SEATTLE - April 14, 2005 - Malibu, North Shore... Seattle? Combining the cache and attitude of surfing with the noble search of an awesome set - no matter where those sets may be - was the task recently undertaken by Kendall Ross, a strategic brand development and design firm based in Seattle. They were called in to create the brand and retail program for a new line of men and women's clothing being developed by Surfer's Quest, a Pacific Northwest company.
"Creating the Surfer's Quest brand was as much about capturing its mystique and irony through storytelling as developing a design experience that appealed to the target demographic," said Tim Ross, principal at Kendall Ross. "We wanted the brand to take people on a slightly misguided road trip...to a place that is familiar, yet surprising."
Starting with an extensive study of surf culture, icons and history, Kendall Ross set out to define the mindset of the typical surf junkie - the adventurous spirit who seeks awesome surf in any location. Those attitudes and character traits make up the "ironic authenticity" of Surfer's Quest, and are its core brand attributes. Kendall Ross then combined that irreverent ideology within the context of Seattle - where surfing, of course, is nonexistent. The result is a brand that thoughtfully combines the adventure, quest and spirit of surfing with a unique wit, wisdom and irony that can only be found in the Pacific Northwest.
"The time was right to capture the excitement and culture of surfing in a place where some people didn't know it existed," says Thomas Plaster, founder of Surfer's Quest. "It was time to tell a new kind of surfing story... one that nobody has heard before."
Using a Northwest color palette, a quirky collection of off-beat quotes, and wave rider photography combined with an assortment of kitsch vintage icons, the designers at Kendall Ross spin the Surfer's Quest brand story - that of a group of dedicated surf enthusiasts who arrive in Seattle in search of killer sets in the city of jets - throughout a variety of products and clothing.
"Surfers are an inherently optimistic breed, willing to go to the ends of the earth for the right conditions," said Scott Friesen, senior designer at Kendall Ross. "So it gets really interesting when we fuse that ethic with the culturally rich, yet big-wave-challenged locale of the Emerald City."
In addition to clothing and products, Kendall Ross developed a prototype retail environment that captures the brand's ironic authenticity through the use of materials, fixtures and imagery that reflect the "road trip" experience as well as the brand story of the quest for perfect surf. In order to maximize merchandising opportunities, Kendall Ross also developed a line of branded products that includes hats and thermoses to keep one warm on the drearier days of the quest, a duffel bag for stashing goods for the trip, and of course bumper stickers and posters to trick out the coolest of surfer vans and pads.
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To learn more about this project, or any of our featured work, contact our client development team via email or call +1 206.262.0540.
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