haiku
9 years ago

But they don’t get you a job 🙂

Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
9 years ago
Reply to  Eddie Haiku

Not in the surf industry. Only D’s, F’s, incompletes or a home-school certificate.

FelipesFrontFoot
FelipesFrontFoot
9 years ago
Reply to  Eddie Haiku

Yes they’ve do, designing surf logos….

KRIS
KRIS
9 years ago

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…

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
9 years ago
Reply to  KRIS

Here’s my favourite logo. Not a board brand, but could do the job. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

KRIS
KRIS
9 years ago

… the kids are saying “yeah hup!”

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
9 years ago
Reply to  KRIS

This kid was saying yeah hup last Friday night. I also said thank you to Steve.

DavidC
DavidC
9 years ago

Radio Birdman Surfboards – I like It!

Lemon Next to the Pie
Lemon Next to the Pie
9 years ago
Reply to  DavidC

Yeah, but I’m not sure if it would fly.

bitter guy
bitter guy
9 years ago

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

turts
turts
9 years ago
Reply to  bitter guy

I forgot about the Jesus fish. Good enough reason for no one to ever buy a merrick ever again

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
9 years ago

1. Mayhem, but only barely. Both very 909.

2. CI – EASY

3. Suicide

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
9 years ago

Oh also: if you used the …lost logo instead, that would’ve been an automatic loss.

Jocks
Jocks
9 years ago

It’s ugly ain’t it

Biolis designs some great boards though, I’m on a freakin’ magic one right now

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
9 years ago
Reply to  Jocks

Goddamn if I don’t covet like five different Mayhem models.

Audit In Progress
Audit In Progress
9 years ago
Reply to  Jocks

Which one you on?

Jocks
Jocks
9 years ago

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

Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
9 years ago

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.

?uzzled
?uzzled
9 years ago
Reply to  Mariano Landa

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.

Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
9 years ago
Reply to  ?uzzled

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.

Tronald Dump
Tronald Dump
9 years ago
Reply to  Mariano Landa

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!

Mariano Landa
Mariano Landa
9 years ago
Reply to  Mariano Landa

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.

Student8888
Student8888
9 years ago
Reply to  Mariano Landa

Tommy Lee called and wants a royalty off all Mayhem boards.

Old Kook
Old Kook
9 years ago

Mayhem
Channel islands
Rusty


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