Testimonial & Case Study #1
Graphic Design Service
Ron Montanaro, Fooster Surf.
“Working with Suzy is always the best!”
“She effortlessly captured our vision, transforming our pet rooster into a logo that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of Lucky Ripper. The level of creativity and attention to detail in both the logo and the entire Birdfish surfboard design, which she also made, exceeded our expectations. Marketing Mermaids didn't just meet our needs, they elevated our brand to a whole new level. We are beyond impressed and genuinely grateful for the exceptional work. We are not just satisfied clients, we are 100% advocates for Suzy & her Mermaids and have sent many of our friends to her, who also love her work!”
-Ron Montanaro, Founder of Fooster Surf. Former Professional Surfer. Surfboard Technology Innovator. Follower of Jesus.
At a glance…
Founder: Ron Montanaro
Industry: Surf/Retail
Service Used: Graphic Design
Results: 5/5 Stars
Fooster Surf Hawaii provides innovative equipment to give every surfer the opportunity to paddle faster, catch more waves & unlock their full potential. Ron & his crew can be spotted regularly surfing "fast & loose” at sunrise on beaches across Oahu.
Project #1
Lucky Ripper Logo
The sticker Ron provided of another chicken.
Lucky Ripper, Ron’s pet chicken.
Problem:
The real pet rooster, “Lucky Ripper”, was requested by Ron to be put into a cartoon form similar to the image shown here. “Our rooster didn’t look like the one on the sticker and we really wanted to make a new logo with our rooster in the image along with his name, Lucky Ripper. This logo’s long term plan was to become part of our brand, while representing our most favorite little pet, Lucky Ripper.”
This is a short 1 minute video of the making of the logo, Lucky Ripper.
The Process:
1. Evaluate the brand: What does Fooster stand for? What are their business goals? Why do they want this logo?
2: Research the industry: Retail/Surf
3. Where will the logo be used: As a new brand under Fooster Surf. To be printed on stickers, shirts, and more.
4. Sketch logo concepts: In this case, we used one primary concept because we knew exactly what we were looking for.
5. Create a vector in Adobe Illustrator: This is how the logo becomes scaleable for use on anything.
6. Refining logo with feedback: Usually 2-3 rounds of feedback before we know what we are looking for and come up with some final designs.
7. Deliver the final logo files: Deliver to client via email or Dropbox with final files: .pdf, .png, .jpg, and .ai (Adobe Illustrator original artwork file). Two separate versions of logo are delivered. One for logo in black and one for logo in white.
Lucky Ripper & his logo on a sticker.
Solution:
Hire a Mermaid! “As a fellow chicken lover herself, we trusted Suzy would know how to create exactly what we wanted. By conveying the desired logo style and specifying the subject we wanted in that particular style, we were confident that she would deliver something exceptional. Since Suzy is also a surfer and known to frequent the same beaches as us, we prayed we would find her available and up for the challenge. With Suzy on the verge of completing her second college art degree, we were assured that her skills would be exactly what we were looking for.“
The finished Lucky Ripper Logo.
Final Results:
The completed logo with the name, Lucky Ripper, in the logo.
Ron was completely ecstatic with the final outcome. This was one of his dream projects that he was able to accomplish and enhance his brand with a gorgeous new model logo. “This is exactly how I had imagined it, I absolutely love it!” Ron has since printed his logo on surfboards, shirts & stickers which can be seen all around the island of Oahu.
Project #2
Birdfish Surfboard Design
The drawing Ron provided of how he wanted his Birdfish Surfboard Design to look.
The surfboard for the Birdfish Surfboard Design to adhere to.
The eyes that Ron wanted to use for the Birdfish.
Nene, The Hawaiian Goose (official bird of Hawaii).
Problem:
A blank white surfboard needed a design that represented the Hawaiian Nene Goose. We need to turn the entire surfboard into the Nene Goose and call it a Birdfish! Who would know how to do this? How would we make the feathers of a bird to look real on a surfboard?
The Process:
1. Evaluate brand: What does Fooster stand for? What are their business goals? Why do they want this design?
2: Research industry: Retail/Surf
3. Where will the design be used: Specifically and entirely on the Birdfish surfboard.
4. Sketch concept: We used one concept because we knew exactly what we were looking for and had to make the proper size requirements.
5. Create a vector in Adobe Illustrator: This is how the design becomes scaleable for use on a surfboard.
6. Refine logo with feedback: typically, 2-3 rounds of feedback before we know what we are looking for and come up with some final artwork.
7. Deliver the final files: Delivered via email with final files: .pdf, .png, .jpg, and .ai (Adobe Illustrator original artwork file). This way the design can be altered by anyone, if necessary to fit the exact specs of surfboard, Like the folks over at Boardslams.com.
The deck (top) of the completed Birdfish Surfboard Design with Lucky Ripper.
Solution:
Hire a Mermaid! “Once again, we hired our favorite mermaid and results were on cue. We knew only a fellow surfer who was familiar with the Nene Goose would know how to produce what we needed. Once Suzy perfected the design to fit our surfboard, we had it sent over to our friends at boardlams.com to have it printed on rice paper in order to laminate on our board. This is absolutely what we wanted!“
The bottom of the completed Birdfish Surfboard Design.
Final Results:
Success! It fit just as perfectly as Ron had imagined. Another one of his dream projects can be checked off the list. “This board rode as smooth as butter and looked like a million bucks! Mission accomplished and we are more than completely stoked!”
The completed Birdfish surfboard dimensions are: 5’10” x 21 1/2 x 2 7/8.
“We are not just satisfied clients, we are 100% advocates for Suzy & her Mermaids and have sent many of our friends to her, who also love her work!”
— Ron Montanaro, Fooster Surf.