Introducing SWICK Board 2.0: A Surfboard Speaker Featuring Eco-Friendly Manufacturing With a Pay It Forward Mission.
SWICK Board 2.0 is a patented, custom crafted, high fidelity WiFi speaker housed in a life-sized upcycled surfboard. Since the successful creation and launch of SWICK Board 1.0, we’ve made a new evolution of our product that sounds even better and have gone green with the incorporation of responsible innovation and sustainability.
We are General Judd and Cristina Casañas-Judd, the creative duo behind the innovative design of SWICK Board. As Co-Founders of Me and General Design, an interdisciplinary Architectural Interior Design studio located in Brooklyn, NY, (http://meandgeneraldesign.com/) we create beautiful residential and commercial spaces which bring together elements of neighborhood, character and lifestyle to tell a complete story. We love pushing creative boundaries and incorporating unique products into each project. Influenced by our passions for music, art, oceans, sustainability and community, SWICK Board was born with a vision to also shape lifestyles. With SWICK Board 2.0, you can amplify your listening experience while making a design statement and support the ocean’s beauty and its healing powers.
SWICK Board 2.0 is only manufactured by upcycling used or unwanted surfboards that are sourced through the International Surf Therapy Organization (ISTO) global community, as well as our local surfing community. We take surfboards that would otherwise go into landfills — where they do not biodegrade — and infuse them with music, light, and art to give them a new life cycle.
Surfboards made with fiberglass, polyurethane and polyurethane foam are toxic to the environment. Surfboards that are not reused or recycled end up in landfills, where they will not biodegrade for hundreds of years, if at all. Once in landfills, the materials used to create surfboards seep into the surrounding groundwater and soil, contaminating wildlife habitats and ultimately contributing to increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Here at Me and General Design, our mission is to reduce human impact on the environment. We recognize that despite the surfing community’s deep love and care for our Earth’s oceans, many of their practices still do not support these ideals. We want to help change that and take an influential leap towards a more environmentally friendly future. In manufacturing SWICK Board 2.0, we plan to share new and safer practices throughout the community by introducing the use of Bio-Based Epoxy Resins.
Furthermore, we apply zero waste manufacturing by repurposing the panel cutouts to create portable SWICK Mini’s, a WiFi/Bluetooth tabletop speaker with the same essence as its larger counterpart.
SWICK Board 2.0’s new enhancement includes a premium audio package hand crafted by Leon Speakers of Ann Arbor, Michigan with WiFi connectivity powered by the new SONOS amp. Yes, really. This technological collaboration has produced a sound so sweet, so sick — SWICK — perfect for use in both indoor and outdoor spaces.
As architectural interior designers, we knew that in order to deliver the sound quality that our clients and customers demand, we had to go to an true audio professional. SWICK Board 2.0’s pairing with Leon Speakers is perfect, not only in delivering the next level in audio sound quality, but in incorporating the detailed craftsmanship Leon is known for.
We will continue to pay it forward by supporting organizations such as ISTO. One of the prototypes of SWICK Board 2.0 was donated to the first ISTO-hosted surf therapy symposium held in Southern California on November 8-10 of this year. ISTO brings together the world’s leading surf therapy organizations of researchers, clinicians, scholars, and practitioners to collaborate on research to help drive growth and understanding within the surf therapy sector.
Our goal for the SWICK Board 2.0 Kickstarter is to build a community around our mission. We hope to generate funds to create a legacy around responsible manufacturing that will provide resources to shapers who bring new life to the discarded surfboards that we re-introduce to surf communities. We want to keep as many surfboards as we can out of landfills and SWICK’d out for as many years to come. You can do your part by spreading the word and by supporting our campaign.
The funds we generate on Kickstarter will help us achieve our short and long-term objectives, as listed below.
CLARITY
SWICK Board 2.0 has an audio quality that elevates this unexpected design-driven innovation, featuring WiFi connectivity that makes interfacing with the speakers even more user-friendly. The clarity of Leon Speakers provides top notch audio to both indoor and outdoor spaces and pairing of the board through SONOS is simple and straightforward with the company’s app.
CONNECT
Easy wireless connection for both the SWICK Board 2.0 and the SWICK Mini.
NEW LIGHT FEATURE
Double WOW! Can be soft ambient white light or feel the rainbow!
BOARD DIMENSIONS (approximate based on used surfboard)
REMOTE (for lighting feature only)
SPEAKERS
We have done a great amount of development on SWICK Board starting with the very first one, created January 2014, for a residential project we designed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. That one led to two, which led to three, and so on. From there, the interest just took off; we found ourselves saying that we have to do something to address the demand for them. We continued to focus on developing our Architectural Interior Design business until this past summer when, in collaboration with our growing team and amazing summer intern, we flipped the switch on taking SWICK Board 2.0 to the next level. Fast forward to today — we are so proud of how far we have come and the mission we stand by!
Like any project, there are risks and challenges associated with manufacturing and shipping.
We are working with a quality manufacturing and shipping partner that has built custom crafted speakers for many years to consumers and commercial clients worldwide. We visited the shop where every part is handmade, and have seen their shipping warehouse to ensure they’re up to the task.
That said, there is always a chance that unexpected changes or issues may arise during execution impacting the delivery schedule.
We pledge full transparency into any issues if they arise, and will solve them in a way that leaves our backers happy and proud to support us.