ISTD//Research boards

Here are two research boards that have got the main pieces of research on. 

ISTD//Logo design

As surfing was first seen as a male dominated sport it is understandable that logos and brands were first created to reach out to men. However as the sport has developed, global surf companies have built a women version to expand and promote on the  revolution of women's surfing. 

Here on the left is one of the biggest surfing and snowboarding companies logo; Quicksilver. The logo is simple and the imagery reflects the surf and snow aspect. On the right is the women's surf logo. It still displays the same imagery but it has been mirrored which gives is a heart like shape therefore looks more girly. 

www.roxy.com

Overtime the logo has been used in different colours along with different typefaces. The pink obviously adds femininity and the type is lowercase which communicates a friendly vibe. 

Billabong and rip-curl also did the same thing. Creating a women's version of a surfboard expands the company and widens the target audience. It also encourages the sport and often a certain type of  lifestyle. 

www.billabong.com

www.ripcurl.com

Another thing noticed about all these logos is that without the text, the imagery still communicates the company. It is simple are relevant. 

ISTD//Surf tricks

Here are some descriptions of surf tricks to educate beginners or help experience surfers improve on their moves. 

http://www.relentlessenergy.com/features/ben-skinner-top-5-surf-tricks-how-to-guide.html

TUBE RIDING

Only a surfer knows the feeling. Time stands still. This is probably one of the best feelings you could ever have in any situation. To get inside a tube, first you need a hollow wave. That can be hard this time of year, but if you’re keen, you'll find one! It is important to remember when you pull into a barrel, whether you stall to get in, snap into it or speed into it; be sure to have your shoulders parallel with the wave face to hold your line. Try to shape yourself to the barrel to avoid getting a lip to the head and to ensure a clean exit.

AIRS

Airs on a shortboard are all about speed and timing. The same thing applies on a longboard. It's a strange feeling doing an air on a longboard but not much comes close to it. Get as much speed as possible and head towards the section of your choice, gaining as much speed as possible on your way. When you get to the section, stay nice and low and compress into it, as you hit the section. Keep pushing right through the turn until you get to the tail. You want to connect the tail with the lip and come out of your compression as you do so, but keeping your knees bent enough so your board sticks to your feet and you can land comfortably. This is a challenge, but when you pull it off, it is worth all the effort.

HANG 10

Hanging 10 is the ultimate feeling on a longboard. It really does feel amazing, there is nothing between the water and your toes and is one of the hardest things you can do on a longboard. The same applies with this as you have to be in a hang 5 before you move up to your 10 - again, slow right down to the wave pace and put yourself as tight in the pocket as you can to be able to hold the 10 for a long time. Get this right and it will blow your mind.

HANG 5

Hanging 5 on a longboard is one of my favourite things about surfing. Not only does it feel really good to be stood on the nose of your board, but it is also very functional. It is something we use when in between turns to link everything together and flow. It also leads to hanging 10. It's important to remember when doing a noseride that you set it up first. It is key to be going the same speed as the wave and to be as tight in the pocket as possible. The more of the tail of your board is in the curl, the more stable you will be and the more critical your hang five and the more speed you will have when you step back from it for your next turn.

ISTD//Surf tips

As the publication is going to contain a section on surf tips, its made sense to find some research on this. 

One of the most difficult challenges to face any athlete is finding a way to improve your surfing. It’s no easy feat. It takes a commitment to spending time in the water and using the right equipment. Beyond those factors, there are no obvious actions you can take to improve surfing performance. The Scientists at SurfScience.com want to help. Read our tips below.

Surf Lessons

Taking a surf lesson is a great way to improve your surfing and feel more comfortable in the water. Beginners will quickly learn some of the fundamentals that are usually learned only through experience and time.  Surf lessons also help you avoid beginner surfing mistakes that new surfers might not have thought about. Who has time for that? Quicken that learning curve and get better faster.

Challenge Yourself

This tip could apply to any sport. Don’t allow yourself to feel too comfortable. Once you master the 2-3 foot mushy beach break, then it’s time to paddle out on the 5-6 foot days. You will be surprised how your instincts and muscle memory will take over, allowing you to make key maneuvers in critical sections of the wave. A little more size will also provide more speed. This will facilitate your surfing improvement.

Surf Around

Surfing is a dynamic sport where you must adjust to your surroundings. Traveling to an unfamiliar break with different conditions will show you how much you can improve your surfing and how quickly you must react to unexpected shifts in the wave’s surface. Surfing fast and steep waves for the first time will be a real learning experience. Be safe by paddling out with a mate who knows the break.

Surf Trip

Going on a surf trip will open your eyes up to a different way of life. It can also drastically improve your surfing. It’s easy for the average weekend warrior’s skills to plateau when you surf only once or twice each week. If the conditions aren’t epic (likely) or if there is a good crowd in the water (also likely), then it can be difficult to get your wave count up or score some long rides. The cure: surfing good conditions with no crowds for several consecutive days. You will have time to work on your mechanics, catch a lot of waves, and elevate your surfing. You will feel like a different surfer when you return home.

http://www.surfscience.com/topics/surfing-tips/intermediate-tips/five-tips-to-improve-your-surfing

ISTD//Surfing websites continued

After deciding that the website was going to have products on, it made sense to look at surfing websites that did this. 

1. www.roxy.com

• Simple navigation
• White space
• Clear type
• Space between the products

2. www.billabong.com/girls

• Feminine aesthetics
• Too many colours
• Clear navigation

ISTD//Laser cutting//The process

What is laser cutting? Laser cutting is a precise method of cutting a design from a given material using a CAD file to guide it. There are three main types of lasers used in the industry: CO2 lasers Nd and Nd-YAG. We use CO 2 machines. This involves firing a laser which cuts by melting, burning or vaporizing your material. You can achieve a really fine level of cutting detail on with a wide variety of materials. Bare in mind that CO 2 lasers can’t cut metals and hard materials, they can however engrave them.

http://www.cutlasercut.com/getting-started/what-is-laser-cutting-laser-cutting-process

www.imagesignsystems.co.uK

www.scrye.com 

ISTD//Surfing Websites

Existing surf websites

1. http://www.carissamoore.com/

In terms of aesthetics  I was really inspired by surfer, Carissa Moore's website. It acts as more of a blog but the design is feminine yet powerful  The hand rendered illustrations layered with digital imagery keep it current, colourful and vibrant. It has more of a personal touch to it. The surfing images also give inspiration. 

2. http://www.surfline.com/womens/

This website is more general and has communicates information on women's surfing around the world. It has areas that are really well laid out and the navigation is pretty easy. However it doesn't come across very feminine as the blue is quite dull. 

ISTD//Duckdiving

Here is a short video of how to duck dive a more detailed explanation of how to do it. Duck diving is a skill that is going to be mentioned in the publication. 

Duckdiving 101: How to Duckdive

Duckdiving tends to be a difficult thing to learn for many surfers. I think the hardest thing is learning to time it right, although there are a few other steps where people often have trouble.

Here’s how you do it:

• As a wave approaches, take a few hard paddles directly at the wave to build speed.When the wave is a few feet away, grab the rails at your chest and push down on the front of the board. Get the board as deep as you can. Once it’s as deep as it will go, submerge your body after it.
• Right after you begin to follow your board underwater and just as the wave is about to pass over you, push down on the tail of the board with your knee or foot to get the board fully underwater as far as it will go. You can pull yourself toward the board to get your body under, but don’t pull so hard that you cause the board to surface too quickly.
• Your other leg will bend up behind you like a scorpion. The last thing you should see when a surfer duckdives is his or her foot disappearing into the sea. It’s a funny thing to watch, but very graceful when done right.
• As the wave passes over you, pull up on the nose of the board and allow yourself to float up to the surface. If you’re especially deep, a frog kick can propel you back up.

The motions of the duckdive should be smooth as all the moves flow into each other. Timing is a huge part of a successful duckdive, and this is where experience will be your friend. Only practicing will help you acquire the subconscious “feel” that will let you know when precisely you should begin your dive. For instance, you want to start your duckdive early enough so that you have time to fully submerge the board, but not so early that you float back up before the wave gets to you.

I learned to duckdive my bodyboard before I even owned a surfboard, and this helped a lot with learning some wave timing and the motions of a duckdive. It’s easier to duck a bodyboard because it’s a lot smaller than a surfboard. If you have access to a bodyboard I highly recommend taking it out for a few duckdives just to get comfortable with the motions and the act of diving under a wave with a board.

http://www.surfinghandbook.com/knowledge/duckdive/

ISTD//Wetsuits

For the brand, products obviously play an important part. Surfing involves quite a lot of equipment which can be quite expensive. Over the years more equipment has been designed purposely for women. Wetsuits are seen as quite unflattering from a women's perspective so big surf companies have come up with more feminine designs to make them more appealing. Even though I personally could not make a wetsuit, it is an important aspect to research into. 

What is a wetsuit?

A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged inwater sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material, which reduce its ability to conduct heat. The bubbles also give the wetsuit a low density, providing buoyancy in water.

The layer of warm water normally trapped between the suit and the skin provides very little thermal insulation, contrary to popular beliefs regarding wetsuits.^[1]

Hugh Bradner, a University of California, Berkeley physicist invented the modern wetsuit in 1951. Wetsuits became available in the mid-1950s and evolved as the relatively fragile foamed neoprene was first backed, and later sandwiched, with thin sheets of tougher material such as nylon or later Lycra/Spandex. Improvements in the way joints in the wetsuit were made by gluing, taping and blindstitching, helped the suit to remain waterproof and reduce flushing, the replacement of water trapped between suit and body by cold water from the outside.^[1] Further improvements in the seals at the neck, wrists and ankles produced a suit known as a "semi-dry".

Different types of wetsuit are made for different uses and for different temperatures.^[2] Suits range from a thin (2 mm or less) "shortie", covering just the torso, to a full 8 mm semi-dry, usually complemented by neoprene boots, gloves and hood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetsuit

http://www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk/

ISTD//Women's surf events

Opposed to the males surf event promotions, here are some women ones. The aesthetics are very different. They are still very colourful but softer tones are used. Much lighter typefaces are used but still remain a focal point of the promotion. Their is more illustration based posters as-well instead of just photography which adds a feminine touch.  

www.prosurfing.com

www.surfersvillage.com

www.prosurfing.com

www.surfing-waves.com

www.behindmagazine.com

www.surfersvillage.com

ISTD//Male surf events

Surf events held for either men or women need some form of advertisement and promotion. It is interesting to see the difference between the genders and how they appeal to the target audience. Looking at the aesthetics in the female event in particular will influence the design for my publication. 

Male events

surf.transworld.net

www.eightyonedesign.co.uk

www.surfns.com

www.ukprosurf.com

 

www.prosurfing.com

www.surfersvillage.com

These surf posters and flyers promoting the male surf events display masculine aesthetics. The colours are quite strong as vibrant  The type also has a quite a big impact. Most of the typefaces bold and are a main focus of the overall image. Also, a lot of these pieces of promotion have quite a chaotic style communicating to the audience. 

ISTD//Imagery

Within the women's surfing world it is important that it expresses the essence of the sport and its lifestyle it has adopted. Even though photography has already been look at in a sense of capturing a moment, it is interesting to see how other companies are showing the powerfulness and spirit of the sport. The tag lines that surf company, Roxy use are really inspiring and are directed at girls who surf. Their overall imagery isn't too girly but gives a subtle femininity. 

www.roxy.com

ISTD//Photography

Here are few images collected from Tumblr displaying female surfing. They are all quite different to see which ones would be more appropriate. Some photos communicate short boarding  others long boarding and some just show a lifestyle. Having a collection of surfing photographs all next to each other makes it obvious which are the most powerful and what king of product is going to be produced from them.