Good morning (or evening for some)! this is Noah here. Before we begin with the first story of this new topic, I would like to introduce what Designer’s Ethos is all about. As you may guess from the title of the topic, Designer’s Ethos is a new category of WeOuri where we share the conversations with designers in the fingerboard community focusing on designs and related topics in depth. As a fingerboard maker and a design enthusiast myself, I am extremely excited to launch this new line of articles. ‘Design’ is a crucial element when it comes to not only the physical product itself, but also how the consumer communicates with the product. Moreover, design constructs our first impression towards a new product; from the drawing at large to the details of the colors. It is important to ask questions like “why did the designer use this specific composition of the art?” or “why did the designer use this color instead of the other?” to understand the meaning and the purpose of the design. As Steve Jobs once said, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”.

To begin this new chapter, we invited a designer from the United Kingdom. His name is Thom Mcinally, who you may also know him as @purpleyorange on Instagram. Thom is known to design graphics for Blackriver, Berlinwood, Bollie Fingerboards, and Arbeia decks.

Here is the Design Ethos of Thom Mcinally.

(NY) How did you get into designing fingerboard graphics?

(TM) My design career started by creating brand identities for fingerboard blogs and companies, I did create graphics early on but I’ve always been more interested in the holistic view. I’d only ever create a graphic if I felt there was a strong idea behind it.

(NY) Where does the opportunity to create graphics come from?

(TM) Sometimes it’s self-initiated – I might have an idea for a graphic and then I approach a company. Other times I’m approached with a brief, but then I take my time to come up with an idea and craft the graphic.

(NY) How is designing for a fingerboard different to other mediums, what do you have to think about?

(TM) I would start by remembering the size of the format. It’s a small item – it’s not like a skateboard where you can put in lots of intricate detail. You can do that with fingerboards, too, but you’d have to do it in a very considered way. I think of graphics simply and try to get the main subject or image across really strongly.

(NY) Is there a specific element that you never include in your graphics?

(TM) No, everything is on the cards. If there is a strong idea in the graphic, that’s what counts to me. Generally, I would avoid anything that’s considered too clichéd.

(NY) Where do you get inspiration for your graphics?

(TM) Sometimes an idea comes from the project itself – an example was the BamBOO series for Blackriver which I worked on with illustrator Heather Hattrick. The brief was simply to design a set of graphics for boards made from bamboo. They ended up being a series of ghosts, so I hope you can see where the idea came from! Other times you’ll have to go deeper and immerse yourself in that brand. Or, if it’s something that’s self-initiated I start by looking around at what I’m interested in – whether that’s music, art, architecture – whatever is around me, because I think you’re only as good as what you surround yourself with.

(NY) What graphic are you most proud of?

(TM) I think I’m most proud of the graphics I created for @Arbeiadecks when they first started. Arbeia didn’t have access to real-wear graphics, screen printing, or a lot of other processes that other brands use – they were using a vinyl plotter to create stencils and then painted them onto boards. There were a lot of limitations with that, so I had to keep it really simple but still create something that matched what they wanted to do as a brand. I’m really proud of what was achieved with that, and also for helping to kickstart them.

(NY) How long does it take to on average develop a new graphic and what’s the process?

(TM) Honestly, it can be as quick as a couple of hours to a couple of months and in the case of some projects the release doesn’t happen for over a year. I’m still waiting on the release of some graphics I created about 12 years ago [laughs]. Sometimes things are really quick, and others have to stew.

In the case of somebody approaching me – I’d take some time to come up with a few different solutions to that brief. Then, I’d present very very rough work, to show them loosely what I have in mind to make sure they’re comfortable with it and whether it fits within their brand. If a route is picked I would then develop it – sometimes I’d suggest to work with illustrators, photographers or other image makers that can help craft that idea and bring it to life even more. Next, it’s just a matter of developing it again – it’s a kind of back and forth process until everybody is happy with the final solution.

(NY) What’s the fastest turnaround you’ve had for a graphic?

(TM) I’d say an hour. Sometimes I get a really clear and solid brief from a company that knows exactly what they want.

(NY) What do you think are the iconic graphics of fingerboarding?

(TM) The first one that comes to mind is the BlackRiver skull. It’s been around for years, they’re constantly releasing variations but they’re still part of the same set – I can’t see that ever changing and I don’t think it ever should. It’s a graphic that means something to someone that has just entered the scene, to someone that has been around for a couple of decades. But then, that’s an example of a massive brand – smaller brands like Flint’s logo series and what they do with it is iconic, too. They constantly push the envelope of the styling and it’s really interesting from my point of view. Another example for me is Woob – not for their styling, but for their choice in medium. They have always done incredible hand painted decks but they’re done in such a way that they’ve become a piece of art. They were one of the first, that I can think of, that did that.

(NY) How much are your designs dictated by trends and how much is it based on your own style? And how do you tread those lines?

(TM) I don’t think about trends per se but I imagine I’m influenced to some degree. I’ve never looked at someone else’s graphic and thought ‘oh, I must do that’. I think trends could be a good place for a design to maybe start, but I don’t think it’s a great place for a design to end, it should always be pushed and developed.

Generally, I don’t like to instill a personal style on a graphic, either – maybe it’s because I’m more involved with brand identities. I try and remain flexible so that I can work on a wide range of work, from a global brand like BlackRiver to local brands like Arbeia.

Although, there are things that I know I do that might be a signature of my work. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands. The ‘Save the Scene’ graphic that I created for Blackriver was made by tearing up paper – I took a photo then vectorized it in Adobe Illustrator. I think most people that have seen that graphic wouldn’t realize the process that went through, but it had to be created like that because of the idea – I knew what I wanted to achieve and to get the proper effect it had to have been done by hand. I’ve done something similar for clients outside of fingerboarding, so I seem to be developing my own style as time goes on and treading the line between being a designer and an illustrator.

(NY) What role do you think AI will play in how you approach designing graphics going forward and do you think it’s creating or taking away opportunities for designers?

(TM) First and foremost I think AI should be seen as a tool. I don’t think it should ever be seen as the end product for designing something. I think it’s really important for companies to see it this way, too. In my job I use AI for quick visuals to help someone understand what I’m trying to achieve, and that’s exactly what I’d do with fingerboard graphics – it’s there for me in the same way a sketchbook is. Whether it creates or takes away opportunities for designers is in the hands of company owners – if they see AI as a cost-saving measure then that’s not good, and their graphics will probably reflect that. We’ve already started to see this in the skateboard industry. AI spits something out, it doesn’t digest in the same way a designer would.

• Thom Mcinally

  Instagram: @purpleyorange