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April, 2022

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Designing Skis

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nautical.nody
Posts: 7 - Karma: 71
Yo yo,

I have a quite a few ski designs in the vault and I don't know what to do with them. I would like to get paid for them, hopefully. I need a little help/advice. Do I reach out to a company and ask for a job as a designer?

I'm still in college and wouldn't be able to drop everything and move to like Vermont or Utah (for now).

Also, if anyone has an idea for a design that they'd like to see on a ski, please let me know.
Feb 17 2021 12:15PM 9 0
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backyardcracker
Posts: 348 - Karma: 1,185
most everything looks good on a pair of Vishnu's, might as well reach out to them
Feb 17 2021 12:18PM 9 0
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Piss_Boy
Posts: 969 - Karma: 5,907
nautical.nodyYo yo,

I have a quite a few ski designs in the vault and I don't know what to do with them. I would like to get paid for them, hopefully. I need a little help/advice. Do I reach out to a company and ask for a job as a designer?

I'm still in college and wouldn't be able to drop everything and move to like Vermont or Utah (for now).

Also, if anyone has an idea for a design that they'd like to see on a ski, please let me know.


Are you talking about ski graphics or a ski itself?
Feb 17 2021 3:34PM 10 0
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SlitherySnake
Posts: 906 - Karma: 5,809
I would say hit up some company emails and ask them about maybe giving you a part time job as part of the design team
Feb 17 2021 4:20PM 1 0
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25409 - Karma: 13,390
How many hours of work do you realistically think it takes to create a years worth of ski graphics?

If you think its anywhere close to approaching even 10 hours a week, get real. Contract work and a few hours of billing at best. Sorry to crush your dreams, but just my $0.02.
Feb 17 2021 4:44PM 7 5
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nautical.nody
Posts: 7 - Karma: 71
Graphics
BruceDogFartAre you talking about ski graphics or a ski itself?
Feb 17 2021 10:56PM 1 0
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bradwalters
Posts: 313 - Karma: 2,254
RudyGarmischHow many hours of work do you realistically think it takes to create a years worth of ski graphics?

If you think its anywhere close to approaching even 10 hours a week, get real. Contract work and a few hours of billing at best. Sorry to crush your dreams, but just my $0.02.


I am sorry but this is very far from the truth.
Feb 18 2021 12:32AM 3 0
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bradwalters
Posts: 313 - Karma: 2,254
nautical.nodyYo yo,

I have a quite a few ski designs in the vault and I don't know what to do with them. I would like to get paid for them, hopefully. I need a little help/advice. Do I reach out to a company and ask for a job as a designer?

I'm still in college and wouldn't be able to drop everything and move to like Vermont or Utah (for now).

Also, if anyone has an idea for a design that they'd like to see on a ski, please let me know.


I'll give you a straight up answer about this...

Keep designing skis and keep designing all sorts of things and stack a portfolio. Keep an eye out for open jobs in the industry and submit your portfolio. Design jobs in the ski industry come available more frequently than people realize and companies are always looking for talented designers.

Also, keep stacking them in "the vault" because when given the chance to work with a ski company someday those graphics that you have had for a bit will come in handy. Even if you just use your own work as reference for a future project it's always nice to have somewhat of a starting point that you made when you weren't under the gun on a deadline.

I stack my sketchbooks as much as I can in the off season so that when it is time to design a collection I don't just sit there and think...shit, what should i make?" Nearly impossible to design like that and significantly easier when you just crack into some stuff you sketched out before.

Hope this helps.
Feb 18 2021 12:40AM 3 0
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nautical.nody
Posts: 7 - Karma: 71
Dude thank you so much for the advice. I appreciate you
bradwaltersI'll give you a straight up answer about this...

Keep designing skis and keep designing all sorts of things and stack a portfolio. Keep an eye out for open jobs in the industry and submit your portfolio. Design jobs in the ski industry come available more frequently than people realize and companies are always looking for talented designers.

Also, keep stacking them in "the vault" because when given the chance to work with a ski company someday those graphics that you have had for a bit will come in handy. Even if you just use your own work as reference for a future project it's always nice to have somewhat of a starting point that you made when you weren't under the gun on a deadline.

I stack my sketchbooks as much as I can in the off season so that when it is time to design a collection I don't just sit there and think...shit, what should i make?" Nearly impossible to design like that and significantly easier when you just crack into some stuff you sketched out before.

Hope this helps.
Feb 18 2021 1:36AM 1 0
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Session
Posts: 5094 - Karma: 18,649
bradwaltersI am sorry but this is very far from the truth.


How much effort does it take to get basic colors blocked just right in the tip and tail? Dying to know.
Feb 18 2021 5:01PM 0 3
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nautical.nody
Posts: 7 - Karma: 71
Hey buddy, those graphics suck
SessionHow much effort does it take to get basic colors blocked just right in the tip and tail? Dying to know.
Feb 18 2021 5:06PM 2 0
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Session
Posts: 5094 - Karma: 18,649
nautical.nodyHey buddy, those graphics suck


Exactly.
Feb 18 2021 6:27PM 2 0
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nautical.nody
Posts: 7 - Karma: 71






SessionExactly.



Feb 18 2021 7:17PM 4 0
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gorbdawggybrent
Posts: 970 - Karma: 8,668
J skis responded to someone on here a bit ago saying they have a website they go to and they find a lot of artists for top sheets there
Feb 18 2021 7:24PM 2 0
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nautical.nody
Posts: 7 - Karma: 71
brentkimballJ skis responded to someone on here a bit ago saying they have a website they go to and they find a lot of artists for top sheets there


"When you submit this content (the "Content") to this blog through Tumblr, Inc.'s ("Tumblr") products or services (the "Services"), you grant Tumblr and this blogger ("Subscriber") a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable right and license to use, host, store, cache, reproduce, publish, display (publicly or otherwise), perform (publicly or otherwise), distribute, transmit, modify, adapt (including, without limitation, in order to conform it to the requirements of any networks, devices, services, or media through which the Services are available), and create derivative works of the Content." - J Skis
Feb 18 2021 7:29PM 1 0
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bradwalters
Posts: 313 - Karma: 2,254
SessionHow much effort does it take to get basic colors blocked just right in the tip and tail? Dying to know.


To be honest, and completely ignoring the tone of your comment, it's more difficult that I expected. Graphic design and graphic production work on very simple, mass market skis takes far more time than skis with more "fun" graphics on them. Sounds stupid but every detail down to the painstaking degree matters. Like enough to make your eyes bleed matters.

Take a more traditional piste ski...you've only got like 75mm at the waist to use, core construction 3d to line up the graphic to, and a size range of commercially applicable skis for customers that range from an expert skier to all the way to a person looking to try skiing for the first time. Lots of different ski variables, lots of different people to appeal to. It turns into this weird complex formula of designing with lots of rulers, math ratios, and color theory. Plus, errors are easier to see because there really isn't much there to cover up any designer or production error.

Simply put...I underestimated it too but the damn simple ones are the ones that keep me up at night.
Feb 18 2021 7:57PM 0 0
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bradwalters
Posts: 313 - Karma: 2,254
nautical.nody











Also...these are great. Keep on doing what you're doing.
Feb 18 2021 7:58PM 2 0
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FruitBootPro
Posts: 2882 - Karma: 12,199
nautical.nodyYo yo,

I have a quite a few ski designs in the vault and I don't know what to do with them. I would like to get paid for them, hopefully. I need a little help/advice. Do I reach out to a company and ask for a job as a designer?

I'm still in college and wouldn't be able to drop everything and move to like Vermont or Utah (for now).

Also, if anyone has an idea for a design that they'd like to see on a ski, please let me know.


Maybe reach out to Gilson or something

**This post was edited on Feb 18th 2021 at 8:50:05pm
Feb 18 2021 8:48PM 2 0
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