How a Park Ranger in Sedona Sparked a Fishing and Outdoor Brand
In 2016, I was standing at the base of a 900-year-old cliff dwelling near Sedona, Arizona, when a grey-bearded park ranger asked me about my work. I told him I was a graphic designer in advertising, but fishing and the outdoors were what made me feel restored. He challenged me to find a way to combine the two.
That conversation rattled around in my head for four years. Then the pandemic hit, I had time on my hands, and Thunderbird Design Studio was born.
A while back I sat down with Flylords Magazine for an interview about my story, the art, and the conservation mission behind Thunderbird Design Studio. I wanted to share some of that conversation here along with how the brand has evolved since.
Growing Up Fishing in the Sierra Nevada
I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. My parents took us on camping trips to Sequoia National Park and the Sierra, and for a kid from the suburbs, those mountains were a transportive world full of wild creatures, star-filled skies, and days spent in the moment. I was hooked.
My first time fishing involved marshmallows on an oversized bait hook. We caught nothing. But it led to a trip to the local sporting goods store, flipping through pages of Fly Fisherman Magazine and wondering why those guys were fooling fish 10 times bigger than the ones I saw. That's where the fly fishing obsession started.
From Graphic Designer to Single-Line Fish Art
I was lucky to grow up around creative people. My brother Kevin was talented with drawing; my grandfather was a photographer; and my parents both made and appreciated art. In college, street art was driving the culture in a lot of ways — artists like Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and Jeremy Fish inspired me to pursue art as a career instead of business or something else.
When I started working, my first Creative Director, Marco, taught me something that stuck: your life experiences and interests translate directly into your work. Eventually, that idea was present not only in my professional and commercial work but also pushed me to create my own personal work.
The single-line illustration style came naturally. A continuous line echoes a fly line on water — free, loose, always changing. I try to tell the story of each fish or bird with as few lines as possible. Bruce Lee said, "It is not daily increase but daily decrease — hack away the unessential." That's how I approach every piece.
Why Conservation by Design
There's a place called Stoney Point in the San Fernando Valley — a 400-foot stack of giant sandstone boulders that I loved exploring as a teen. A few years ago I went back and found it covered in graffiti, littered with broken glass and bullet casings. That was the first time I watched a place I had a personal connection to get destroyed by the people who were attracted to it for the same reasons we all love it.
That experience is a big reason Thunderbird Design Studio donates 5% of all sales to conservation organizations. We're certified through 1% for the Planet, and we've contributed to Trout Unlimited, Cal Trout, BackCountry Hunters & Anglers, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, The Ocean Cleanup, Captains for Clean Water, and others.
When I started TDS, I knew I wanted it to be a vehicle for good. "Conservation by Design" is the cherry on top after all the work gets done.
Collaborations and What's Ahead
Some of the milestones along the way have been surreal. Designing a snowboard for Gilson Snowboards with proceeds going to Trout Unlimited was a bucket list moment. Creating the poster art for "Phoenix," a fly fishing short film by the Braker Brothers, was another one.
But the moments that mean the most are the messages from customers. People have told me the artwork reminds them of lost loved ones or brings back memories of time on the water. Some have gotten tattoos of the art. That kind of connection is something I never expected, and it's the biggest fuel in the tank for me.
The studio continues to grow — from the original fish decals and art prints to Nalgene bottles, Zippo lighters, handmade knives, and more. Every product is designed to connect people to the outdoors and put resources back into the wild places that inspire the work.
Shop the Collection
Browse the full line of single-line art prints, fish and bird decals, and outdoor goods at thunderbird-design.com. Free shipping on orders over $50.
This post is based on an interview originally published by Flylords Magazine. Thanks to Gretchen Mahoney and the Flylords team for the feature.