Born in Los Angeles, Todd Francis moved to San Francisco and began working for Deluxe (skate company) in 1993, where he helped create graphics with skate giants Jim Thiebaud and Tommy Guerrero for Real Skateboards. He has continued working in the industry for fifteen years, producing skateboard graphics for companies such as Anti Hero, Stereo, Spitfire, and Element. His Eagle Logo graphic, which he created for Antihero, has become an international skate icon. As artistic director, Francis for Element one of the largest skate companies in the U.She produces the graphics for clothing, decks, wheels, and print ads. In 1999 Todd Francis created his National Preserve series for Element Skate Company. This set of decks portrays different aspects of environmentfrom grassland and mountain range to the deep forests. His graphic approach was to mirror the clean and illustrative scenic designs of the 1930s state park posters, and stimulate a message to the youth about the importance of environmental preservation. Because skate decks are made to be skated, its not uncommon for a deck to become quickly out of print and a collectors item. Todds set of National Preserve was included in Bedford Gallerys Full Deck: A Short History of Skate Art, which toured the U.S. for three years. This particular set of decks is now one of a few in existence, and is in pristine condition.
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