Steele Walster
Founder at Yikes! & The Surf Meal Co.
“Justus' ability to create art with pragmatism is second to none.”
THE SURF MEAL CO. · PERTH · 2018–2022
SURF BAR · The Surf Meal Co.
Turning a young food start-up’s prototype into a credible surf brand with room to grow.
Services
Brand strategy
Brand development
Logo
Packaging design
Project details
Location
Perth, Australia
Brand
The Surf Meal Co.
Founder
Steele Walster
Role
Creative Director
Product range
SURF BAR, protein powders
Period
2018 to 2020
The challenge
The Surf Meal Co. launched in Perth in March 2017 with the SURF BAR and four protein powders: performance food made from natural ingredients for surfers who forget to eat during a day on the water. Founder Steele Walster built close ties with the surfing community from the outset, partnering with Surfing WA and Surfing Victoria, working with ambassadors who believed in the product rather than being paid to promote it, and choosing selective distribution in places surfers spend time. The product worked, but the brand still looked like a prototype. It lacked a clear visual language that would distinguish it from other sports bars on the shelf. Two more powders, new flavours and a collaboration made 2018 the moment for the next step.
The approach
We rethought the brand from the ground up and gave it a distinctive symbol: the Winged Power-Arm. It expresses natural, powerful energy without losing a sense of lightness, reflecting a product designed not to sit heavily in the stomach. Building on this, we developed packaging for bars and powders that makes the products recognisable as a family and helps them stand out on the shelf.
The outcome
A product family with a distinctive brand symbol.
Surf Meal established itself primarily through its local presence and online community. The brand ceased trading in 2022.