Yesterday I promised that I would be posting some exciting news. Then the day got away from me and I had to deal with some issues beyond my control, resulting in a necessary delay of this announcement. Here’s the thing: The new Bicyclette website and online store are incredibly close to being ready to launch. I’ve been busy uploading to and testing the site, and I think you’re going to like it. Unfortunately, there are certain factors that I can’t control, like payment processing. Ugh. So though I thought I was ready to announce a specific date, I’m now a little hesitant, since I don’t know for sure when this will go through.
But I promised some news, and so I wanted to deliver. Plus, I already had the graphics done, and I wanted to share those at least!
There it is: launching August 2010. I know that’s extremely vague, and I was initially thinking that I would try and work with the element of surprise for the grand announcement, but seeing as the whole point of this blog is to track my journey and provide a behind-the-scenes view of starting Bicyclette, from now on I’m going to share all the details with you, as I learn more and make decisions. So I can tell you that I’m hoping to launch within the week, which provides a little more clarity. And I’ll be blogging throughout the week and sharing each and every detail as I near that point.
Maybe I’ll even throw in some product shot sneak peeks. Sound good? Are we excited??
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?
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!
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!
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?
I’ve spent the majority of this weekend working on the bicyclette brand book and the storyboards for an interactive Flash interface that has a paper-doll-meets-collage feel to it. Many hours on the computer, but I think I’ve finally grasped the look and feeling of what I want bicyclette‘s brand to be. Not saying that I’m close to being finished, but I;m happy to be able to move past the creative block I had.
Thought I would share some sneak peeks at what I’m working on. These aren’t full screen shots or fully finished, but they give you an idea of where I’m headed with it.
FLASH INTERFACE:
BRAND BOOK:
Note: The images used in these mock-ups are not all my own, nor am I taking credit for them
I’ve been working on the biyclette brand book for awhile, and recently have found myself lacking in inspiration. My daily blog roll is a constant source of new ideas and visuals, and it is through this that I came across Promise Tangeman, a graphic designer and photographer whose talent and vision is undeniable as evident through both her blog and website. I think one of the challenges I’m finding with the branding is coming up with a cohesive visual identity that can be applied in multiple situations, without being locked into something too corporate and repetitive. I want the essence of bicyclette to come through.
Promise’s style is evident in all of her work, and her use of colour, layering, textures and collage-like elements is impressive. I love the look and feel of it. She does a lot of work on weddings, and the personality really comes through there, as she is able to capture the essence of each individual couple, and create a brand for them.
Enjoy…
… And various branding concepts for Matilda Jane, a children’s clothing line. I love her use of colour, type and textures, and how she is able to create such a strong identity for the line. Inspirational, most definitely.
All images courtesy of Promise Tangeman
I have a progress critique on my bicyclette brand book tomorrow at 8am (ugh), so I’m working away on that, but wanted to quickly share something that serves as both eye candy and words of encouragement. I feel like I need both right now.
Images: Decor8blog
I love the bold but friendly type, bright colours, retro style and make-you-smile messages. And the distressing on the letters is something I may have to play around with for bicyclette, as I like the vintage quality it adds.
These remind me of those motivational posters that teachers had in their class rooms, with kittens reminding you to “Hold on!” or whatnot. Except way cooler and for the design-minded.
Now, back to work! And yes, I will keep calm and rock on…
I’ve been a little obsessed with brand graphics as of late, due to the fact that I’m taking on the task of branding bicyclette, and so I’m constantly looking for new sources of inspiration. I recently picked up the oh-so-beautiful coffee table book Fashion Brand Graphics, which shares some of the best examples of graphic design in the fashion world and is a great visual resource to see how certain labels and stores share their brand identity through various mediums, keeping it consistent but never boring.
I must say, the whole process of creating an entire brand book for bicyclette is indeed a daunting one, but nonetheless, I’m excited to begin. Here are a few brand graphics that are inspiring me. If you want to take a closer look, click on the photos and they’ll get bigger. A lot bigger…
Giraffe is a specialist tie brand developed on the concept of “Dont let people tie you up around the neck. Let’s tighten up our own necks nice and tight and stare into the distance from on high like a giraffe”. Interesting. I love the simple photos, fold-out product cards and quirky tag line.
Mezzanine is a small boutique that delivers fresh style that intermingles two elements of avant garde and basic. The collage-like layout of their print materials and the sketches mixed with photographs really appeal to me, as does the catalogue, which has each item printed on a separate card.
Selframe boasts military-look casual wear for women who want a feminine, delicate silhouette. The design of the materials is consolidated by graphics overflowing with a classic taste. Simple, consistent and clean, enough said.
L’Appartment was developed from 25 keywords including art, night, vintage and rock, and offers selective items for female fashionistas with the concept of “my grown-up closet.” The graphics allude to a Parisian atmosphere, with a certain elegance. The whole concept behind this store, and the eclectic graphic style is very much in line with where I see bicyclette.
Milk Fed‘s brand concept is California Cool and features simple clothing for girls without relying on fads. The branding materials are kept extremely clean and simple and the brand is not afraid to flaunt it’s girly roots.
I know I’m a sucker for good branding, and have often been swayed by the strength of good design and overall brand image. I’m curious how important this is to everyone, and if there are any brands (fashion or otherwise) that stand out as exceptionally good or bad?
As most of you probably know by now, as part of my fourth year capstone/thesis project at school, I’m building bicyclette‘s identity throughout this year, and attempting to use social networking to aid in this process. Crowdsourcing, if you will. Last semester was all about exploration: a series of t-shirt designs that explored where some of my inspiration came from (here) and a series of posters featuring a photo shoot I did in order to promote the brand and blog (here). The semester also involved researching and writing a literature review about retail conception and development using social media and constantly exploring my concept creatively, primarily on the blog. Now, this semester, it’s all about putting it all together and working towards one larger creative capstone project for the final exhibition. Here’s my proposal:
My aim this semester is to focus on creating a brand book for bicyclette, my retail concept, exploring and determining the visual standards for the company and developing the brand identity further. This will be done by crowdsourcing ideas through social media as well as using my exploration from the bicyclette blog to guide the direction of the brand. Components of the brand book will include, but are not limited to: logo design, wordmark and branded font, business documentation such as cards, letterheads and envelopes, advertising, presentation materials, shopping bags, hang tags, and the website. Another integral part of this will be the way in which the brand book is presented for the final exhibition, as I want to go about it in an alternative way, and create an environment and experience at the exhibit that is in line with the store image and overall feel of the brand. I would like to create a retail simulation, so that people are able to interact with the various elements of the brand book as they would in the physical store environment.
So, as part of this, and since I need them to take with me to the trade shows in Vegas (yay!), I’ve starting working on some business card designs. I thought I would share them with you, see if anyone has any feedback for me, etc. These are all fairly rough, as is most of my work at this stage in the design process, but it gives you an idea of where I’m going with it.
I was going for something that successfully communicates the bicyclette brand, and is a little more eclectic and less corporate. Right now, it’s looking like the last design is what I’m going to work with, but I would love to hear your thoughts. These are all designed as one-sided, but I think when I actually get them printed, I’ll do double-sided, as I think they’re more professional and less cluttered.
One more quick thing I just have to share, especially seeing as it is Interior Monday, is this AMAZING vintage Arthur Umanoff Swivel Chair that I came across in The Sunday Times Market’s Etsy shop today. If the price tag wasn’t quite so high (especially with the shipping to Canada), it would be mine in a snap, and eventually bicyclette‘s. Le sigh. I definitely have to keep my eyes out for vintage floral print furniture such as this, so much personality.
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