Jim Phillips (illustrator)

Jim Phillips is an American graphic artist and illustrator whose work is closely associated with surf culture and skateboarding. He is best known for designing the *Screaming Hand* logo for Santa Cruz Skateboards in 1985, which became one of the company’s most recognizable graphics.

Early life

Phillips was born in San Jose, California and has lived most of his life in Santa Cruz, California. He began drawing at an early age and developed an interest in surf and skate culture during his youth.

Career

Phillips’s first published illustration appeared in the spring 1962 issue of Surfer Quarterly, after he won a surf car cartoon contest the previous year. His early work was featured in surf magazines and local surf shops, where he designed artwork for surfboards and posters.
In the mid-1960s, Phillips attended the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, on a scholarship, studying fine art. During the 1970s and 1980s, he became art director for NHS Inc., creating numerous skateboard graphics, T-shirt designs, and logos for the company’s brands, including Santa Cruz Skateboards.
The *Screaming Hand* logo, introduced in 1985, became a defining image within skateboard design and remains strongly associated with the Santa Cruz brand. In 1988, Phillips established Phillips Studios in Santa Cruz, where he continued producing art for NHS and mentoring younger illustrators.

Legacy

Phillips’s work has been the subject of international exhibitions and retrospectives. In 2016, the “Screaming Hand” 30th anniversary show toured more than 25 art venues worldwide, including the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History.
In the early 2000s, Phillip's published three books about his art: Surf, Skate & Rock Art of Jim Phillips, Rock Posters of Jim Phillips, and The Skateboard Art of Jim Phillips.
A documentary about his life and career, Art and Life: The Story of Jim Phillips, premiered on February 10, 2024, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.