Lab Work

Foam Fiction: Surf Posters

ILD chief creative officer, Jay Winkler created a series of surf-themed posters reminiscent of the kind that was designed to promote surfing films in the 60’s. Jay drew inspiration for the works from his travels and his art and design heroes, John Severson and David Carson to name a few. Each piece is drawn loosely by hand in a thumbnail sketch style, and then color is added separately on an overlay. Both the drawing and color wash are scanned, typography is added and the final composition is made before being digitally transferred to archival paper or wood.

Here’s the story behind each piece:

Pupuseria Raquelita — The port town of La Libertad in El Salvador plays host to many visiting and local surfers. This poster is a fictional depiction of a beachfront restaurant serving pupusas, a typical Salvadoran dish…the ideal meal before (or perhaps after) paddling out in perfect point break conditions.

The Kelptones — During his surf travels Jay fell in love with the island of Maui while visiting his good friend, Mark “Sparky” Stack. The Kelptones poster celebrates the spirit of Hawaii’s most popular instrument — the ukulele — truly an icon of surfing lore.

Garifuna Beat — As a result of some buzz around the posters, Jay was commissioned to create this custom piece for a physician and his family who frequently visit Belize. Garifuna is a type of music found in Central America, primarily on the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Surf Meet — In the old days in California and Hawaii they didn’t hold surf contests; they had surf meets where surfers congregated to surf, show their skills and hang on the beach with family and friends. This piece promotes a fictional surf meet held at lesser-known surf spot on the East Coast. The design is intended to inspire the old spirit of surfing.