Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

College project on snowboarding

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,

I'm doing a graphic design project on snowboarding and to kick things off, I'm doing some research into the snowboard industry and people's attitudes to snowboarding. The starting point for my project is that i think alot of the adverts and board graphics are mostly aimed at younger males (apart from Roxy and Nikita), and ignore other parts of the market like older riders.

I've set up a short online survey...just click on the below link to take part.

Many thanks,

G

PS: just got back from Courchevel...there's still snow!
latest report
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Done 1 for ya, my pleasure. good luck.
snow report
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Other than the mainstream boards ie Burton, don't agree.

There are so many on the market now there is something to suit everyone and besides, most boarders want to be teenagers for the rest of their lives. Time was most shops would be sold out at the end of the season except for a few weird boards? This year they all had tons left so peeps are obviously finding something they want rather than settling for the best they can get, like we used to have to.

Just my opinion though...
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
I've done one too. Managed not to slag off Burton for swamping the market and being SO corporate too much!
snow report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I've also developed some concept identities for a snowboard company. Please click on the below link to view them as I'm trying to get feedback from as many people as possible. Please click here to see my concept logos: http://www.ikigai.co.uk/pb/wp_b35e4923/wp_b35e4923.html?0.7802369211708368

thanks,

Gram
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Gram, I had a look at the logos and my favored one is Route 5, purely on an aesthetic basis. Could you provide more informaition on the target market and what you envisage as the overall brand strategy?
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I liked route 1 overall, particually the writing. I think you could go somewhere with that possibly without the logo as well.
ski holidays
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Gram, How thick is your skin?

There are some issues with your product ident that are troubling.

IKIGAI .... "the things that make life most worth living." Whilst I can see the relevance of snowboarding in that statement there is absolutely sod-all to the web concept that reflects that.

Without actually checking through my font libraries, the dingbats you're using have a strong whiff of familiarity and worse yet, only one has any pictorial relationship to the words "hill, mountain, slope, slide, etc", the others may as well be promoting a garden centre. Whilst life and living are part of the ideal, there's little in 'floral' that can be applied to an active and exhilarating sport. I don't see any original thought in the logo concepts.

Having used a Japanese conceptual phrase in its western form why have you avoided the pictogram(s) . . . or haven't you researched it, or worse still, you're unaware of it?

Pursuing the Japanese theme (you began it), as a design student you must be aware of the long and respected Manga influence to western design and culture over the last two decades . . . nothing you've shown demonstrates any use or personal interest, yet you're using Japanese phraseology and 'cod'(sic) asian Dingbats.

Lastly: I've read you survey and the answers you seek are clearly posted in existing comment across a number of forums . . . it only needs your effort to filter and select them for empirical evidence to support your argument. It's down to you to do the work as nothing you are asking is pertinent to a specific. You're being lazy and asking us to fill in the blank spots in your lack of research . . . shame on you Confused

Genuinely sorry to be harsh, but I'm not happy substituting my experience for your lack of effort.
snow report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Masque, You should charge for stuff like that. A good effort.
snow conditions
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:
You should charge for stuff like that.

... like a bull down the main street of Pamplona.
ski holidays
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Masque,

First up, its a fair point about the current site (www.ikigai.co.uk), but I'm just using a basic template so I can post concept graphics/logos for a wider audience to view. I've not developed the site yet for this reason. Once the overall feel of the brand has been determined and the positioning of the brand is finalised, I'll then develop the site so it reflects the brand.

The purpose of my design project is to examine the aesthetics of snowboarding and explore how graphic design can assist in repositioning the sport to an older audience who are less interested in current snowboard branding that predominantly draws on themes of rebellion, hip-hop, skate and street culture. To do this, I have created a fictional company called Ikigai which will serve as a vehicle to explore and test various visual experiments. Its true that many riders want to be teenagers forever, but through speaking with friends who snowboard and online questionnaires, I feel that there's a niche audience where this is not the case. This is the audience I want to speak to.

I'm not clear on what you mean by dingbats - do you mean the logo marks? I agree with you about the floral marks to some extent; they are based loosely on traditional Japanese heraldic crests and I developed them as I thought they said 'nature'. But in retrospect, they feel generic and say 'sushi'. The accompanying typefaces are Trajan Bold and two typefaces I designed myself.

I researched the use of Japanese kanji or katakana characters for the brand, but I reject this as while the brand has a Japanese name, its not solely about Japan. Rather, its the idea evoked by word 'ikigai' that I am more interested in. (For example, Patagonia doesn't have a Argentinean feel, nor does Nike have a Greek look, despite their company names coming from these cultures.) I'm fully aware of Manga comics and am a fan, but I made a conscious decision not to pursue this route as I felt graphically, it wouldn't fit into what the brand was about.

Sorry you feel that the online survey element of my design research represents a lack of effort. While I know how my friends and I feel about snowboarding, I needed to speak to a larger snowboarding community to gather their thoughts, and an online survey was an efficient way to do this. I take issue with your view of this as being 'lazy', but this only represent a small part of my research.

Anyway, if I'm posting something in the public domain, it's got to be strong enough to stand up to criticism and debate, so I do appreciate you taking time to write the previous post.
latest report
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Gram,
Quote:

This is the audience I want to speak to.

I am probably one of your audience being 40 this year. i can understand the basis and reasoning behind what is in essence a very good question about targeting younger males with design..You have opened your project up to some very constructive critisism which can only bring you results.The results however may not be as easily found as you first thought.
Quote:

The starting point for my project is that i think alot of the adverts and board graphics are mostly aimed at younger males

My answer is short and simple if this helps... I ride the same board as my kid and with similar graphics. My choice was purely down to performance,my ability as a boarder and unfortunately not the design graphics
Most board designs these days are very good no matter what company you buy from.
snow report
 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
paulm, What is the difference in performance between Burton, Ride, Volkl, K2, Forum, Sapient, Rome etc...? There are so many companies with similar technology that there is really not that much to choose between them for me.
ski holidays
 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
mista wrote:
There are so many companies with similar technology that there is really not that much to choose between them for me.
This is one of the things I'm looking into; with so little to choose from between board manufacturers, the feedback I've received from some snowboarders is that board graphics can be a differentiator. Of course the most important thing is whether it rides well and is well built, but for some snowboarders, the graphics can clinch the deal. I've been looking at board graphics as this is in effect the packaging that can help sell the board.
ski holidays
 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
mista,
Quote:

paulm, What is the difference in performance between Burton, Ride, Volkl, K2, Forum, Sapient, Rome etc...?


For me..loads being 15 stone and 6'5" and size 13 feet. Needed a really wide board and i nearly had to choose a surf booard to get the same performance that an average person would! Settled fo a K2 illusion wide as i found it to be very well built.
[
ski holidays
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
paulm, Fair enough, I was meaning more in the general sense, you have certain "attributes" that need to be tailored to so you do need more of a specialist board.
snow report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy