Lake Effect Surfshop Logotype

A local Wisconsin Surfshop offering surfboards, skateboards, snowboards, and apparel. 

Jake reached out to me to help develop the branding for the surfshop he and his wife Alaina are starting up this summer. They envision their shop being a family friendly establishment, so the logo needed to be friendly and also speak to the essence of surf culture. 

Case Study

Below I will take you behind the scenes of the creative process. I'll walk you through the steps we took to get to the final custom lettering solution.

1. Concept/Mood Board

After being briefed on the project, I researched what is already out there in terms of surfshop logos, and other designs that resemble a surf aesthetic. I was looking for a script style that had some movement and fluidity. Since surf culture is fun and active, it wasn't difficult to find some great examples with a fun and friendly style.

2. Sketching

While frequently referring back to the moodboard, I began to explore options for how the lettering could come to life. It was important for me to run each concept through the filter of fun, and friendly surf culture. Through the lettering, I exaggerated aspects of the letters to take on a fluid, wave-like aesthetic. Above are a few of the refined sketches. 

3. Digitalization

Once I have successfully crafted a logo concept with traditional drawing techniques, I scan the artwork and digitize it in a program (Adobe Illustrator) that allows me to plot points on a grid system. This mathematical manner of digitizing work results in the highest quality output. The artwork can now be adapted to any size for any application, without loss of quality.