Toby Wood Graphic Designer
Toby Wood Artist collaboration
Toby Wood – Graphic designer and Illustrator
Toby Wood
Our latest collaborator is Toby Wood, an illustrator and graphic designer, based in his narrow boat, currently situated on the Grand Union canal.
Toby studied Graphics communication and Illustration at Loughborough University and after graduating, originally planned on being a ceramicist. Functionality in art is something that Toby finds really cool; the idea that art isn’t just for our walls but it’s a part of the fabric that forms our day to day experience. This was one of the reason that Toby was such a good fit for our latest collection.
As a self professed stationary hoarder Toby is always exploring different mediums and enjoys experimenting with different tools to make different strokes, this means his style is always evolving.
Toby Wood
When designing this collection Toby took inspiration from his own experiences with skate boarding, here’s what he had to say.
These t shirts were designed from my experience really. It started with fish out of water- I mean it’s pretty simplistic as a narrative. If you’ve ever rocked up to a skatepark, especially when you’re just starting out, the characters on boards can be super intimidating. You feel like you’re not quite apart of the club whilst also being apart of it and loving the culture.
Toby Wood
Dear in the headlights is also again a really clear image as a beginner. One of the hardest fears to overcome is the drop in. And it really doesn’t ever stop being something powerful to watch. You’ll see crazy drop ins on loads of videos from really incredible professional skateboarders and essentially it’s the exact same trick as you on a 2 foot mini ramp. It’s a trick and an experience that connects all levels of skateboarding.
Toby Wood
Old dogs can learn new tricks came out oft he sudden mainstream appeal of skateboarding. It definitely wasn’t what I experienced when I started. It was just a lot of people screaming Avril Levine lyrics at you or begging you to do a kickflip. So it’s been awesome to see over the last few years since Covid people really flocking to the sport again. It means that there’s a ton of silver foxes coming to the park and reminiscing about what it was like in the 80s and 90s so old dogs can do new tricks it’s really a t shirt in homage to them and their journey.
Toby Wood
And charging in head first is definitely an issue I still face when I skate. I’m a very average skater and often I found myself trying things way out of my comfort zone, which both pushed me forward when it worked but also meant that I got really hurt a lot. Like basically every time I skated. I just thought if I could get the chance to remind myself that you can take it easy and also keep pushing, it would be really useful.