Kiss of Death Rebrand

Kiss of Death started as one of my first logos: a stark skull with a single red lipstick mark on the temple. I wanted something that felt equal parts flirty and edgy (I was younger don't judge). Minimal shapes, high contrast, a hint of attitude. The lip print was the whole idea, one small mark doing the work of an entire identity.

The first application run kept the tee simple: a bold red lip riding the hip and the mark centered high on the back, subtle placement with a punch. The snowboard went the other way. The top stayed restrained, nearly all black with a single kiss, while the base went loud with an all-over lip pattern and edgy Kiss of Death lettering. Looking back, it might have been a bit much. The mark was strong enough that it didn't need the volume.

The rebrand came from wanting the design to actually live in the world it was pointed at: snowboarding. The skull got reimagined with a rough, hand-drawn texture, trading the clean structure of the original for raw, distressed energy. The typography moved with it, away from sharp angular lettering and into a grunge graffiti style that matches the movement of the skull. The one thing that didn't change was the lip print. That's the signature, and the rebrand only works because it stays.

The new boards show the system doing its job. The top deck is a simple black base with the red lip as a small, bold accent. The bottom deck makes the statement, the full logo type stretched across the board with a large skull tying it together. Restraint on one side, attitude on the other, which is the balance the first board didn't have.

What this project taught me is how far a strong mark can carry a brand, and where to stop. The rebrand didn't reinvent anything. It kept the one element that mattered and rebuilt everything around it to fit the audience.