Burton Snowboards

Early in Burton Snowboards’ development, the company struggled with their branding identity. The fledgling sport was on the verge of exploding and Jake Burton Carpenter, and his company, quickly emerged as not only a pioneer, but an outspoken leader in the sport. Meanwhile, the conservative ski resort business didn’t know where, or if, snowboarding fit in… frankly, they hated it. Snowboards were perceived as a toy, a fad, not taken seriously. Burton’s branding was in its infancy. Their logos had little impact in the market. Visual messaging was confusing and inconsistent. Burton needed to be taken more seriously. This logo design was the product of a discussion with Jake and Croteaux as he desired not only get a foot in the door of the ski resort business, but kick the door wide open. We decided the new logo must be bold and recognizable “readable upside down from two-hundred yards away”, and “also recognizable in the tiniest of product applications.” “Everything else could go wild and take on its own personality around the logo.” The logo has stood the test of time being applied to tens-of-thousands of products, reproduced around the globe and has become the predominant brand mark for Burton.