The Abyssal Brand is a personal project I had been concepting for months in my head. The moment I found time in my schedule I went to work creating this fictional Skateboard company. Inspired by Skateboard brands from my home town of SF, I wanted to design a line with a gritty street art energy to it. It is because of this that I decided to create all my assets in a monochrome pallet with heavy texturing.
The idea for this brand came from the name itself. The word "Abyssal" references the dark depths of the ocean, not often seen by humans. This is why throughout the project you will see references to see creatures coming out of deep waters. In its whole the Abyssal includes items I believed would be valuable to a skate brand, like gear, clothing, stickers, and even a street tag. I am over all very happy with how it turned out. I even had the privilege of displaying this project at a gallery showcase in Seattle.
Shop Poster
Final Print
Digital Version
This poster is meant to advertise the Skate Brands store front. It includes all of the brands information including a fictional website, social media page, and store hours. I decided to keep the background very minimal to ensure the information and the iconic octopus, remain the focal point.
Street Tag
Tag Stencil Development
This Street tag was an idea I added to the brand as I was concepting the skateboard design. I have created spray paint stencils before as a explorative project, and I thought that skill would fit perfectly with Abyssal's design. The development of this physical product was a nice break from mockups. The final photos were taken at my local skate park. My tags have now joined the other local graffiti art on it's ramps.
Custom Skateboard
This Skateboard is the star piece of the Abyssal brand. I received this longboard as a kind donation from a friend, and as soon as I got it I went to work. I processed and spray painted the base of the deck, and then designed the illustration layout digitally. Once I was happy with my design I went into my work shop to hand paint the board itself. I used my digital concept as a reference, and free handed the painting onto the board. I made sure to ceil my work at the end of the process so this board can be a functional piece.
SkateBoard Wheels
Skeletal white
Dark Depths
The Illustrations used on this wheel can are renderings of designs found throughout the brand. I wanted to keep the amount of illustrations in this brand to a minimum so I could a cohesive concept. I hope to one day produce these wheels and attach them to my custom skateboard, but for now they only exist on a digital platform.
Clothing Line
Merch Stickers
Helmet Design
Every popular skate brand has merch to go along with their main products. This is why I decided to create these collectable items like stickers, clothing and of course the helmet. Each of these pieces has their own unique style but I wanted to keep the assets amongst them constant. The wearable options are displayed with mockups I created, but the stickers were printed and passed out at the Gallery in Seattle during this projects debut.
Brand Logo
Official Combination Logo
Abyssal Icon
Typography Logo
This is the base logo for my brand and the first thing I created when I started this project. I wanted to play with a balance of light and heavy lines. I chose to use a heavy bodied typography to give the brand's name that punch. The icon was inspired by the feeling I get when I hear the word "Abyssal". I wanted it to resemble looking down into the deep dark water and seeing a eye appear. I have a bit of a fear of deep water, so this feeling of existential dread was a large inspiration in my design.
Early Development
Icon Development Pt.1
Icon Development Pt.2
Alternative Logo Design
Simplified logo used for Stencil
Skeletal Fish Illustation
Main Octopus Illustration
These are some assets showing my logo development, illustration design, and asset creation. I used these designs to inspire all of the products in my brand. This projects concept and ascetic had existed in my head for a while before production started. This allowed me to produce these assets quickly and get to the main design work faster.