Numbers Edition Skateboards. Creative Direction.

Creative direction and brand identity for skateboarders Eric Koston and Guy Mariano’s first skateboard brand, Numbers Edition.

Led and developed all creative from the ground up. Naming, Identity, branding, range building, product creation, content development, production and all marketing collateral.

THE VISUAL IDENTITY. A DEFINITIVE SYSTEM.

The first challenge in the branding and ID was a solve for the name. Numbers had been established as the name but due to trademark reasons it was necessary to add something to it.

The solve was not just adding another word, but creating a meaning behind the name in it’s entirety.

“Edition” became the approach to all creative for the brand. Our approach was to create a brand that could exist as an ever changing platform for our collective creative influences. Each release would be approached as another edition, similar to prints.

The Box logo visually represents the “Edition” component to the name while the small 45° angles on the typeface used compliment the angles of the box. The typeface itself, a modified version of a typeface created by Wim Crouwel, was the inspiration for the identity as a whole.

Each move in the ID system has a clear “why” behind it.. There are no arbitrary components, minimal yet rich in depth.

THE DEBUT. EDITION 01.

The first edition was meant to establish our visual identity. The use of gradients as a backdrop for the branding system created an open canvas for the marks and information to be clearly visible without being too heavy or bland. The idea for a gradient came about due to the meaning behind the word, passing from one point to another. In this case, from a long time relationship with a previous brand to a new journey with a fresh brand.

Nike SB x NUMBERS

During my time with the brand we worked on two separate collaborations with Nike SB. I worked directly with product and brand teams to create the necessary items for internal alignment at Nike and with Eric and Guy to ensure that what we were developing made sense for our brand as well.