VERB SKATEBOARDS X KRONK
Shop the collection below
Did you have any formal art education, or are you
self-taught?
I have been doodling my whole life, but I got a
formal education in design at The Cape Peninsula
University of Technology. I learnt a lot about concept
and composition from the amazing lecturers there.
These are the foundations I like to build my work on.
For the illustration part I am mostly self-taught, but
I apply the logic of design with my work. I maintain
that most work out there at the moment looks rad but
has little or no concept, unless it is supremely original,
it will not stick with you. I like to engage my audience
with sub-plots and little details they can discover. It
keeps them entertained and that way they visit the
work more than if it looked cool with no idea in it.
What was your inspiration or the idea behind your
Verb design?
Throw-away culture, Retro Sci-fi robotics and totem
poles. The idea is that we praise trash and the evils
that follow, like drunkenness, piracy, fighting and
fashionable, yet ridiculous excess. The idea was to
provoke thought about modern society’s obsession
with newness whilst defacing tradition and praising
stupidity, who are the Kardashians anyway?
What music were you listening to while you were
creating your graphics for the Verb range?
Mostly the radio. I wanted to listen to enough pop
music to disgust my senses into the right area. Mostly I
listen to oldies from the ’90s like Soundgarden, but for
this I was dropping some Talib, Wu-Tang, Mos Def and
a bit of Jedi Mind Tricks for some extra flavour. A little
doof-doof might have crept into the playlist too.
What sorts of mediums do you work in and what do
you enjoy about it?
I work mostly in vector. I love the smoothness of the
curves and the way that the colours can be quickly
manipulated to produce different vibes. I also love the
organic and geometric elements one can manipulate.
I love this medium because it makes one think in
simpler terms than painting and using shapes to create
pieces is my favourite thing to do.
