SkatePal
Misc merch
2024/25
Commercial work
Misc merch
2024/25
Commercial work
A journey from non-profit skateboard organisation to a globally respected skateboarding brand.
Since 2013, SkatePal has been supporting young people in Palestine through skateboarding. After several trips to the region (transporting equipment, running skate sessions and helping with skatepark constructions) I joined the team to help the organisation develop into a self-sustaining skate brand that can continue supporting the local scene for years to come.
Here’s a selection of the products I’ve developed and / or designed so far, working in collaboration with some very talented individuals:
(1–6)
Haraka Baraka
A phrasebook developed by SkatePal and designed by Samar Maakaroun, offering a fun introduction to the Arabic language through the words and phrases of Palestine’s skateboarding community. Available here.
(7–10)
Licence Plate capsule A graphic raising awareness of the apartheid road system enforced by the occupation forces, in which Israeli cars (yellow reg plates) drive freely while Palestinian vehicles (green reg plates) endure severe restrictions. Available here.
(11-12)
Gaza Skate Team tee
A tshirt raising money for Rajab Al-Reefi, founder of Gaza Skate Team, released during the height of Israel’s miltary bombardment of Gaza. The graphic features a clip Rajab posted to instagram showing him doing a kickflip on a piece of rubble in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes. By the time a ceasefire agreement was reached, the tee had raised over £25,000. Available here.
(14–17)
SkatePal x Fichier Caché capsule A collaborative capsule with Tunisian lifestyle brand Fichier Caché. The designs were inspired by fruit stickers across the SWANA region, and underpinned by a sentiment shared between both brands: ‘Born in struggle, thriving in chaos’ . The deck takes the shape of a fruit synonymous with Palestinian resistance, and comes with a free pack of our ‘fruit-stickers’ for people to stick on, rather than peel-off.
(18–22)
SkatePal x Sabri Sundos capsule A collaborative capsule with Palestinian-American artist Sabri Sundos. The collection featured a special set of hand-embroidered tees, a skateboard that looks as if it’s made from fabric rather than wood, plus a series of workshops in NYC teaching the history of tatreez (a traditional form of Palestinian embroidery), allowing participants to embroider their own limited-edition SkatePal bag.
(23–24)
SkatePal x Habibis capsule The Lion of Babylon and Palestine’s national animal – the mountain gazelle – are brought together for a collaboration with a Scottish skate brand with Arab roots.
All products available for purchase via skatepal.co.uk/shop
READ MORE
Since 2013, SkatePal has been supporting young people in Palestine through skateboarding. After several trips to the region (transporting equipment, running skate sessions and helping with skatepark constructions) I joined the team to help the organisation develop into a self-sustaining skate brand that can continue supporting the local scene for years to come.
Here’s a selection of the products I’ve developed and / or designed so far, working in collaboration with some very talented individuals:
(1–6)
Haraka Baraka
A phrasebook developed by SkatePal and designed by Samar Maakaroun, offering a fun introduction to the Arabic language through the words and phrases of Palestine’s skateboarding community. Available here.
(7–10)
Licence Plate capsule A graphic raising awareness of the apartheid road system enforced by the occupation forces, in which Israeli cars (yellow reg plates) drive freely while Palestinian vehicles (green reg plates) endure severe restrictions. Available here.
(11-12)
Gaza Skate Team tee
A tshirt raising money for Rajab Al-Reefi, founder of Gaza Skate Team, released during the height of Israel’s miltary bombardment of Gaza. The graphic features a clip Rajab posted to instagram showing him doing a kickflip on a piece of rubble in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes. By the time a ceasefire agreement was reached, the tee had raised over £25,000. Available here.
(14–17)
SkatePal x Fichier Caché capsule A collaborative capsule with Tunisian lifestyle brand Fichier Caché. The designs were inspired by fruit stickers across the SWANA region, and underpinned by a sentiment shared between both brands: ‘Born in struggle, thriving in chaos’ . The deck takes the shape of a fruit synonymous with Palestinian resistance, and comes with a free pack of our ‘fruit-stickers’ for people to stick on, rather than peel-off.
(18–22)
SkatePal x Sabri Sundos capsule A collaborative capsule with Palestinian-American artist Sabri Sundos. The collection featured a special set of hand-embroidered tees, a skateboard that looks as if it’s made from fabric rather than wood, plus a series of workshops in NYC teaching the history of tatreez (a traditional form of Palestinian embroidery), allowing participants to embroider their own limited-edition SkatePal bag.
(23–24)
SkatePal x Habibis capsule The Lion of Babylon and Palestine’s national animal – the mountain gazelle – are brought together for a collaboration with a Scottish skate brand with Arab roots.
All products available for purchase via skatepal.co.uk/shop
On x KLABU
Le Berrad
2024
Commercial work
Le Berrad
2024
Commercial work
A story from the heart of the Saharan desert bringing together two of my favourite things: sport and tea.
On the eastern border of Mauritania is a settlement called M’bera. Home to over 100,000 refugees displaced by the civil war in Mali, and the location of KLABU’s latest sports clubhouse.
The badge on the KLABU M’bera shirt (5) features three traditional teapots, representing a welcome gesture in the Sahel where tea is poured in three servings:
This phrase – a Tuareg proverb – served as a perfect metaphor describing the personal journey from displacement to reconnection, told here through the story of three characters living in M’bera: a runner, a footballer, and a volleyball player.
The film is scored by Tinariwen, an incredible band from the region, and this project marks the first of a 3-year partnership with On. Read more about it here.
Client ︎︎︎ KLABU & On Running
Creative Director ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Director / DOP ︎︎︎ Richard Hu
Writer ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Producer ︎︎︎ Julia Piatkowska, Fleur Harmsen, Ibrahim Ag Abdorahmane
Editor ︎︎︎ Richard Hu, Tom Bird
Photography ︎︎︎ Coco Olakunle
Music ︎︎︎ Tinariwen
Music Licensing ︎︎︎ Lucy @ Warp, Patrick @ Wedge
Sound ︎︎︎ Wave Studios
Colour Grade ︎︎︎ Joppo de Grot
Cast ︎︎︎ Mohamed Ag Mohamed Aly
Mariama Wlt Med Ali
Aly Tahirou Macalou
Project partners ︎︎︎ On
UNHCR
Special thanks to Joumana Baalbaki, Jordan Farwell & Gessica Giulini @ On and to UNHCR Mauritania
READ MORE
On the eastern border of Mauritania is a settlement called M’bera. Home to over 100,000 refugees displaced by the civil war in Mali, and the location of KLABU’s latest sports clubhouse.
The badge on the KLABU M’bera shirt (5) features three traditional teapots, representing a welcome gesture in the Sahel where tea is poured in three servings:
“The first tea is served bitter, like loss.
The second is served strong, like life.
The third is served sweet, like love.”
This phrase – a Tuareg proverb – served as a perfect metaphor describing the personal journey from displacement to reconnection, told here through the story of three characters living in M’bera: a runner, a footballer, and a volleyball player.
The film is scored by Tinariwen, an incredible band from the region, and this project marks the first of a 3-year partnership with On. Read more about it here.
Client ︎︎︎ KLABU & On Running
Creative Director ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Director / DOP ︎︎︎ Richard Hu
Writer ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Producer ︎︎︎ Julia Piatkowska, Fleur Harmsen, Ibrahim Ag Abdorahmane
Editor ︎︎︎ Richard Hu, Tom Bird
Photography ︎︎︎ Coco Olakunle
Music ︎︎︎ Tinariwen
Music Licensing ︎︎︎ Lucy @ Warp, Patrick @ Wedge
Sound ︎︎︎ Wave Studios
Colour Grade ︎︎︎ Joppo de Grot
Cast ︎︎︎ Mohamed Ag Mohamed Aly
Mariama Wlt Med Ali
Aly Tahirou Macalou
Project partners ︎︎︎ On
UNHCR
Special thanks to Joumana Baalbaki, Jordan Farwell & Gessica Giulini @ On and to UNHCR Mauritania
WeTransfer
Move it like a Pro
2024
Commercial work
Move it like a Pro
2024
Commercial work
A campaign that makes upgrading to WeTransfer Pro a no-brainer for even the least professional pro’s.
WeTransfer had a problem: 80-million users, yet less than 1% paid for a WeTransfer Pro account.
So how do you talk to designers / photographers / filmmakers / editors / retouchers / sound engineers / location scouts / casting reps / production managers and all other fish swimming in this soup we call ‘the creative industry’?
Everyone’s a professional in their own way, so we locked onto that word – pro – and designed a bazillion iterations, one for every creative profession (not quite 80-million, but a lot), then bounced this prefix around the English language like a beach ball, constructing playful messages for all kinds of people about all manner of things.
We then asked some proper pros... the likes of Gabriel Moses, Joshua Kissi, Jessica Walsh and Quinn Wilson ...to show us what being a true professional looks like – sharing glimpses of their creative process lurking on their mobile – which we then turned into a series of idents.
The campaign played out across WeTransfer, WePresent and Instagram.
Head of Studio ︎︎︎ Marc Vermeeren, Keith Butters
Design Director ︎︎︎ Pia Vivo
Creative Directors ︎︎︎ Tom Bird & Tom Biddulph
Art Direction ︎︎︎ Pia Vivo, Fin O’Neill, Tom Bird
Copywriter ︎︎︎ Tom Biddulph, Tom Bird, Abbie Robinson
Motion Design ︎︎︎ Everton Guilherme, Nacho Darras
Graphic Design ︎︎︎ Nathan Hoang, Terezie Štindlová
Project Manager ︎︎︎ Hannah Mullen
Producer ︎︎︎ Vera le Blanc, Linsey Ruijter
Animation Partner ︎︎︎ BUCK
WePresent Director ︎︎︎ Holly Fraser
Music ︎︎︎ Suzi Analog (licenced via WARP)
READ MORE
WeTransfer had a problem: 80-million users, yet less than 1% paid for a WeTransfer Pro account.
So how do you talk to designers / photographers / filmmakers / editors / retouchers / sound engineers / location scouts / casting reps / production managers and all other fish swimming in this soup we call ‘the creative industry’?
Everyone’s a professional in their own way, so we locked onto that word – pro – and designed a bazillion iterations, one for every creative profession (not quite 80-million, but a lot), then bounced this prefix around the English language like a beach ball, constructing playful messages for all kinds of people about all manner of things.
We then asked some proper pros... the likes of Gabriel Moses, Joshua Kissi, Jessica Walsh and Quinn Wilson ...to show us what being a true professional looks like – sharing glimpses of their creative process lurking on their mobile – which we then turned into a series of idents.
The campaign played out across WeTransfer, WePresent and Instagram.
Head of Studio ︎︎︎ Marc Vermeeren, Keith Butters
Design Director ︎︎︎ Pia Vivo
Creative Directors ︎︎︎ Tom Bird & Tom Biddulph
Art Direction ︎︎︎ Pia Vivo, Fin O’Neill, Tom Bird
Copywriter ︎︎︎ Tom Biddulph, Tom Bird, Abbie Robinson
Motion Design ︎︎︎ Everton Guilherme, Nacho Darras
Graphic Design ︎︎︎ Nathan Hoang, Terezie Štindlová
Project Manager ︎︎︎ Hannah Mullen
Producer ︎︎︎ Vera le Blanc, Linsey Ruijter
Animation Partner ︎︎︎ BUCK
WePresent Director ︎︎︎ Holly Fraser
Music ︎︎︎ Suzi Analog (licenced via WARP)
WeTransfer x Jungle
Think it. Make it. Move it.
2023
Commercial work
Think it. Make it. Move it.
2023
Commercial work
A music video showing how WeTransfer brings momentum to big ideas... such as Jungle’s critically-acclaimed album, Volcano.
WeTransfer doesn’t just share files. It moves ideas. Big ideas. Bombastic ideas. Game-changing ideas. It lights the fuse and blasts your brain into the stratosphere.
For a digital tool used by millions, we needed a campaign platform that can speak to everyone, from creatives to teachers to dentists, and inspire them to get their files moving. We wrote the line Think it. Make it. Move it. A simple, modular, statement that can be playfully re-phrased to suit all manner of professions. (13)
Next, we asked creatives “What big idea are you trying to bring to life?”
It turned out that Jungle had an ambitious idea for their new studio album... to release it as a feature film comprised of 14 music videos. We partnered with them on this mission, co-funding the project, documenting their creative process and turning the journey into posters, films, and various pieces of album-teaser content, all dropped via jungle.wetransfer.com. (9) Drops featured things like 3D-printable merch, a behind-the-scenes zine, and .wav stems for a remix competition.
The centre-piece of our campaign was an interactive music video for the album’s lead release Back on 74, in which a selection of unique album art could be dragged and downloaded directly from the video – with some artworks containing free tickets to Jungle’s 2023 World Tour. (2–7) In essence... a product demo of epic proportions.
Hands down, the coolest project I’ve ever had the good fortune to be part of!
WeTransfer credits
Head of Studio ︎︎︎ Lily Darby, Nessim Higson
Brand Director ︎︎︎ Tara Goutermout
Creative Director ︎︎︎ Matt Skibiak
Creative ︎︎︎ Tom Bird, Ian Fairbrother
Project Manager ︎︎︎ Hunnah Mullen, Aya Hayashida
Design Director ︎︎︎ Hugo Timm, D. Alcausin
Designers ︎︎︎ Fin O’Neill, Josh Caley-Brown
Motion Design ︎︎︎ Everton Guilherme, Flávio Lourenço
Software Engineer ︎︎︎ Bram Kekels
Production Co ︎︎︎ WHALE Amsterdam
Technical Partner ︎︎︎ Nexus Studios
Producer ︎︎︎ Ezra Xenos, Sanne van Hattum, Anna Lee
Director / DOP ︎︎︎ Rik Burnell
Editor ︎︎︎ Rigel Kilston
Photographer ︎︎︎ Sophie Green
Jungle credits
Artist ︎︎︎ JUNGLE
Label ︎︎︎ Caiola Records
Production Co ︎︎︎ Contentus Maximus
Writer / Director ︎︎︎ Charlie Di Placido, J. Lloyd
Executive Producer ︎︎︎ Matt Craig, Tom McFarland
Choreography ︎︎︎ Shay Latukolan, Oriane Serveille
DOP ︎︎︎ Natasha Duursma
Steadycam Op ︎︎︎ Gary Kent
Set Design ︎︎︎ Sam Storey
**full cast + crew available on YouTube**
READ MORE
WeTransfer doesn’t just share files. It moves ideas. Big ideas. Bombastic ideas. Game-changing ideas. It lights the fuse and blasts your brain into the stratosphere.
For a digital tool used by millions, we needed a campaign platform that can speak to everyone, from creatives to teachers to dentists, and inspire them to get their files moving. We wrote the line Think it. Make it. Move it. A simple, modular, statement that can be playfully re-phrased to suit all manner of professions. (13)
Next, we asked creatives “What big idea are you trying to bring to life?”
It turned out that Jungle had an ambitious idea for their new studio album... to release it as a feature film comprised of 14 music videos. We partnered with them on this mission, co-funding the project, documenting their creative process and turning the journey into posters, films, and various pieces of album-teaser content, all dropped via jungle.wetransfer.com. (9) Drops featured things like 3D-printable merch, a behind-the-scenes zine, and .wav stems for a remix competition.
The centre-piece of our campaign was an interactive music video for the album’s lead release Back on 74, in which a selection of unique album art could be dragged and downloaded directly from the video – with some artworks containing free tickets to Jungle’s 2023 World Tour. (2–7) In essence... a product demo of epic proportions.
Hands down, the coolest project I’ve ever had the good fortune to be part of!
WeTransfer credits
Head of Studio ︎︎︎ Lily Darby, Nessim Higson
Brand Director ︎︎︎ Tara Goutermout
Creative Director ︎︎︎ Matt Skibiak
Creative ︎︎︎ Tom Bird, Ian Fairbrother
Project Manager ︎︎︎ Hunnah Mullen, Aya Hayashida
Design Director ︎︎︎ Hugo Timm, D. Alcausin
Designers ︎︎︎ Fin O’Neill, Josh Caley-Brown
Motion Design ︎︎︎ Everton Guilherme, Flávio Lourenço
Software Engineer ︎︎︎ Bram Kekels
Production Co ︎︎︎ WHALE Amsterdam
Technical Partner ︎︎︎ Nexus Studios
Producer ︎︎︎ Ezra Xenos, Sanne van Hattum, Anna Lee
Director / DOP ︎︎︎ Rik Burnell
Editor ︎︎︎ Rigel Kilston
Photographer ︎︎︎ Sophie Green
Jungle credits
Artist ︎︎︎ JUNGLE
Label ︎︎︎ Caiola Records
Production Co ︎︎︎ Contentus Maximus
Writer / Director ︎︎︎ Charlie Di Placido, J. Lloyd
Executive Producer ︎︎︎ Matt Craig, Tom McFarland
Choreography ︎︎︎ Shay Latukolan, Oriane Serveille
DOP ︎︎︎ Natasha Duursma
Steadycam Op ︎︎︎ Gary Kent
Set Design ︎︎︎ Sam Storey
**full cast + crew available on YouTube**
KLABU
Ter Apel clubhouse launch
2023
Commercial work
Ter Apel clubhouse launch
2023
Commercial work
A splash of optimism to launch KLABU inside the Netherlands’ largest centre for refugees and asylum-seekers.
In 2022, a fresh wave of immigration into the EU created a backlog of asylum claims across the continent. In the Netherlands’ largest refugee reception centre (Ter Apel), new arrivals were spending months inside a facility intended only for a short stay.
KLABU responded to the situation by initiating a weekly sports programme for the most at-risk youth, and its immediate success led to the launch of an official sports clubhouse. (10)
But as an organisation that seeks to add colour back to peoples lives, the sports infrastructure in Ter Apel – grey slabs inside a big cage – felt a bit... bleak. I pitched that together with the young residents, we give the court a lick of paint, recreating KLABU’s iconic butterfly pattern (featured across all their sportswear).
We hooked up a speaker, donned some overalls, strapped Go-Pro’s to the paint rollers and got to work. More info on the project here, and some behind-the-scenes here.
KLABU ︎︎︎ Jan Van Hövell, Kelvin Govey
Creative Director ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Producer ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Director ︎︎︎ Richard Hu, Tom Bird
DOP ︎︎︎ Richard Hu
Editor ︎︎︎ Richard Hu, Tom Bird
Production Assistents ︎︎︎ Fleur Harmsen, Tjark Klimant
Photography ︎︎︎ Rie Yamauchi
Music Licensing ︎︎︎ Out / Standard
Cast ︎︎︎ KLABU team & Ter Apel residents (May 2023)
Project partners ︎︎︎ COA Nederland
UEFA Foundation
ESPN (NL)
Nederlandse Loterij
BasicFit (NL)
Loods
3x3 Unites
ApenkooienGym
VAAF
Big shout out also to Nike Football for the cash-monies!
READ MORE
In 2022, a fresh wave of immigration into the EU created a backlog of asylum claims across the continent. In the Netherlands’ largest refugee reception centre (Ter Apel), new arrivals were spending months inside a facility intended only for a short stay.
KLABU responded to the situation by initiating a weekly sports programme for the most at-risk youth, and its immediate success led to the launch of an official sports clubhouse. (10)
But as an organisation that seeks to add colour back to peoples lives, the sports infrastructure in Ter Apel – grey slabs inside a big cage – felt a bit... bleak. I pitched that together with the young residents, we give the court a lick of paint, recreating KLABU’s iconic butterfly pattern (featured across all their sportswear).
We hooked up a speaker, donned some overalls, strapped Go-Pro’s to the paint rollers and got to work. More info on the project here, and some behind-the-scenes here.
KLABU ︎︎︎ Jan Van Hövell, Kelvin Govey
Creative Director ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Producer ︎︎︎ Tom Bird
Director ︎︎︎ Richard Hu, Tom Bird
DOP ︎︎︎ Richard Hu
Editor ︎︎︎ Richard Hu, Tom Bird
Production Assistents ︎︎︎ Fleur Harmsen, Tjark Klimant
Photography ︎︎︎ Rie Yamauchi
Music Licensing ︎︎︎ Out / Standard
Cast ︎︎︎ KLABU team & Ter Apel residents (May 2023)
Project partners ︎︎︎ COA Nederland
UEFA Foundation
ESPN (NL)
Nederlandse Loterij
BasicFit (NL)
Loods
3x3 Unites
ApenkooienGym
VAAF
Big shout out also to Nike Football for the cash-monies!