K2 Landscape - Winter 2024/25
Role: K2 Design Director
Music and The Mountains.
K2 Landscape is a study in freeride snowboarding, done in a way that only K2 can. With a deep rooted history in snowboarding, dating back to 1987 - The Landscape Collection is composed of a selection of boards that can be used for all styles of enjoying the mountain. Now in its third season, each board from this year’s collection features a graphic built with a connection to music - pulling graphic and pattern from the world of vinyl records.
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Art / Science
Since its inception in 2022, K2’s Landscape collection has kept snowboard technology in the driver’s seat. Each board is carefully crafted by K2’s engineering team to offer a board for everyone’s quiver. Whether a seasoned professional, or a rider looking to venture off trail for the very first time - K2 Landscape brings a new and refreshing approach to the mountain.
The graphics are built off a series of transparent pigments that aim to amplify the technology instead of simply covering it up with opaque inks.
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Framed in Black & White
As K2’s marquee collection, the aim is to make sure that the logo is fully recognizable and not at the mercy of whatever background or color exists on the board or in the surrounding natural environment.
To contrast this as much as possible and give the most punch - we opted for a classic style of black & white framed logos, tech, and details. Everything from the sidewalls to the insert rings shared this and acted as a grounding element to the rest of the artwork.
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Musically Inspired
This year’s Landscape Collection draws parallels between the natural vibrations of a vinyl record to the feeling one gets while riding a snowboard. Both being born from pressed materials, both being openly interpreted by the world they exist.
Records were carefully selected to add an overall feeling to the board. Each a different artist, sound, and vibe that speaks to the particular board model and how it’s meant to be experienced.
The Face of Freeride
K2 isn’t just about the products, it’s about the people behind them. For the 2024 / 25 Winter we introduced our marquee campaign “THE FACE OF FREERIDE” and worked together with our team to showcase not just the boards and riding, but also their unique personalities.
We wanted a marketing layout that broke away from what has become the norm in the outdoor industry over the base few years. We needed a clean layout, that was disruptive at the same time. Something that showcased the world-class riding with the boards and riders all the same. With this in mind, we brought the dynamic artwork from the base of the snowboards to a “disruptive bar” that blasts across the center of the frame. This allowed for us to be bold, apply unique framing whether we needed a full bleed single shot, a multiple framed hybrid, or a close up of the riders themselves.
This marketing and design campaign was applied across print, social, digital, and retail activations.
Additional Contributions:
Board Engineering: Justin Clark | Additional Graphic Design: Tim Benasich, Elsa Grant, John Cottle
Product Line Management: Megan Stark | Marketing and Brand Direction: Tom Johnson
Photography and Videography: Jack Dawe, Mark Wilson, Seamus Foster, Ben Gavelda
Snowboarders: Sage Kotsenburg, Curtis Ciszek, Ayo Sato, David Djite, Lauren Nelson, Parker Szumowski, Jake Kuzyk