Yesterday—well, technically, this morning—I wrapped up a personal project I’ve been working on for my team at work. Something in the realm of swag, yes. But also a heartfelt thank you. A surprise no one asked for, and no one could’ve seen coming.
No, it’s not a generic black t-shirt with the team name plopped into some WYSIWYG editor, rendered in a safe, forgettable font.
I take swag seriously.
I go all out on these. They’re personal. They’re different every time. And that’s not a coincidence. That’s the point.
I won’t be sharing the one I just made—not yet. It involves people’s likenesses, and I want to ask for permission first.
But I can share an older one. A project I made in August 2022.
Let me tell you about the skateboards.
Skateboard
August 2nd, 2022. I had this idea to make a themed Tech Deck skateboard for Webflow’s design systems team.
One of the team members was really into skateboarding, and that tiny spark was enough to get me going.
Skateboards. Tech Decks. Team swag. A weird, delightful little combination. It just felt fun.
So I started writing a to-do list. I needed designs. I needed to figure out how to print the designs. And I needed to get my hands on the actual Tech Decks.
That part was easy—just an Amazon order away.
Printing on the boards? Not so much.
Plan
It might seem counterintuitive to plan something like this. Isn’t creative work supposed to be spontaneous? Experimental? Flowy? Like... "Creative"?
Sure. But when you’ve only got pockets of time to work, and the project stretches over days (weeks, honestly), you start to appreciate structure. You start to appreciate lists.
Thank goodness for lists. Thank goodness I made a plan.
There’s no way this would’ve happened otherwise.
Experiment
First, I needed the board dimensions. Had to know what kind of space I was working with. That gave me something to sketch against.
Then came the experiments.
How would I actually transfer the designs onto the boards? Should I use tape? Paint? Markers? Could I draw it by hand? Would it last? What about printable vinyl paper? What kind of finish would I need to protect it?
Each of those questions sent me down a rabbit hole. I tested different materials. Compared options. Searched for combinations that could balance durability, clarity, and ease of application.
Eventually, I found one.
Prep
Vinyl sticker print. Sealed with enamel clear coat. That was the combo that worked. Time to get moving.
I made a new checklist—this time for production.
I listed every component. Every prep step. How to apply the designs. How to seal them. How to assemble the boards. And, for fun, how to create a Certificate of Authenticity for each one.
There were eight skateboards in total. Two designs: a bumblebee and a corn on the cob.
I had to print, cut, and evenly distribute the designs across the boards.
Each board needed its own trucks, bolts, and wheels. Each board needed its own certificate. Each certificate had a unique serial number.
There were a lot of moving parts.
(Thank goodness for lists).
Jigs & Rigs
To assemble the designs, I made a makeshift template on my cutting mat.
It helped me align each deck and vinyl sticker so I could position them properly—then cut them accurately. It took a few practice runs to get right. But eventually, it clicked.
Once the designs were on, I set up a cardboard jig to hold the boards steady while I applied the clear coat.
When the weather was just right—or at least good enough—I went outside to spray.
If you’ve ever done any kind of spray finishing, you know the nerves.
You don’t get many shots at this (usually just one). You have to be prepared. But not frozen. You plan. You practice. You take a breath. Then let it rip!
Assembly
With the boards coated and dried, it was time to put them together.
This part was simple, but finicky. The pieces are small. The angles are tricky. I made sure to mix and distribute the wheel colors across the boards as evenly as I could.
Nothing too complicated here—I could finally breathe a bit.
I packed everything up for transport. Because there was a deadline: our company retreat was coming up fast.
And I finished just in time. Literally the night before I had to leave for the airport.
Surprise
We were all gathered around a round table. I told the team I had something prepared.
I grabbed a few scrap pieces of paper and wrote the numbers 0 through 7. I had everyone draw one. Left to right, they revealed their numbers. And then I pulled out the boards.
Each person got a custom-designed Tech Deck skateboard, with a Certificate of Authenticity that matched the number they drew.
A real object. A weird little artifact. Tied to the team. Tied to the moment.
No one saw it coming. And that’s what made it so fun.
That’s what made it all worth it.
