13th Floor Bonus Journal

13th Floor

This past Saturday NWAADC showcased a design team of two that goes by “13th Floor”. They described many things about how they got started and what kind of design they create. The logic behind their logo is also one of the things they told about. The number 13 came about because they felt like they did not really exist just like the 13th floor of a hotel. So the 13 is representing a elevator button for the 13th floor. Kustom artwork is their style. They spell custom with a “K” and use the 13-elevator button in place of the “o” in Kustom. Their main logo symbol is the flam coming out of the 13-elevator button. They said they had gone threw a few legal battles because other people were using their logo.

They are neat because they create everything them selves from lettering to design using original sketches. They were the in house art department with out being in house for the “Protec” company. A few other big companies they work for are: Arctic Cat snow machine company, X Games, Hot Wheels, Family Guy, & The Simpsons. They showed some of their work during their presentation. If anyone would like to view their work it can be found on their web site: www.13thfloordesign.com.

It is also neat that they live in two different places. One lives in California and the other in another state. I cannot remember the state the other one lives in, but it’s neat that they do so well even living so far apart. Their strong selling point is to wow the customer with the style guide layout. They enjoy patterns and flowing ligatures in their designs. They would introduce about ten different sketches before one was chosen and on occasion more than ten. The style guides were used to show how the images could be used. For example, if it was a skateboard design they would show it on a skate board along with other merchandise.

The funniest yet most truthful statement made was, “a partnership is like being married with out the sex.” I would like to wrap this journal up by saying that these two people became friends and found out they could work and play well together. They surfed together and then developed a partnership by creating 13th Floor Design. I hope I find someone to form a design partnership with. They are very fortunate to have met one another. I get a lot of insight when I go to these NWAADC designer showcases. I suggest everyone should go to the next one. It gives inspiration and hope to ones dreams.

Misty J Slavens