An avid artist, skateboarder, and snowboarder, Rowan Block found an intersection for his passions through his business Duck Skateboards, selling skateboard decks and clothing adorned with his unique graphic style. Originally from Colorado, Block is majoring in multi-disciplinary design at the University of Utah and offering the skateboard world his creative designs and hand-drawn collections.
Duck Skateboards began as an accident. Block drew a graphic of a duck on one of his skate decks and brought it to the skatepark. His friends at the park all loved the design, so he started producing the graphic on decks and clothing for his friends. Quickly, more people started asking for decks and clothing with his designs on them. Each small batch of designs that he made would sell out within days.
Now, he creates new designs whenever a creative idea strikes. Duck Skateboards has dropped several collections of shirts and skate decks that are rapidly gaining traction in the skating community. He brings a light-hearted approach to the world of business and takes pride in seeing the natural growth of his company. Block prioritizes making business fun and enjoying every step of the entrepreneurial process.
Block describes his designs as vintage, simple, and fun. “If you ever see old pictures of your parents, my shirts kind of look like the ones that they have on,” he said. His signature piece is the original duck sketch that started his business.
Block displayed his designs at Demo Day, a student startup showcase event hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. He also utilized several student resources at Lassonde Studios to help him create his products, including the woodshop and 3-D printers in the Make Space. All of his designs and products are handmade and are very popular with college skateboarders. Duck Skateboards currently sells most products on Instagram, but Block is currently looking into starting a Shopify or Depop page to sell his duck-clad decks and clothing.
In the future, Block wants to expand his product line. He would love to move beyond only creating skateboards and streetwear and find new innovative products to create under the Duck Skateboards brand. He also plans on releasing a skateboarding video in 2024 through Duck Skateboards that showcases his skate tricks and edits. Between his degree in multi-disciplinary design and his business experience, Block has plenty of avenues to harness his creativity and create unique new products to put out into the market. Whether you’re an expert skateboarder or simply an admirer of unique graphic design, Duck Skateboards is one brand to keep your eye on.
Learn more about Duck Skateboards at duckskateboards.net.
Duck Skateboards brings a light-hearted approach to the world of business.
