Surfers For Africa

A package design for Quiksilver’s charity, Surfers for Africa

Surfers for Africa is a charity started by professional surfers to raise money and plant trees in villages in Africa. The product here is a rashguard, a protective garment for surfers. Surfer culture is known for a great many things; the laid-back attitude, the slang terms, and the classic cars to name a few. But the aspect of surf culture that is perhaps most well known is the music. Classic bands like the Ventures, Dick Dale and the Deltones, and The Beach Boys shaped American culture in the early 60’s. Surf music heavily inspired the design of this package, and a lot of the design choices are references to retro surf music album art, particularly Walk, Don’t Run by the Ventures. 

The front flap of the box contains a 45 RPM record, which further enforces the music connection. Instead of an old American surf band, it contains music from Bombino, a Tuareg musician who’s songs are about as close to surfer music as the Sahara gets. The images are pulled from vintage beach movies and the patterns are pulled from the swimsuits of the girls on the back of the box. Additionally there is a digital component, the QR Code takes you to the Surfers for Africa website, and can only be scanned once you remove the vinyl. The panel under the rashguard is an Aurasma tagged image that brings up an acoustic performance the Bombino song included with the package.