Mike Nelson

Bio

  • Location: Solana Beach, CA
  • Favorite Shoe: Honey Slip

Mike is the founder of Type G, a branding and design studio in Solana Beach rooted in California culture, started in 1999. A longtime friend and collaborator, he designed the new Opus Footwear logo and various branding elements.

As a sponsored teen skateboarder in Pacifica, Mike was fortunate to be a part of the emerging mid-80s skateboarding scene in San Francisco, getting to skate all the iconic spots—sometimes with Tommy Guerrero, Bryce Kanights, Mickey Reyes, and the rest of the CBS crew. Salad days.

Mike moved to Del Mar in 1988, finding his new local skate community and riding waves in the welcomed warm water. After getting his BA in graphic design, his first job was Art Director at Tumyeto / Foundation Skateboards in 1994, designing ad campaigns, catalogs, POP, video packaging, board graphics, and one of the first websites in skateboarding. A few years later he became Creative Director at DuFFS. “It was the greatest job ever with so much creative freedom and countless good times, traveling the world and making many friends for life along the way.”

These days, you can find Mike slapping and sliding curbs around town, preferably with his 13-year-old son.

@mikenelson

Logo animation by Matt Gener.