Mike Silcher

Brand Identity

Where structure meets instinct.


Brand identity work focused on clarity, reduction, and recognition. Projects often begin from scratch or existing systems, sometimes without direction, quickly defining what matters: audience, purpose, and real-world function across scale and context.


I break brands down to their core and rebuild them into clear, distinct systems designed to hold across print, digital, retail, and physical environments.


Form, type, and color act as signals, shaping structure, tension, and recognition rather than decoration.


Each direction follows the idea. Some resolve into minimal, precise systems, others stay more expressive when the concept calls for it.


Reduce the noise. Keep what carries meaning. Refine until only what is essential remains.

Screwball Industries Surfboards

Developed a brand identity for Screwball Industries, a Santa Cruz-based surfboard shaper producing hand-built boards for a range of surf conditions.


Built a flexible visual system designed to translate across disciplines, including traditional surf, river, boat, and kiteboarding environments.


Applied identity directly to board laminations, prioritizing visibility, recognition, and durability in real-world conditions.


Extended the system into apparel and accessories, including hats, t-shirts, and stickers, creating a cohesive presence across water and land.

O’Neill Wetsuits Promotional Merchandise

Developed graphics for apparel and promotional items, including t-shirts, trucker hats, stickers, and wetsuit-changing mats, translating campaign direction and product innovation into applied, wearable design.


Focused on bold, high-clarity visual systems designed to maintain recognition across retail, events, and community environments.


Work was distributed through sales channels and dealer networks as part of seasonal campaigns, extending brand presence into everyday use within surf culture.

“Freak Show” Surfing Contest – O’Neill Wetsuits

Developed a Halloween-inspired event identity for O’Neill, using a circus framework to establish a heightened, unconventional visual system.


Created a full suite of event assets, including posters, apparel, digital media, and environmental graphics.


Extended the identity into on-site environments, wrapping competitor and judging areas with immersive branding to reinforce spectacle and unpredictability.

“Cold Water Classic” Surf Contest – O’Neill Wetsuits

Developed brand identity for the Cold Water Classic in Santa Cruz, drawing from the California Grizzly Bear and the legacy of Jack O’Neill to anchor the event in local history.


Designed a full range of promotional and environmental assets, including posters, apparel, marketing collateral, web graphics, and event media.


Integrated the identity across judges’ and competitor areas with custom booth wraps and on-site branding, strengthening visibility and reinforcing the event’s iconic standing within the surf community.

“Bragger’s Cup” Surfing Contest – O’Neill Wetsuits

Developed a coat-of-arms-inspired identity system for O'Neill, positioning the event through a lens of heritage and competitive prestige.


Designed promotional and environmental systems spanning print, apparel, digital, and event graphics.


Applied identity across physical event spaces through structured environmental graphics, reinforcing cohesion across competition areas.