Todd Bratrud is an illustrator and artist born in 1975 in
Crookston, Minnesota
Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Polk County. The population was 7,482 at the 2020 census. It is part of the " Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks".
Crookst ...
, on the same day as the wreck of the
S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. He is the owner of Send Help skateboards, previously known as The High Five skateboards.
He is currently living in
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, third-most populous ...
.
He lived in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
until he moved to
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...
in 1999 to become the art director of Consolidated Skateboards.
He has created hundreds of graphics for skateboards, stickers, advertisements and apparel for companies like Consolidated Skateboards,
Flip Skateboards
Flip Skateboards is a United States–based international skateboard company, co-owned by Jeremy Fox and Ian Deacon. The company produces skateboard hard goods (decks, wheels, bearings, completes, and hardware), soft goods (T-shirts, tops, swea ...
,
Birdhouse Skateboards
Birdhouse Skateboards (originally Birdhouse Projects) is an American skateboard company formed by ex- Powell Peralta professional skateboarders Tony Hawk and Per Welinder in 1992.
Birdhouse makes decks and wheels, as well as clothing and ac ...
, Enjoi Skateboards,
Black Label Skateboards, Creature Skateboards,
Real Skateboards and
Volcom
Volcom was an American lifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributed boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', ...
.
He is also an illustrator and blogger for
The Skateboard Mag.
Examples of his skateboard graphics can be found in the book Disposable, published by Ginkgo Press.
In 2006,
Nike Skateboarding released the "Send Help" version of the
Nike Dunk
Nike Dunk is a line of shoes released by Nike, Inc., Nike in 1985. Originally released as a basketball shoe, the popularity of the shoe among the skating community also led to the creation of a variant used for skateboarding. The shoe is offered ...
shoe with artwork designed by Bratrud.
In spring 2008, Todd was a featured artist for
Volcom
Volcom was an American lifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributed boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', ...
.
Volcom
Volcom was an American lifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributed boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', ...
released a series of T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, bikinis, hats, and iPod cases based on the 'Lizard Print' motif designed by Bratrud.
Volcom
Volcom was an American lifestyle brand that designed, marketed, and distributed boardsports-oriented products. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The brand was known for its trademark ''stone'' logo, its slogan ''True to This'', ...
also sponsored a series of international art openings to showcase this product line and promote a series of limited edition screenprints.
In Fall 2008,
Nike Skateboarding released another version of the
Nike Dunk
Nike Dunk is a line of shoes released by Nike, Inc., Nike in 1985. Originally released as a basketball shoe, the popularity of the shoe among the skating community also led to the creation of a variant used for skateboarding. The shoe is offered ...
shoe designed by Bratrud.
In Spring 2009, Todd designed the cover of Clout magazine as well as a limited edition T-shirt featuring the same illustration.
In Spring 2009 he designed a board for MayDay distribution's Artist series called Tetris Effect.
In Fall 2009, Todd designed two more sneakers for Nike Skateboarding, the "Bratfink" (also known as the "Asparagus Dunk"
) and the "Brain Wreck."
In Fall 2009, Todd also designed a series of shirts for Brooklyn's KCDC skate shop.
It is rumored that Bratrud is the creator of the highly coveted and iconic Belle and Sebastian/Bad Brains mashup T-shirt, also sold at KCDC.
On April 20, 2010, Nike released the "Skunk Dunk, " designed by Bratrud.
On Dec. 9, 2010, Todd was voted the top skateboard artist "right now" by Complex magazine.
On April 20, 2011, Nike released the "Cheech and Chong" Dunk, designed by Bratrud.
In August 2011, Todd Bratrud designed the graphics for the XGames Converse Coastal Carnage contest and also built a trophy replica of the art.
[
]
In September 2011, Nike released "The Cigar" Dunk, designed by Bratrud.
In November 2011, "The Art of Todd Bratrud", a graphic collection of Todd Bratrud's artwork was released by Mark Batty Publishers.
In October 2013, Nike released the "Send Help 2" Dunk, designed by Bratrud.
In October 2021, Nike released the "Strawberry Cough" Dunk designed by Todd Bratrud as a literal interpretation of a "Strawberry Cough", a strain of marijuana.
References
External links
The High Five SkateboardsBurlesque Design - Todd Bratrud's Design FirmTodd's blog at The Skateboard MagMayDay Dist. Tetris Effect series illustration by Todd Bratrud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bratrud, Todd
American illustrators
Living people
1975 births
Artist skateboarders