Design Philosophy: Bikes Belong Poster Advertisement

Build More Than Bicycles.

That’s the message of bicycling advocacy group, Bikes Belong, who hired Philosophy to help “push bicycling forward” in key communities across the country. Our work began with the development of a visual piece to supplement new marketing and communication campaigns the non-profit was implementing at cycling trade shows and other events. Interbike 2012 was the kick-off event where the visual elements of the campaign would first be unveiled.

To develop the campaign, the process was collaborative. Ideas from the client fused with those from Philosophy. In the end, we developed a visual campaign meshing the romantic look of vintage bicycling posters with modern American city cues.

The Process:

Before putting pen to paper, our team congregated to dive into our “Same Page Brief.” Here, all of the job’s relevant facts (purpose, intended audience, objectives, etc.) were revealed and boiled down to their purest essence. Once we fully digested the brief, we drummed up a gallery of graphic design options bringing various visions to life. The Bikes Belong client then gave a green light to a vintage bicycling poster approach (as seen below), following rounds of development and discussion. Let’s take a closer look.

First, our deep, methodical study of vintage posters became our inspirational source. We, along with the client, looked for design cues that could bring many factors together and get people to embrace bicycling more wholeheartedly. We looked for ways to represent the bigger picture, showing that bicycling is much more than just transportation to get from point A to point B. Our illustrator, Kayla Edgar, brought the concept to life via computer comps. Through our initial concepting and strategy development, Philosophy also penned the line “Build More Than Bicycles” as our rallying cry.

Our client loved the initial comp and asked us to focus on making the rider the hero. We worked on refining the image, pushing the rider more into the spotlight, while making the background a universal cycling landscape. The evolution of this visual advertisement shows Philosophy’s drive toward creating a feeling, an emotion about cycling. We wanted it to be relatable, yet tip a hat to an idea – a community where cycling is embraced and celebrated. A collaborative process brought a concept to life – an effort we’re proud of developing for Bikes Belong. Let’s ride.