I wanted to post an update to the Keep Drifting Fun Logo/PFD situation. After I made my initial blog post, it spread like wild-fire, and quickly reached the powers that be over at PFD. I was contacted by the president, Andrzej Witkowski, and while I won’t go into specifics, I will say that he was very apologetic, and agreed to stop making/selling the shirts.
Thanks to those that passed the post along through various social media outlets… especially Facebook (for which I do not have an account).
As a creative, I have been ripped off more times than I can count. I’m sure it happens to all creatives at some point. Sometimes the would-be thieves appropriate it in one way or another… altering it from what was originally created. Sometimes they take a slogan and create their own design around it, or just half-ass a rotten knockoff altogether. It happens all the time.You can imagine my surprise, when a kind fan from Poland e-mailed me inquiring about the usage validity of the Keep Drifting Fun logotype on t-shirts by the Polish Federation of Drift. Imitation is supposed to be the most sincere form of flattery. In this case, it is outright theft.
This is the original logotype I designed in 2009.
The “OR ELSE” was later dropped, so that Will Roegge and Joshua Herron could use it (with full rights/usage permission) for their grassroots documentary, aptly titled… you guessed it… KEEP DRIFTING FUN. Here, you can see Lieze in front of the KDF van with the guys (May 2010), sporting the first run of orange KDF tees. Look familiar?
Meanwhile, in Poland…
Out of all the times I have been ripped off as an artist… this instance infuriates me the most. It violates the entire ethos surrounding what the logo means, and I cannot for the life of me understand the lack of moral code involved to think that it is perfectly fine to plagiarize like this. They even went so far as to conveniently drop my Slide Style™ logo from the sleeve in lieu of their PFD logo.
In addition to printing the logo on shirts, they also chose the same shirt colors, and made printed collateral/pop-up displays to show off ‘their’ line? The internet has made the world infinitely smaller than it already is… and has made the drift community even smaller at that. I cannot fathom how someone would do this and think it would not make its way back to me. Had I been contacted me in advance, I would have been happy to work together to make something happen. Especially since the message is so important to me.This is not what KEEP DRIFTING FUN is about.
While I was clearing out and backing up old files on my machine, I stumbled across this image that my buddy Carlos Richard shot back in August of 2007 for my cover-feature in S3 Magazine. I thought it might make for a cool skate deck, so I gave it a whirl. I think I know what deck I’ll be skating once I kill my current stick!
Check all the decks online in the Slide Style™ Deck Shop.
This is a roster representing some of the better logos I have designed over the years. Logo design was one of the main reasons I got into advertising/graphic design in the first place. I love the idea of a single graphic element capable of encompassing so much meaning, and leading the charge in overall representation to the public. In a world saturated with advertising and marketing, a logo can make or break you. My job is to make sure the latter never stands a chance.
This new MotorMavens deck and a bunch of other designs by my hand are once again available online!I can make decks in different widths, from 7.25 all the way up to 8.25, including old-skool, pool, and longboard shapes – so if you see any decks in the store that tickle your fancy, but need a different size, just let me know! I will get re-sized and up in the store for you STAT.
My new deck finally arrived. I’m pretty stoked how it turned out! I got’r all gripped up, and all the hardware bolted on… so she’s ready to thrash!I pulled all the decks off of the Slide Style™ Store… but if you’re interested in snagging on, I have a BoardPusher storefront set up. If you’re needing a wider-sized deck, let me know and I can arrange that for you!
Southeast Drift’s Triple Threat 3 went down the day after FD Atlanta… which was awesome because it brought out a TON of FD drivers to our local shredding ground.
We towed the injured KDF van down to Turner Field so we could set up a booth and sell some swag.
The booth setup was PROPER.
Josh (left) and Will (right) were shooting the event for the DVD. Josh was looking gangster on my bro’s Dyno flexing the Slide Style™ KD Tee. I see Mr. Alvendia up in the mix as well!.
David Lee of Risky Devil was also rocking the Slide Style™ KD Tee while Shawn made a funny face..
Some drifting was had. Tons of awesome tandem with a slew of FD pros like Dennis Mertzanis, Matt Powers, Tony Angelo, Chris Forsberg, Ryan Tuerck, Tony Brokohiapa, and more. It was rad. It is great to see the pro dudes mix it up with the local-folk.
Afterwards we crept through some plush downtown neighborhoods in search of parking…
So we could all eat at an old staple of mine: La Fonda Latina. Good food, good people, and GOOD TIMES for sure.
This project started out as a way to help the Forza community in their painting efforts. I have received many requests for high-res graphics to use as reference in the painting process. I then used that as an excuse to get better acclimated with Adobe Illustrator, and create a comprehensive guide to the vehicle’s 2007 livery. I have always enjoyed technical drawings in their precise structure and perfection. One thing led to another, and the next thing I know… I spent an insane amount of countless hours creating this. I learned a lot about Illustrator in the process, and it is my hope that this will help any aspiring Forza painters re-create the car’s likeness.
I have a ton of respect for everyone painting Forza replicas. I (still) don’t have a 360 to be familiar with the process, but as far as I know… the tools available are very crude and difficult to use. This painter’s pack took me FOREVER, and I already had most of the graphics on file! I cannot fathom how long it takes to create some of these replicas. Hats off to all you Forza painters for your hard work and attention to detail!
Click here to download the Painter’s Pack. (7.4mb – 5400x3600px)
12×18″ posters are available on Slide Style™.
Finished up the pre-packaged sticker packs for Slide Style™! The clean and simple design is in-line with the 2010 rebranding, and I am very pleased how they turned out. Sticker Packs consist of 7 stickers (one of each), while the Killer Pack™ is stuffed with 35 of the same variety (five of each). The backs of the card have a funny message… but you’ll have to cop some to see.
Available now in the Slide Style™ Online Store.
Even though I “revamped” the Slide Style™ site about six months ago… some sort of muse was pushing me to scrap it, and do something else. The hosting was up for renewal, so rather than renew, and keep the hacked up WordPress store that had too much going on, I opted to move everything over to a Big Cartel storefront. Keeping things inline with “less is more for 2010”, I stripped everything down to the barest of essentials. Dare I say that it looks MUCH better? The added functionality that Big Cartel provides, like easier combined & international shipping profiles, made the move that much sweeter.I have some new items making their way to the store over the next few days, so keep your eyes peeled!
I always preach to clients that less is more. Nobody ever listens to me (why would I know what I’m talking about, right?), so I figured what better venue to exercise this philosophy than with my own work. For 2010, I am simplifying the overall identity for Slide Style™. I don’t think it will open any client’s eyes to the ‘less is more’ idealogy, but at least it will give me a chance to push the direction for myself.
2009 Motion Graphics Reel from Andy Sapp on Vimeo.
My 2009 reel showcasing my motion graphics efforts. Short, sweet, and right to the point. EnjoySoundtrack: Motor by SebastiAn
A quick design I made for a short-run of eight-page flyers. These thank you cards will go out with every Slide Style™ order.
