You might not have heard of Melissa Laine Scotton before, but you've almost certainly seen her designs. She's the creative mind behind the Roxy Envi, which Torah Bright rode all last season, and the beautiful watercolour graphics that graced the bottom of Kjersti Buaas' board in the Olympics. We had a chat with her about inspiration, how she got her ace job, and girls in snowboarding...
You have the best job, how did you get into designing for the boardsports industry?
When I was majoring in graphic design at the University of Delaware I knew my dream job was to work for a snowboard company. So most of my school projects catered to that industry and I made sure my portfolio reflected my passion...
When I graduated I started sending emails with links of my online portfolio to companies I could see myself working for; all of which were out on the west coast. I sent an email to the art director of Grenade Gloves, Tim Karpinski. He is also the art director for Gnu Snowboards. He said if he ever heard of any openings he'd let me know, but he didn't have anything right then. So I ended up getting a full time job at Spy Optic and moved out to Southern California. I realized quickly that I wasn't the biggest fan of a full time, 8:30 to 6 (or later) desk job and I also was super homesick for the east coast. Then one day I got an email from Julia Carlson, who (at that time) was the product manager for Roxy Hardgoods. She said she got my name from Tim Karpinski and they were looking for new designers to work on the Roxy snowboard line. She told me to come up with some comps for 3-5 boards. So I did 7. I didn't get a response right away so I was a little bummed out that they didn't like my concepts. But as my mom says, "no news is good news" and I got an email a week or two later that said they wanted to use all the ideas I sent in. So my first job designing snowboards was basically designing a whole line of them. That made me realize I didn't have to live on the west coast to work for an industry that I loved. I could get the best of both worlds freelancing while living on the east coast. I still can't believe that I landed this job. It was my long term dream job / goal in life to design snowboards, and everyday I pinch myself just to make sure it's really true.
What's your favourite item you've designed so far?
I think my most favorite snowboard is the 06/07 Roxy Watercolor Silhouette. The one Kjersti rode in the Olympics. That one really shows my personal style. Inked line drawings with flowy watercolor and splatters. Plus it was the first board I made when first asked to come up with ideas for Roxy, so it's a super meaningful board as well.
You seem to do so many different things, what's your favourite medium to work in?
I absolutely adore watercolor. It's so unpredictable and I'm in love with the organic shapes it creates on its own. Right now I'm working on a children's book for one of my graduate projects that is done in watercolor. It's a challenging medium for me as well. It's not something I've mastered, but I'm enjoying the experience of learning different techniques and exploring its possibilities. Even though I consider myself a graphic designer, I try to steer clear of the computer as much as possible.
Where do you get your ideas?
I get my ideas just from living everyday life. In a lot of my work I am inspired my nature. A lot of my board designs depict natural scenes in a whimsical style. I love the flowy shapes of trees, leaves, and water.
Recently I've been inspired by vintage perfume bottles. They have amazing shapes and beautiful labels. I love searching through flea markets and antique shops for the perfect ones.
I try not to look at other designers for inspiration b/c sometimes that can push you to copy their style rather than be inspired to do your own thing.
One of the hardest things about working in the snowboard industry is that most of the designing is done over the summer when you can't go riding. So I pop in as many snowboard dvds as possible to get my mind set on snowflakes.
Other things that inspire me are vintage clothing and accessories, the food network, Martha Stewart, reggae music, collecting seashells, making smores, and anything else that allows me to free my mind of excess clutter and distractions.
Who are your heros? (In art, snowboarding, life, whatever!)
I love my mom, dad, sister, and brother. They are big heros in my life. I also adore my amazing friends. My family and friends are all so creative in their own ways and their constant love and support really pushes me to be the best designer I can be.
In snowboarding I love Tara Dakides. She is such an individual and has made such strides for women in the sport. I'd love to design something for her one day.
I really really love Martha Stewart though. I know she has nothing to do with snowboarding, but I love that she is the master of everything and has such an amazing sense of humor when it comes to the hard times she's faced in her life. I'm kind of obsessed with her.
You've done quite a lot of stuff with Roxy, can we find any of your work in the current line? (or anything out this season?)
Their current line (07/08) is hitting stores at the moment. I designed the graphics for the Envi (bamboo) board that Torah Bright was riding all last year. I also designed both silhouettes (one with butterflies and one with a white tree and owl). I also worked on the Roxy Sugar Inspire and the Roxy Girls board. I also just finished up working on their 08/09 board where I designed 3 boards. I'm so happy to still be a part of their company. Designing for Roxy is such a perfect match for me.
Part two of our interview with Melissa will be online tomorrow.
To find out more about Melissa and her work, visit her website design=love, and her super cute blog, snowflakes and cupcakes.