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Graduating with a mathematics and econ degree didn’t hurt this boy from launching a very successful graphic design career desinging skateboard graphics for PopWar Skateboards, then directly to Enjoi Skateboards full time. He loves his job while still being on the East Coast, and you will love this interview.

How did you get hooked up with enjoi creating skateboard graphics?

Well, I knew Bod Boyle (president of Dwindle Distribution) from when he was at Giant and I worked there doing graphics for Popwar. Then, a couple years ago it was time for a change and I was kind of seeing what options were out there… and that’s when Bod had the idea for me to work on enjoi. He hooked me up with Matt Eversole (enjoi brand manager) and after a couple months of doing some freelance work for them, I think everyone involved was pretty happy with how it was working out so I ended up taking the job. The End. Happily ever after.

The colors you use are amazing – bright and cheerful. Is this intentional? Is this the skate company doing this, or your personal tastes?

Thanks. I’m definitely very conscious of the color choices I use. I’ve always found it interesting how you can take two of the same exact graphic/artwork, color them differently… and they can each have a totally different look and feel. I like how you can use color to emphasize or highlight the artwork differently, and for that matter I like how color can often “make or break” the artwork in regards to how it’s perceived by the viewer.

As far as whether the bright and cheerful colors come from the company or from myself… I’ll give the easy answer and say it’s probably both. I’m not forcing or doing anything that doesn’t genuinely appeal or come naturally to me… but I’ll also say that enjoi has always had a happy and fun image, long before I started doing the graphics. So yeah, I guess my personal taste just fits with the company image?

Oh, there’s one more thing I wanted to say since we’re talking about colors and stuff. Rainbows. I think some people associate enjoi with rainbows (based on some graphics I’ve done) and therefore society’s stigmas about rainbows. I’ll take the blame for that one. They’re just rainbows people, good colors that look nice. Don’t try to read into them too much.

How personal do you get with the riders and what they want on their skateboard?

The goal is always to create a graphic that the riders are stoked on. They’re the ones with their name and reputation attached to the product, so you want to try to come up with graphics that are representative of them in some way. I try to get their feedback as much as possible and anytime they’ve got a suggestion for something they want, I’ll do my best to make it happen one way or another. That said, in the end it’s still a business… sometimes deadlines make it impossible to please everyone every time… and sometimes suggestions just don’t fit in with the image of the company.

Where do you get the ideas for the graphics?

I have no idea. I wish I had some concrete process or way of coming up with ideas… things would be a lot easier if I did. As I said before, sometimes I’ll get suggestions from the riders… I work with Matt a lot on ideas and we’ll kind of mold and develop them together. For me, a good graphic consists of two main parts… a concept and then a visual image or look to go along with it. Most of the time, I’ll get an idea for one, but I won’t have an idea for the other… so I won’t be able to finish the graphic. So I have all these little half graphics/ideas floating around in my head all the time. If and when I can figure out the other part to any of these little half ideas, that’s when a full graphic idea comes to life.

What were you doing before we noticed you from enjoi?

I was designing for Popwar Skateboards.

You didn’t go to school for graphic design did you? How did Mathematics help you design graphics for a skate company?

No, I never formally studied graphic design or art in college, I got my degrees in mathematics and economics. I’m not sure if math helps me design, so much as if my interest in art and design helped me get through those math classes. I’m a visual person so I think that’s why I was able to do math… I could visualize all the numbers, spaces, angles, geometries, and all that. I don’t know all the theories and stuff about math and art, but I know they’re more closely related than most people realize.

Do you live and work in California to be close to Dwindle and enjoi?

Nope. I used to live in LA close to Dwindle but moved out to New York about a year ago. I just work from home and keep in contact with work through email, ichat, and phone calls, and I fly back every few months for meetings or whatever. I was pretty burnt out on LA and my routine there, so I wanted a change and this move was perfect. Luckily, it seems to be working out ok but I am a little paranoid that they’ll just pull the plug at any time and tell me to move back.

Is it sad that you spend all of this time dedicated to one skateboard graphic, only to be torn to shreds and unnoticeable a few days later by some skateboarder?

Well now that you mention it! Just kidding. No, that “temporary” aspect has never bothered me, I actually wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s the nature of skateboarding and the industry and as far as I’m concerned, the temporary aspect of a deck means we (companies) have to constantly come out with new graphics, which means I’m constantly pushing myself and being pushed creatively… which is good. If skateboard graphics lasted forever, I’d probably be out of a job. Plus, if you ask any skater I think they’ll tell you that a thrashed up graphic looks better than a new one anyway… so I’m cool with it.