PDX SKate
What you need to know. Each city has its own spots, feel and attitude. Different tribes reside within these cities, each with their own distinct philosophy. The same is true with skateboarding. Each skate brand offers these tribes something that reflects their lifestyle. You can tell a lot about a person by the board they ride. Skateboarding has not been woven into the cultural fabric of a city better than it has in Portland, Oregon. It can be said that all started over two decades ago, on a trash-strewn dirt patch under the Burnside bridge. Skaters banded together and built one of the most icon skateparks in the world. Burnside skatepark. To this day, skaters come from all around the world to get a rip.
Who we are talking about. From our initial research, there are four distinct lifestyles associated with skate brands: The Punk The Athlete The Local The Escapist. Each is defined by the visual imagery used, cultural influences and riding style of the skater. While we’re not completely sure on specifics about these lifestyles, we hope that our research will expand our view on these segments.
Objectives Explore the culture of skateboarding from multiple angles. Grasp an understanding of the influencers of skateboarders. Connect the style of skate brands to attitudes of consumers.
plan of action.
Themes. What type of music do you listen to when you are skateboarding? What is your favorite subject in school? Do you graffiti or do any other kind of artistic work? Apart from skateboard, what other sports or hobbies do you practice? What type of trucks do you use? What is your preference, if you can choose any of them? What type of wheels do you have? What is your preference, if you can choose any of them ? Tell us about your board? Is is concaved? What brands do you most identify with? If you could define skateboarding with a single-word, what would that be? Do you have a drug of choice while you skateboard? Cigarettes, weed, Alcohol, other Are there certain areas you can not skate in your hometown? What are the areas you enjoy skating? What is your favorite trick to do? Is there a ritual you do when you do this trick? Do you have a ritual you do before you start skating? Do you play skateboarding video games? And if so which ones? When did you start skateboarding? and How did you get into it? Who inspires you? Are you looking for a professional career in skateboarding or in another direction? What are your ambitions as a skateboarder? What is your skateboard style/status? What is your stance? Why? Goofy or regular? If you could select a brand to be your sponsor, what would that be? Who are your idols? What is your dream job? Why? What are your favorite brands? And skate-related brands? What shoes do you wear while skating? Do you see a lot of women skateboarders? Are women known to be on skate teams?
Our focus is to understand the culture and define parameters of differentiation between groups in order to segment audience according to the board (brand) versus individual (identity) notion/ viewpoint.
Wish List.
People
Chet Childress - professional skater signed with Nike Tom Miller - Lawyer that represent PDX skateboarders through Sonny Robertson - Graphic Designer. Supported Tom Miller, SPS Portland Bureau of Transportation Younger skateboarders - from Portland Jordan Doods - at Tactics Silas Baxter - Professional Skateboarder (From Portland, but now in LA/CA) Darren Dykes (aka Skapo) - Skateboard videos
Places
Tactics Cal’s Pharmacy Daddies Zumies Commonwealth Castle Sensored Cal Skate Milo FTC
Skateparks
Burnside Skatechurch - Paul Anderson Ed Benedict Plaza Gabriel Glenhaven Holly Farm Brooklyn St. Pier Park Portland Skatespots Amazon (EUG) Emerald (EUG) Trainsong (EUG)
Brand Related
Nike SB Adidas Tribute Skateboards (portland brand. local scene vs national) Portland Wheel Company DLX - SF skate company CCS (online merchant) Mall kids (teenagers) Dreamland skateparks Zero skateboards Rob Dydrek
output. You can tell about a person by the board they ride. Storytelling through skateboarding. Research Document/Write-up Profile of skaters x brands
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Thank you.
Jazo moises Daniel Caldas Patrick dewitt Ryan hagen Lexi Alaga