Talking Design With GSI's Mark Kelly
On Friday night the Meyerhoffer Surfboard, the radical new design produced by GSI Industries, won an Australian International Design Award. The Australian International Design Awards are Australia's peak design assessment and promotion body. The judges who made the announcement said the board was a 'major design innovation' that would create 'global shockwaves'.
After receiving the award the boards designer, Thomas Meyehoffer, said, "I owe many thanks to Mark Kelly of GSI for his vision and surfing skills. Almost two years ago now Mark tried a Meyerhoffer prototype and was convinced that he was surfing better than ever!"
I recently chatted to Mark about future designs, industry prejudice and what's next for the Meyerhoffer:
Stuart Nettle: Since it was first produced the Meyerhoffer has encountered a level of resistance from surfers, partially based on it's looks, is this fair?
Mark Kelly: Yeah, well I think surfers are pretty conservative. But we know that once we get a few more people riding them in the water it will begin to get accepted and then things will start to change. We've already sold a couple of thousand of them around the world in the first year. That's pretty good. If some small surfboard company sold a couple of thousand boards a year they'd be pretty happy.
SN: And now the design has just won an International Design Award, it's an unusual thing for a surf company to receive, what will this mean for the Meyerhoffer?
MK: It's interesting, you know, it's a pretty radical thing to change the traditional surfboard shape. But I think riding the board gives a whole new experience to longboarding - it's like a longboard and a shortboard put together. It might mean more people take notice of it.
The surf industry has a propensity to look backwards - to look at what happened in the 50' s and the 60's and the 70's - and I doubt very much if you went to an aerospace conference people would be talking about the Wright brothers, like "yeah they killed it back then!' No, it'd be about future technology and better energy consumption and getting from A to B quicker and quieter. And for me thats what surfboard design is, it's 'what does the future hold' and 'who can come up with better designs'? And 'how can we make people have a better surfing experience'?
SN: Are there any plans for further development? Can the Meyerhoffer get better?
MK: Yeah, I was in San francisco last week with Thomas and our R&D guy, Corey Davis, and next year there're four new models coming out that Thomas has designed. They range from a little 5'3" pill that goes all the way to a 9'6".
SN: A 5'3" Meyerhoffer?
MK: Well, it's not exactly a Meyerhoffer shape but it is a shape that Thomas designed and it stems from the original.
SN: When will we see these designs?
MK: 2012.
SN: Due to it's offshore production methods GSI has met some resistance from proponents of traditional surfboard manufacture, what's your defence to those people?
MK: GSI has been around for eight years now. We run twelve brands internationally. We sell boards in 55 countries. We put a lot back into the surfing industry and also at the community and competition level. We employ thousands of people in the industry. I think we do our part of putting back into the industry. I don't think we need to defend anything.
SN: But you are aware that there are some people out there who are after foam and fibreglass and supporting local shapers, some of these people resent your company and what you do?
MK: Well, there are still people out there who hate leashes. There are a lot of haters out there. The surf world seems full of small-minded haters. Good luck to them. But I'm all about the future and being the most positive influence I can be on surfing and the industry as a whole.
One of the reasons we wanted to do the Meyerhoffer in the beginning was because we were looking around the world for different shapes. We license a lot of the shapes that we sell from guys like Bob McTavish, Steve Walden and Greg Webber, we pay many millions of dollars a year in royalties to different shapers and companies that own the trademarks and the designs. For me the Meyerhoffer was trying to open the door to new designs and new thinking.
Because, after being a surfer for a long time, I thought everything was becoming a little bit the same, you take all the labels off the boards in the surf shop rack and put them on other boards, would anyone know the difference?
I want to find new designs. I want to open my door so other creative people could come knocking and say, 'Hey Mark, look at this' and I can help them commercialise it. And, I think, while Thomas is a great designer, he's a foundation stone to let other designs and designers get a foothold in the marketplace.
If we didn't pick up the Meyerhoffer design then he probably would've made twenty of them and still be in San Francisco and that'd be about it. We've been able to help commercialise that board and for him this is just the first step. I also think that there's lot of other people with great ideas out there who just need someone to help them commercialise it. That's part of our job.
SN: Thanks Mark...
Make your own mind up - GSI offer test drives of the Meyerhoffer at these stores.
Comments
Good on ya Stu, still asking all the tough questions...
It's great to see there are people with new ideas and designs getting some recongnition and it's also good to see that there are companies helping these designers get their products into the market place. But I'm personally a bit torn between the idea of helping new designers and the underlying feeling GSI is more about mass produced, mass marketed, profit driven business.
Anyway, it would be interseting to hear some feed back on how these boards perform, I see they gave them a good run at Noosa recently.
The old anti big company ideal eh. I wonder how many of your local shapers put anything back into the community. Obviously on your theory here, all small businesses are not for profit and rely only on donations to stay afloat. Get a grip. Bring on progress with a balance of community ideals. Yes big companies make massive profits but without it who would sponsor major events and the nurturing of talent. I know the profit from my foam and fibreglass custom boards bought throught the same shop for the last 10 yrs hasnt contributed to anything in the community.
I reckon the surfing industry retrospective look into everything from board design to corporate ideals is a crock of shit and an even worse version of corporate money grabbing than futuristic development is.
My 2c, i have been wrong before but thats my opinion
So it's the Meyerhoffer is it, just rolls off the tongue doesn't it.
count me out ..
I'm not one of the "haters" here Stevo, I'm all for forward thinking and development.
This story is a bit of big deal, having a surfboard shape recognised by the wider design community is a good thing. It's giving some well deserved credit to our sport and recognition to the guys involved in moving forwards and evolving the equipment.
Not to say that I personally like the look of this one (I don't surf mals), to me it's a short board with a big duck's bill shoved on the front of it. But if it helps progress this sport and performs better then the current designs, why not support it. Mark is right with his comment about everything looking the same, you could swap the logos around on most boards today and nobody would notice.
My issue is how it's just a shame that basicly the only way to get a new product (I'm talking about all products, not just surf related) into the market place today you have to get a big company to buy your idea, re-brand it, mass produce it and ram it down the mouths of all consumers. Like Mark said they pay "many millions of dollars" to local aussie shapers so they can mass produce their designs offshore. Why can't GSI just on-sell the product dirrect from the shaper????
Yeah Pete, they had an infinite amount of possibilities but they settled on 'The Meyerhoffer'. Hmmm...
He's apparently a pretty clever fella is old Thomas, a bit of an independent thinker. Could've used a hand with the nomenclature though. Luckily we've got Pete who's already started a list.
http://kurungabaa.net/2010/06/04/name-it/
Mark you do yourself a disservice being so defensive and maintaining your customers are mostly "small minded haters".
That shows a level of arrogance and disdain that belies the origins of your company and what it is built on.
Which is the creativity and design skills of mostly small surfer-shaper operations.
Surfboard design has never been more varied and diverse, in terms of shape and materials.
The impetus for this has been the small backyard shaper.
Large companies building boards using cheap Asian labour have capitalised on that intellectual property.
As is there perfect right.
There is much more futuristic design based on cutting edge surfing happening in the traditional custom surfboard market than in the moulded Asian pop-out business.
Terms used to describe the Meyerhoffer such as that it is a "major design innovation" and will create "global shockwaves" come off as clumsy hyperbole written by adolescents non-surfers.
If I were GSI I'd be more interested in establishing the credibility of the design than writing off the real engine room for creativity and design evolution.
Well Mark.... the surf world is full of small-minded Haters.. is that so.. and to look back to the 50s 60s and 70s is where we as surfers find those surfing/shapers legends like George Rice, Bill Wallace,Gordon Woods, Mike Hynson, Bob McTavish, Joe Larkins MR and all the others that made surfing what it is today. Mate you were at Noosa and saw these LEGENDS like the rest of us. Yeh its ok to look to the future in design and technology but... surfing is about respecting our peers and remembering that waves are free and you can ride them on any craft you like. Soul surfing will always be with us ....... some surf companies may not.
Stevo, if your buying boards shaped and glassed in your local community how can the some profits not go back to the community? They all live in your community, they have to buy food pay rent and if they have family's there probably not going to spend it on overseas holidays, so your point is mute. On the up side for the local economy these boards should be a goldmine for board repairers around the world, putting them back together when they snap.
By calling us small minded this has set off alarm bells. Does this not show a degree of arrogance, by saying my target customers are small minded and I am going to shove my multinational thoughts down your throats.
Mark, most of your customers will tell you to stick you multinational thoughts up your ...........
Just think about the fact that if we do not support the local shapers who are the ones who have shaped the industry. The local shaper will become an extinct specie, companies like GSI will then have a strangle hold on the industry and then they will tell you what you want to surf whilst charging you whatever they want. If you do not believe me just look at the fuel industry and the price war between Woolies and Coles. How many independents are around these days? Woolies and Coles have us all by the short and curlies.
Peace out Mark, and remember an important saying, life is better when you surf.
Its funny that Frank Latta, from Skipp Surfboards was making these boards in Wollongong in the early 90's. He called them "The Bottle". I actually rode one! Thats probably where the design came from... its not original, and Im unsure whether Franks design was either.
Wow so much hatred towards Mark...I'm not sure if any of you bloggers understand how much GSI actually does for each local community...and how right mark is by calling a large group of surfers small minded...Everyone is so trapped in this little bubble that the surf industry is "core and local" and when they buy there surfboards there a "good person" because they buy it locally, its a joke. They still dont judge the big three and are happy to have a billabong logo on there tee and it makes thetm feel a part of a culture because these companies have history in the industry?
On a side note...GSI isn't killing local shapers, local shapers are killing themselves by being unreliable and (in general) un-educated business persons (not turning up to work when the surf is good, hard to deal with, don't market themselves etc etc..). The reliablity companies like GSI offer on there products is unchallenged. GSI's quest to have a good name has led to it having undeniably quality products. There customer satisfaction is kept high, if a board is faulty in anyway they will have almost next day replacement.
As for the meyerhoffer, it actually rides unreal...super drivey and responsive. I have personally riden the 7'6, 8'0 and 9'6 all of which i was more than pleased with the perfomance (and i believe the hundereds of professional mal riders at serveral surf vestivals i have attended would feel the same). The problem lies in the pretentious surf community, who, are so worried about there image (lets face it) and the condemnation of there peers. That they would rather not ride it and judge it as "an obonination" then just be an individual and give it a shot.
Come on guys, stray from the heard!
Oh, God.
The Ultimate Irony has been witnessed.
Being told that riding a mass-produced Asian pop-out is straying from the Heard(sic).
I'm sure the irony was unintentional.
Board Culture, where do you honestly think design innovation comes from?
Some San Fransiscan Ho-Dad furniture designer or real shapers who can respond to feedback and tune their designs?
Do you think we would have the shortboard designs that we do now if they had to put in a mould and made in Asia?
There's no hate here for Mark, just justifiable criticism based on his obvious disdain for his customers.
Corporate arrogance is never a good look.
If someone like GSI takes a strangle hold on the industry, you will not be able to go into a board shop and give them your weight, size, style and the typical wave you surf etc etc etc. You will not be able to get the input from the shaper, which is important.
This is a quote from a surfshop website, which is all so true............"This Australian made ethos underpins our board building business. Beware of local and interstate board shops who have sold their soul to the import market for short term business gains and, unbeknownst to them, are destroying an industry they have worked so hard to build in the first place. If the trend of buying imported boards continues this way, we’ll all be riding second-rate cloned surfboards! Waters Retro sends a call to all surfers; it's in your hands to protect the Australian made custom surfboard industry and end up with a professional, quality “stick†that will last you years!
HAHAHA you know this "asian pop out" is actually made in the cobra factory (and yes smart ass, this is in thailand). However Cobra factory is a well known for making lamborgini and ducati parts and construction (both of which im sure you'll agree are somewhat of a quality product).
In terms of this sort of factory ill be the first one to run away from a great wall motors car but i have no hesitance in purchasing of purchasing a hilux perhaps? Does it make me less australian?
Yes, there are some terrible quality boards that come from the asain market, however im sure a true surfer (like yourself im sure) would be able to tell the difference between a quality product such as what GSI offers from say...a "you'll love coles" surfboard.
Yes the asian market can be bad...but like buying a car its all about who to trust!
As another side note: when i was talking about straying from the heard i was reffering to the interesting design of a new innovative surfboard. Rather than your "refining shapes" (like maybe you'll be creative and ride a single to double concave rather than your usual straight single). Try something different, don't be so afraid of change.
Also on GSI if you think its so great keeping dollars local. Australia is quite an affluent place, GSI is sharing the dollars to less fortunate. If you get a chance maybe see what they have done for a small town south of mexico city. Watch the film "somewhere near tapachula".
No need to get hysterical Board Culture.
This isn't about "Being less Australian".
Yes I saw somewhere near Tapachula.
Good on 'em for donating boards but seriously what did those 15 factory seconds cost GSI?
15 bucks each, 50? 100?
It's such small cheese.
This is similar to Maccas supporting childrens hospitals...it's blatant Corporate PR.
Other than that GSI supports the mal festival at Noosa.....is that now classed as sharing dollars with the less fortunate?
Not saying the GSI quality is poor...they serve a purpose for the beginner end of the market but demanding respect because they've backed some Swedish chair designer on the market with a board design that will disappear without a trace within 12 months is really pushing the limits of marketing hyperbole.
Mate they don't demand respect...but the being the design of the year has definatly given meyerhoffer some more credibility (he is also more than a chair maker, the guy is an amazing egineer over his life he has designed for companies like general motors, sony, nike..to name a few and i don't think those guys would be interested in someone whos sole skill is making a couch..)
Corporate PR or not...It serves a bigger purpose, this donation to mission mexico goes beyond dollars and sense, the point is they made a concious decision to try and change childrens lives (and for the record i don't believe its blatant PR as all GSI product was donated far before any production of the movie had even been discussed).
I am actually very good friends with mociar (of Mo as he is more well know) who thanks to GSI, mission mexico and some natural tallent is fast becoming a very accomplished surfer. Before they gave him surfing, his life was head for disaster, living on the streets. A little can go a long way.
GSI also sponsers many small events that you probably wouldn't hear about. For instants Burliegh Longboarders Club...Without sponsership at a local level like this many small clubs would not survive..
And the beginner market? really? GSI scoures the globe for the most sucessful shapes made by the top shapers around the world. Untill a boards performance is proved by the shapers own local market GSI will not touch it. I'd hardly call the aloha bean or Mctavish F4 a board for a beginner.
I think we digress a little of the topic...
After reading all the comments and the interview above I think we are just focusing on the negative here. Sure GSI make a lot of boards by a foreign country, the old saying Charlie don't surf doesn't apply though, Thailand has waves, and if you look at any Moonwalker photos you can see some pretty nice ones at that.
But again this is not the focus here. One reason why this is a great board for the surf industry, be you a backyard shaper, or Aggressive corporate soulless company like Billabong, you know why, because it is pushing boundaries. We are focusing more on GSI than the board itself, When Simon Anderson brought out the thruster, if he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep up with with production, and sold distribution to another company, should the design lose merit? No. Without change we cannot have evolution, I don't know how you people feel about riding the exact same board the rest of your life, I personally don't want to. This design, even though it wont become a staple, it will cause people to think about their own boards, and incorporate aspects into their product. How is that a bad thing if it works?
People shouldn't be so quick to judge especially those who haven't even taken this board for a spin. And who knows...you may even like it?! But even if you don't like it. What enjoyment are you getting from slaying it down from the word go? I'm guessing its because you've either got no creative bone in your body (which is sad) or... you cant surf to save your life.
A board that is responsive like a short board, but can be ridden like a long board! What not cool about that? Why wouldn't you want to at least take it for a spin?
I am!
C'mon Lukey, wake up and smell the coffee here.
GSI is marketing this particular pool toy directly at middle-aged newbies/mal riders.
The very same demographic as their 7S customers.
This is no advance in surfboard design, just clever marketing and spin, with cheap Asian production costs making a very tidy per unit mark-up.
"Responsive like a short board, paddles like a long board".
Sound familiar?
Thats because it's the same marketing spiel used to sell the 7S and other boards directed at cashed up newbies.
There's a tonne of worthy design evolution going on out there from Maurice Cole in Victoria to Dan Thomson in Lennox Head.
The only boundaries this over-sized pool toy is pushing is the gullibility of the average consumer in swallowing marketing guff.
Lets see how many of these are around in a year.
They crack me up those design award guys, it's a total wank. Make any shape board you want,ride it,refine it,discuss it with other shapers, just don't put it up for a design award, it's judged totally out of context to the idea of making a board.The next time you see this design will be in a background shot of some multi mill$ beach house in vogue. I have no doubt you can catch waves and have a ball on the thing,some blokes would carve on a door, but to award some bullshit in-house design award doesn't give it any credibility. Talk to Geoff Mccoy about "global shockwaves".
Lukey,
I agree with ya 100% If people want to live in a close-minded bubble in their approach to surfboard designs and rattle of two shapers to 'prove' their knowledge of design, let them, they are just looking at elements that aren't at play here. I have ridden the board, it surfs surprisingly well... I surfed the 7'6" and it was a small swell... But I never thought that you would be able to pop the fins on a mid-length board, but the release off the top was amazing... Of course to answer the inevitable question, no i wouldn't buy one, in my quiver are short boards and 9 foot mals... I have never seen the need for a mid length board... With the duration of this board, revolution is not the right term, basically it wont change every board or person's thinking on design, but it gave enough of a foot up the arse to combat stale thoughts to shapes...
Sure the design award is a weird aspect, but FCS won it a few years back with the H-2... The marketing aspect is obviously there, but why shouldn't they market their business...
Side note: If you quad up the 5'9" 7S that thing turns into an absolute weapon, i thought the rocker was a little flat, but surfed it double overhead, spitting beachies, thing held and was that quick... Loved it...
Spoken like a top bloke dc.
Coffee is not the problem here freeride76. Its the ample amounts of haterade that people like yourself are sipping on.
FCS fins & Ripcurl develop new products too. Do you lose sleep over them designing new products that have similarities to their past products as well?
Clearly all these companies are doing something right, and the majority of the surf community must be happy with them. Otherwise they would all have disappeared years ago.
I don't even think i need to add anymore....thanks dc and lukey...
At least some people on this site are well informed...
I think I saw one of these yesterday, WTF ugly.......wonder how the sales went ?
The super normal model looks o.k. $920 hmm.
Not too sure how sales went, Udo, though I did see a few of them around Sydney when they first came out. I also saw a few of the subsequent Meyerhoffer shapes around in the years following.
Had a grin reading this interview again, he's a quotable fella is Mark Kelly. Love this one: "The surf industry has a propensity to look backwards - to look at what happened in the 50' s and the 60's and the 70's - and I doubt very much if you went to an aerospace conference people would be talking about the Wright brothers."
Ha ha funny read GSI flogging them for $300 bucks on ebay a while back, and board culture sounds like mark Kelly, dc is an employee as is lukey1984 or is he just stoked on his 7s! Richie lovette is now one of the GSI brands shapers? WTF going broke and losing brands, life is better when you surf on Asian labor. We have benetts dions midgets rhino harbord rd Mona vale factories who have supported local jobs for years. It's not like the cost to you GSI a $300 hypno krypto made in Asia is $600 in stores. So how do we benefit again Mark? How do I move my fins up a touch and out to the rail a poof-teenth email cobra next CUSTOM ORDER his system is flawed. You can get a Tomo from FireWire (custom)or get a custom from the man himself or his shadow I know which one I'll go. Now there is some revolutionary designs. Or bush rat flex tails good boards find good surfers we see em in a line up a mate asks for a go even if they only shape a few a year someone is always looking to rip the design off and claim it as their own....like another in the GSI stable and parabolic rails that were patented. Mmmmm. And don't get me started with channel islands support a local and a industry that the govt hasn't fuk'd buy your shaper a carton and drink a few beers with him order board after few beers you will be amazed at the beer economy. Even better go surfing with shaper 90% still surf.
I think we can safely consign the Meyerhoffer "swedish dildo" to the dustbin of history.
Though to be fair some of his new designs looks functional.
Otherwise, totally agree with PurplePills.
Fish model is the shit. A real shooter.
Threads on this topic are always a laugh. I don't see anyone getting so wound up at McTavish and Walden for manufacturing in Asia. The list goes on and on of people you can abuse Anderson, Lopez, Laird, Tom Carroll, JS come to mind. Corporate bastards the lot.