Waves is a Brazilian surfing media platform that has built its visual identity around the ocean and the sport of surfing. The logo has undergone a subtle evolution over nearly three decades, most recently refined by creative leader Felipe Garone to introduce greater fluidity and movement to the mark.
Design and History
The Waves logo has been a recognizable symbol in Brazilian surfing culture for 28 years, serving as an icon associated with credible surfing content both nationally and internationally. The mark became so established that it was immediately identifiable as representing surfing content with high credibility.[1]
In a recent rebranding effort, Felipe Garone, the newly appointed creative leader of the Waves platform, took on the challenge of improving the existing logo while respecting its legacy. Garone described the approach: “We needed to respect a legacy built over 28 years. Waves has always been a brand that guided culture, so the rebranding needed to be subtle, without losing connection. We brought fluidity to the logo: the W and the letters, previously very blocky, now respect that movement, that fluidity. We updated the colors and made the brand consistent with current times. The logo flows, the logo surfs.”[1]
The redesigned logo features more rounded forms that evoke the rising and falling movement of water, inviting the viewer to glide across its shapes. The new mark was described as resembling an arriving swell, making the mysterious energy that crosses oceans visible in the logo itself.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The logo’s core symbolism is tied directly to surfing and the ocean. The new design’s rounded, flowing forms are meant to recall the up-and-down movement of liquid that provides pleasure to surfers. The creative direction sought to visualize the energy of ocean swells within the logo itself, making the connection between the brand and the surfing experience more explicit.[1]
The rebranding was part of a broader set of transformations presented by Waves in its new phase, with the logo serving as a key element of the platform’s new graphic project.[1]
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