About

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
― E.B. White, Letters of E. B. White

Mammal’s ‘Man vs. Bear’ logo came about while working on an editorial illustration for the first issue of San Diego based arts and culture magazine, RE:UP, in the summer of 2003, with a reference from Gary Benzel (Green Lady, HunterGatherer and Igloo Shop). At that time, I already had a t-shirt line called Eugene. While the Eugene line was gaining a modest following, it wasn’t getting the response I hoped for. Though the ‘Man vs. Bear’ design ultimately wasn’t selected for the editorial, I realized that this new logo, when combined with an appropriate name, could be the basis for a meaningful brand. Mammal was born.

To me, the brand and visuals represented an experiment. The name was inspired by the idea of people wearing shirts that label us exactly as we are… Mammals. Which reaffirms our place in nature on an even plane with our fellow mammals. The irony of Mammal is that while humans are supposed to be more evolved and civilized than other mammals, we tend to be less so in many ways, doing more damage to each other, the creatures and the earth we share. The inspiration of the ‘Man vs. Bear’ silhouette supports the idea behind the name and emphasizes man’s tendency to fight an uphill battle to control nature. Mammal runs contrary to mankind’s conception of superiority based on power and intelligence. Mammal offers an alternative viewpoint. Our power and intelligence are most effective when blended with our unique traits of fallibility and vulnerability. 

Mammal is the creation of Jordan Mitchell, a lifelong resident of San Diego’s North County. Jordan's passion for drawing logos and creating brand names started early on giving Jordan his first taste of bringing ideas to life while attending a San Dieguito High School screen printing night class. Soon after, he got practical experience with his first job screen-printing skateboards for Planet Earth Skateboards. After leaving Planet Earth, Jordan worked with various creatives, designers and brands that included an internship with Shepard Fairey. Though lacking computer design experience, he would draw Planet Earth designs and submit them to Chris Miller. After Chris encouraged Jordan to learn computer design, he secured design jobs with Nixon, Clive and ultimately a full time position at Sole Technology.

Jordan has worked for well known brands in the Action Sports industry including: Planet Earth, Adio Footwear, Holden Outerwear, Etnies, éS, Emerica, Thirty Two, Girl Skateboards, Chocolate Skateboards, Royal Trucks, Fourstar Clothing, Lakai Footwear, DC Shoes, Roxy, Vans, Popwar Skateboards, Thalia Surf, Clive Bags, Nixon Watches and Spy Optic as a Graphic Designer and Art Director, either in-house or as an independent contractor.