Role: Founder & Creative Director, EMD

Great brands don't begin with packaging.

They begin with a point of view.

INK The Original wasn't created to sell another skincare product. It was built to change the conversation around tattoo preservation.

Working alongside David Lee Roth of Van Halen, Erik collaborated with Mr. Roth and a multidisciplinary team to build the brand from the ground up. This wasn't a traditional client relationship. Mr. Roth was the creative force behind the project, bringing a remarkably clear vision for every aspect of the brand. From product functionality and structural packaging to messaging, advertising, photography, and even the smallest design details, he remained deeply involved throughout the multi-year development process.

As Founder and Creative Director of EMD, Erik's role was to help bring that vision to life. Working side by side with Mr. Roth, he translated ideas into tangible brand experiences, collaborating through countless rounds of refinement while helping execute a cohesive visual language across every customer touchpoint. It was an intense, highly collaborative process built on mutual respect, shared artistic passion, and an uncompromising pursuit of quality.

Together, the team created the brand identity, structural packaging, high-end retail displays, website, and visual language while developing a product experience unlike anything else in the category. Every bottle and closure was custom designed from scratch, incorporating integrated grip details and smooth, rounded forms inspired by Mr. Roth's vision for products that felt better in your hand, performed better in everyday use, and reflected the premium character of the brand. Rather than relying on pressure-sensitive labels, the packaging was printed directly onto each bottle in collaboration with the manufacturer, creating a cleaner, more permanent finish worthy of the product inside.

The products themselves were equally intentional. Working alongside a formulation specialist and three manufacturing partners across the United States, the team developed every balm, lotion, sunscreen, cleanser, and stick from the ground up. The challenge wasn't simply creating another tattoo care line. It was developing fragrance-free, reef-safe, cruelty-free formulas that protected tattoos while meeting Mr. Roth's uncompromising standards for performance, quality, and environmental responsibility.

Launching the brand required far more than products alone. Together, the team developed an extensive library of brand assets spanning YouTube and major social media platforms, including photography, video, and campaign content that introduced INK The Original to tattoo enthusiasts around the world. Working alongside Mr. Roth, photographers, filmmakers, models, and production crews, Erik collaborated on photo and video shoots at The Jim Henson Company Studios in Los Angeles and other production locations, helping bring the brand's vision to life across every channel while supporting Mr. Roth's creative direction.

From formulation and manufacturing to packaging, retail displays, photography, video production, digital experiences, social media, and product storytelling, every touchpoint was built around one guiding principle:

Fight the Fade™

The result wasn't simply a new product line.

It was a fully realized brand experience shaped by Mr. Roth's vision and brought to life through the collaboration of a passionate team committed to getting every detail right.

Behind the Work

Great brands aren't created overnight, and every project has a story.

INK The Original reinforced a lesson Erik has carried throughout his career: the strongest brands are built when a clear vision is protected from beginning to end. This project wasn't about adding ideas for the sake of creativity. It was about respecting a founder's vision, challenging every detail, and working relentlessly until every touchpoint reflected the same uncompromising standard.