DavidSalmassian

Case Study: Utility Board Supply

Discovery

Back in Winter 2000, Utility Board Supply (a skate and snowboard retailer) was preparing to launch their online store. With previous knowledge of the skateboarding lifestyle, we knew success would depend on making sure the look and vibe of the brand would hold up in the highly critical and cynical skateboarding/youth culture.

Plan

Authenticity was a must. The brand needed to be unique and innovative. Since existing competition lacked that edgy quality, we knew what needed to be done. To strengthen this relatively young brand, all the collateral created needed to tie together visually to reinforce the brand awareness. Graphically-rich email was used because style and appearance was critical to the brand. Simple text wouldn't cut it.

Design

To keep focus on the product, we picked dark grays and black to keep the environment secondary to the colors/designs of the merchandise. The website layout needed to push product immediately upon arrival of the shoppers, so we walked a fine line between business and user experience. We didn't want to overwhelm the shoppers. Keeping the extensive navigation simple helped customers sort through the thousands of items quickly.

Production

Because of our diverse skills, Utility Board Supply relied on us to strengthen their brand. They confidently handed off advertising print, web-motion, catalog, and even product design responsibilities. This allowed them to focus on their other critical business responsibilities while knowing all the design would be consistent with the brand image.

Review

Nothing replaces experience when it comes to marketing effectively. Over the last 7 years, we have fine-tuned UBS to be one of the strongest eCommerce skateboarding brands in an extremely competitive industry. New competitors are introduced almost weekly, which keeps us on our toes to reach for the next level.