Bicyclette Boutique // Blog » Branding

MEET OUR NEW WEBSITE .

paige — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:00:16 +0000

Some of you may have already noticed (it launched just over 24 hrs ago), but consider this the official announcement: Bicyclette has a newly redesigned website and online shop! We’ve been hard at work implementing the changes over the past month, and what started as just a few minor updates has resulted in a pretty substantial makeover. With new features and functions, and a new and improved look, we’re pretty excited about it. I decided to give you a little peek here, outlining some of the updates and highlighting the most substantial changes.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be adding lots of new products, and finishing a few minor touches that have yet to be made, so stay tuned.

MOO .

paige — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:39:20 +0000

I ordered my new Moo cards last night since I’m down to my last few business cards, and now I’m counting the days down until they arrive. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews of them, and I was excited to be able to use 16 (!) different images on the front, instead of being limited to 1. They’ll be like trading cards!

ASK THE AUDIENCE . BUTTON CARDS

paige — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:07:50 +0000

I need your help. I’m designing new button cards, and I need your opinions on my new (very rough) design. The idea is to go simple, hence the black and white, so that the buttons (which will be pinned on the card) stands out and takes precedence. The majority of the buttons are in colour, so I wanted to avoid any clashing. They’re to be printed on “mini” cards, which are the same width as a business card but half the height. Keep in mind this is rough, more just for idea and general layout. No photo editing has been done, etc.

Thoughts? Opinions? Love it? Hate it?

POLAROID LOVE .

paige — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:12:48 +0000

There’s something so magical and mysterious about Polaroid photos, and with film being expensive and hard to find these days, there’s an elusive quality about them as well. When I came across Polaroid photographer Fernanda Montoro‘s work, I was blown away by the simple beauty of each image. The colours, the lighting, the textures, the mood conveyed through each piece is breathtaking. I’ve been using Polaroid imagery in the Bicyclette branding as well as a source of inspiration, but these photos have made me want to start experimenting more and explore other ways to incorporate it. To be continued?

images via fernanda montoro

A FLORAL FORAY .

paige — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:00:13 +0000

Yesterday I mentioned that I was experimenting with button designs at every opportunity, and that my most recent foray was into the wonderful world of vintage floral patterns. Anyways, here are some samples of those buttons, unfortunately still with phone pics only (I miss my camera!), but it gives you an idea. Various colour ways, keeping it simple with just the pattern and the little bike icon.

I also decided to pin some of them onto my vellum business cards, thinking that there might be times when I want to give someone a business card and include the button as a little extra. They kind of overlap the logo and bike on the card, and of course leave little holes where the pin was attached, but I still like the effect, and it’s nice to have the option. Voila!

So, what’s the consensus? Favourite colour ways?

PUSHING BUTTONS .

paige — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:28:26 +0000

I am now the proud owner of a button-making machine, as many of you will know if you follow me on Twitter, or if you read last week’s post. From the beginning, I’ve wanted to have some sort of little takeaway item that I can use for promotions and include with purchases. I was originally looking into laser cutting the shape into card stock and using that (inspired by my laser cut brand book cover back in the spring), but after the pricing turned out a little high, I decided on the promotional tool that everyone knows and love: buttons!

Anyways, thought I would do a little how-to in photos. Excuse the not-so-great phone pics, my DSLR decided to die on me, leaving me with no choice in the meantime. So far, I’ve just been experimenting, and this batch was using photos from the last shoot, and superimposing the little bike icon on them. Some turned out better than others, but overall, I’m pleased with the results and excited to play around with more ideas and designs. I have supplies to make 1000 buttons, so no shortage there!

So… what do we think?? Any special requests?

CALL ME .

paige — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:06:02 +0000

I picked up my new business cards today, which is always a somewhat daunting experience. I’ve dealt with printers enough times to know that you never really know what to expect and there are always surprises, often unwelcome. It doesn’t help that I still haven’t found a printer with whom I’m ready to enter into a monogamous relationship with. I wanted to try something new with this batch, and decided to print on vellum, which is a semi-transparent material that would allow me to play around with dimension a little by printing on both sides.

I’m still not sure how I feel about the final product. I’m really happy with the overall design, but I was expecting the vellum to be more transparent, and so the text that is printed on the back side is hard to read unless the card is held up to the light. Part of me thinks that it adds something and makes it more interesting and “interactive”, but I also know that it’s not the most legible design and will probably not go over well with everyone.

Thoughts?

LA BICYCLETTE .

paige — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 23:07:20 +0000

So …. I’m completely exhausted (seems to be a trend recently, I wonder why …), but there have been so many exciting things happening with Bicyclette that it makes it all worth it. I’ve had a huge wave of creativity the past few days, resulting in a few new graphics for the website. I always find branding to be the hardest part, especially when it’s forced, so when it happens naturally, I’m one happy girl. I have a mockup of the homepage for the site that I’ve been inserted design elements into as they come into existence, and I must say, I’m loving what I have now, which is a very good sign indeed.

I think part of this new creative inspiration came courtesy of my dear friend Alex Perlin, who has her own company doing freelance graphic design and illustration work, and has always been such a source of inspiration for me and is oh-so-talented. I feel so honoured that she let me “borrow” a few illustrations from her for the site and other branding materials: a new sketched bike icon, and little birdie that will be part of my Twitter button. Thanks Alex!

I don’t want to give too much away, but I thought I would share the a version of the little bike illustration, which I’ve used as part of a new Polaroid logo design and appears as part of the website header. More to come later, but for now I have to take advantage of the NXNE wristbands we were lucky enough to snag, and let myself unwind a little!

BRAND SPOTLIGHT : BICYCLETTE . part 2

paige — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:24:49 +0000

As you all know (especially if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook), I’ve been busy putting together the various props and pieces for the school exhibition that opens tomorrow. Having gone through about 8 cans of spray paint and countless hours fiddling around with various ideas and whatnot, it’s finally starting to come together and look like a cohesive collection.

And breathe. Seeing as I’ve already been marked on my capstone and the whole exhibition portion is more for myself and exposure, I’ve had a few “why am I doing this?” moments, wondering why I’m putting so much time and effort into this. But I think it will be worth it, to get that greater sense of bicyclette through the exhibition set-up and have a space that truly represents the brand. Ask me tomorrow and we’ll see what I say then … !

So, without further ado, allow me to show you a few sneak peaks of the progress I’ve made …

Thrifted, repainted frames showcasing various brand elements

Laser cut book cover. Look closely for the etched bike in the corner ...

Repainted vanity drawer, Eiffel tower sculpture and the brand book itself

Dolce Vita dress from the new shipment (that perfectly matches the branding...)

I decided to include the last photo because I’m thinking I might buy/wear the Dolce Vita dress for the exhibition one of the nights, as it perfectly matches the colour scheme and, well, I kind of love it. Plus, I’ve been promising some snaps of the new shipment, but haven’t had the time to organize it, so this was a good excuse!

Hoping to see some of you at the exhibition tomorrow or Thursday!

BRAND SPOTLIGHT: BICYCLETTE .

paige — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:03:06 +0000

Today’s brand spotlight is on … well, bicyclette. As you all know, I’ve been working on the brand book for awhile now, and I thought I would share the progress I’ve made thus far. Still have minor details to update and a few additions, but … this is the essence of it, through a few of my favourite spreads.

I would love to know any thoughts or feedback you might have before I get it printed and bound for the exhibition. Like I said, these only represent a selection of the layouts I’ve done… a teaser, if you will.

The idea is that I’ll have the bound book to share with attendees, which will be displayed on the vanity that I found and am repainting in one of bicyclette‘s branding colours (thoughts? Aqua or blue-purple?), and I’ll also print off the individual pages and frame them, displaying them in a more gallery-worthy setting and adding an extra element of bicyclette. That’s one of the techniques I want to use in the merchandising of the store, so I thought this would be a good chance to execute the idea and create a portion of the store environment at the exhibition. That’s where the thrifted frames I’ve been collecting come in. Next step is spray paint, silver leaf and sand paper … craft day, anyone?