In 1989, on the recommendation of Paul Holmes, then editor of "Surfer" magazine and originator of the "Beach Culture" magazine concept, Steve Pezman, publisher of Surfer (and later Surfers Journal) tapped Carson to design "Beach Culture", a quarterly publication that evolved out of a to-the-trade annual supplement. Though only six quarterly issues were produced, the tabloid-sized publication—edited by author Neil Feineman —allowed Carson to make his first significant impact on the world of graphic design and typography—with ideas that were called innovative even by those who were not fond of his work, in which legibility often relied on readers' strict attention. For one feature on a blind surfer, Carson opened with a two-page spread covered in black. After Beach Culture, Carson art directed and designed "Surfer" magazine for the next two years, before joining Feineman and others as art director of Ray Gun Magazine in 1992. Carson then relocated his studio to New York City for seven years. He currently splits his time between the West Indies, California and Europe.