On the hill or on the shop wall, what really makes you stop and think damn, I need that board?
Shape and tech matter, duh, but let’s be real – the graphics are what you really vibe with first. Those visuals start as an idea, evolve through sketches and screens, and finally land on the board under your feet.
Alright so tell me, how did you work your way into this dream gig at K2 Snowboarding?
“Four years ago, I was living in New Jersey taking every freelance deign job that came my way while working part time at the local board shop (shoutout Outkast Sports). Around that time, I got a job offer over an Instagram DM from a designer that turned out to be the Sr. Global Design Director at Nike. Suddenly, I had a full time 6-month contract gig designing men’s lifestyle tees alongside a crazy talented team. It turned out that most of the design team boarded and it was dumping at Mt. Hood, so I flew out to Portland to meet them and get some laps together. I got my first low angle dad pow turns and was hooked. Toward the end of my contract, I saw K2 was hiring a graphic designer and doing board graphics was always on my bucket list. A couple people on the design team at Nike had connections at K2 and they put in a good word for me, everything felt meant to be. Next thing I knew my girlfriend and I had 30 days to pack up and move to Seattle.”
Your style on the Freestyle Collection boards and boots are so sick. Where do you find most of your inspiration?
“Thanks! I’m excited to finally see this collection come to life. We start working on graphics 2 years in advance and design trends come and go quickly. I think most designers would agree that Instagram is an amazing resource for art direction and inspo, but the real good stuff always comes from something that’s personal to you and feels authentic. Sometimes it’s a vintage t-shirt or the sign out front of a cutty Thai restaurant”
How does color play into your design process?
“Color is really a huge part of the process. There’s some research and trend forecasting, setting a seasonal color palette, matching colors across boards, boots and bindings…then sampling them again until it’s right. But to put it simply, we try to pick colors we think will turn out dope then use them thoughtfully throughout the product line.”
What’s the vibe like in the office working closely with the design and engineer crew? Do you guys get out and ride together?
“Working with your friends is one of the best parts of the job. We all hang and ride together; design, engineering, marketing, it’s a pretty fat crew. You could just show up unannounced most days and know you’ll see all the homies in the lot. It feels good to know the people behind the product actually rip on a board.”
Catch John's artwork on our Freestyle snowboard collection.
Follow along with John and his designs on Instagram.