For my final major project i´ll...
... create my own fingerboard brand!
What is fingerboarding?
Skateboarding on a micro scale!
The brand would answer to the demand of a growing audience of enthusiasts.
The project would be comprised on the creation of the whole brand, from its visual identity to the actual craft of the boards. Comprising the creation of the brands visual identity, original board designs, publicity ( flyer's), a catalogue and the fully working website, where anyone worldwide could purchase one of my boards.
Main objective was the creation of the brand, that would operate independently and autonomously, especially on-line. Selling to local retaillers is an option to consider.
examples of TeckDeck boards
where graphics have a huge importance.
example of German’s BerlinWood
wood made decks.
Obviously originated from skateboarding, it had its commercial boom around 3 years ago, and like any other "kiddy fad" it disappeared.
But like any other sport, a hardcore group of enthusiasts continued to practice it, taking it to high levels of technical performance.
Today it is a growing niche and many people practice it worldwide.
Many brands have flourished during the last year, but most of them do not have a cultural identity.
Most of the times these are russhingly made attempts to explore this untapped niche that is now growing faster than before.Example of that is the only British company making finger boards Artic Hardware, which was an "homemade" company"
>http://www.empirefbs.co.uk/arctic/
This company has posted before Christmas that it had to close its shop due to the high demand on its products with which it couldn’t coupe!
Most people rather ship their boards from the USA or Germany simple because there aren’t many alternatives.
( fingerboard commercial from Close Up)
(TV commercial for a faculty using fingerboarding)
17 comments:
im not sure, but then I didn't realise finger boarding was so popular! that video at the bottom is great haha! polly x
Not sure this would work as a project:
1) Tech Deck did this 10 years ago (successfully).
2) Competing with them would be almost entirely impossible.
3) Fingerboard design is essentially skateboard graphics but easier to do.
Sorry mate, to me doesn't sound like a very interesting project.
Hi there.
Nice project Andre.
If you could make everything that is related to the brand and have it up and running by the show , that would be great. u could even have someone that is very good doing tricks on the show!
I dont think necessarely that just because Teck Deck did it before that you wont be sucessfull, you will just have to be sure you will provide something that the other trademarks do not have.
I wil only consider final major projects on the main website and NOT on your personal pages. Please download.
GTS
i want one of those!
they are so cute!
I used to play with these when I was at school about 8years ago. How is your brand any different? It's been done...
Hello, Andre here.
(somehow, even though i was added as a participant, today i cant acess the site with my normal account. ill contact David in the mean time.)
Hi guys, hi Geoff!
Thanks for posting, i apreciate it a lot.
Geoff,i have just downloaded the content of the personal blog to the main blog.
The second coment made add some pertinent points. Maybe i didnt fully explain my goal.
My goal is to do a valid option to those enthusiats (most of them that cary on with it), that find options to the TeckDeck* plastic board, because with time it becames obsolete.
*(the first [and still one of the few] trademarks to distribute fingerboards worlwide) .
Teckdeck boards ONLY HAVE one standard shape of boards.
I would provide diferent shapes for diferent tastes and performances:
REGULAR shape
OLDSCHOOL shape
WIDE shaper (for begginers or people with biger fingers)
DEEP CONCAVE shape (for better flips)
LOW, MEDIUM and HIGK KICKS (when the nose and tail of the board as bigger or smaller angles in order to have a bigger pop of the board)
and maybe others that i could find out in the process that are good in terms of performance.
(all these formats are/where standard but no trademark as ever should them all.
for those that cant by a wooden deck reshaping their Plastic boards with a lighter in order to get that perfect shape is common, and that is very precarious)
You see, TeckDeck might have worked for the initial boom, everybody started with a Teckdeck, but as time passed by, people understood that riding boards that are made of wood makes all the diference and that plastic is worse for performance.
right now it is a sport/hobbie that is seeking refinement constantly.
and the future of it are wooden decks. the german company Berlinwood specialized in wooden board, and destinguished itself because of the quality of its boards. the only down part is the fact that berlingwood doesnt seem to have a visual identity, a core os principals that define the Fingerboarding movement. Its board are plain, no visual identity.
what i propose to do is to answer and increasingly high demand for quality boards that have a personality of its own.
i wouldnt go on with it as a fmp if i wouldnt understand the full potencial of the niche.
Thanks for your time.
Andre Coral
(Andre Coral)
PS: i forgot to say that i have been testing printing on wood (Venner or plye), this is something that no trademark has ever did.
and i have had some good results, no loss of colour and the good wooden look with a finished look after the varnish is applied to the board in the end.
thanks
Andre
i didnt even know it was possible.
if you make it i may buy you one!
I agree with previous comments. I played with those things when i was like 12, so 10 years ago sounds about right for when this craze came and went... I was unaware that there had been another boom of it recently.
Also, is it really something that is that cool? I was happy to paly with them when i was 12... but not now.
we´ll, it depends on how you look at it.
if you re seeing it with the same purpose it had when we were that age of course it sounds misplaced.
but past the inicial dogma, it is a valid time killer, that requires mental and phisical coordination.
Andre.
Hi Andre,
I think the idea is pretty cool. And on many levels pretty interesting, in a playful kinda way. But i dont know if its quite right for being an FMP.
In the sense that it feels a bit like youre re-skinning an old idea. Im not sure if that quite explains it... For example, say if you were the one to first come up with fingerboards - then 'that' would be a cool FMP.
It just doesnt have the oomph. Not for me anyway.
In another sense, i hope it gets approved. Cause i agree that it would be hilarious if there was someone doing tricks with your 'collection' at the show - would be amusing.
On another note, i would consider that maybe your interest in 'fingerboards' isnt necessarily shared by everyone. And perhaps might not translate as well when viewed by others (like the examiner for example). No offense - im sure theyre quite fun.
Just very esoteric.
Dunno if that helps. Just my opinion.
Anyway, good luck!
-Justin
its already been said but i have to agree that they aren't very contemporary....even if there are some enthusiasts still out there its not anything new at the moment....like someone else said i was playing with these when i was about 12.
I understand your talking about making your own brand and a new range and the gimmick of fingerboards would have been a cool subject when it was getting big, but as its no longer at its peak i don't see the point really?
If your interested in doing something along these lines why not see if you can work with a real skateboard manufacturer about designing some board skins/promo etc.?as the real sport has never really lost popularity as the the fingerboards have.
Will P
Hmmm skateboarding is a culture brimming with creativity and inventive visuals. It seems a shame to select fingerboarding as your chosen area of interest in such a progressive subculture.
Real skaters think fingerboards are a joke, ninety percent of adults will not be interested and ten year olds think they're cool. Do you want your degree FMP to appeal to this core group? Also aren't all the popular ones based on real skateboard companies with real graphics / riders / personalities to help them sell? You should do this as a one day project to get it out of your system and not as a three month long FMP!
most skaters don't think these are a joke! they were an essential piece of the whole skateboard experience and meant tricks could be busted out in lessons! lol but i do agree that they have totally died off and hvnt seen them around for ages... I also agree that this would not be the best use of your skills and the opportunity to showcase your best work possible. good luck
i think this is a seriously bad idea. really sorry. they are just way too old and dead now. i think there is virtually no excitement left to be squeezed out of fingerboards no matter how cool you make the decks look. i dunno, i think people would see the show and just assume its part of some nostalgia based project or something. sorry.
hi guys, Andre here.
thank you to those that were able to coment free of dogmas.
Those coments were quite helpfull.They made me understand that has a fmp here it probalby wouldnt work. i thank you for that.
ill be posting new ideas soon.
Andre
:)
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