Traina recently had a unique opportunity to collaborate with world-famous craft brewery Ballast Point on three custom-illustrated skate decks. Each deck explored a unique flavor and style to complement their existing brand.
Dedicated to the deck
It starts with a sketch
As a design exercise, every few months the design team at Traina participates in a self-initiated project we affectionately call ‘Grindstone’. The idea is to sharpen our skillsets, working on a project we’d not normally have the opportunity to do during our typical work day. Our most recent grindstone challenge tasked each designer to create a custom skate deck. The results caught the eye of the Creative Director at Ballast Point, and led to the commission of three new Ballast Point skate decks.
Victory at Sea deck
Deadmen drink no ales
This ‘Victory at Sea’ themed deck features a custom illustration of the iconic skeleton captain alongside his trusty skeleton parrot. The two pair together nicely, with a ship’s wheel acting as a framing elment. A hand-drawn, nautical-style map of Point Loma sits in the background, with an ‘X’ marking the original Ballast Point location.
Sculpin deck
Hop on board
Up to this point, there was only one existing illustration (with slight color variants) of the world-famous Ballast Sculpin fish, from a 3/4 angle. We wanted to reimagine the Sculpin in a new illustration style, while also portraying a new side angle. The aggressive and expressive fish lurks at the bottom, eyeing a tasty hop above.
Ballast Pattern deck
Intoxicating icons
For this ‘Pattern' deck, our goal was to take a completely new approach and create a series of custom-illustrated icons inspired from the Ballast Point brewery and west coast beer culture. Together, the icons create a dynamic composition that keeps the eye moving around the deck. The finishing touch was to apply these in a simple two-color theme that accented the natural wood grain of the deck.
Skate or imbibe
We truly enjoyed working on this project, which turned out to be a labor of love, and we're honored by the opportunity to add a little Traina flavor to the legendary Ballast Point brand. We love working with our local craft breweries, so feel free to reach out when you're ready to take your craft to the next level.
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