Working in collaboration with Cycling New Zealand over a three year period, the Avanti design team created cutting edge, innovative bikes which evolved from a whole new concept of structural and aerodynamic design. The bikes gave the New Zealand track cycling team a strong edge against their competitors.
Onfire Design’s Creative Director, Sam Allan, who has been an avid cyclist for 25 years and knows the Avanti brand inside out, was the lead designer for the brand’s redesign.
During this process, Sam was inspired to modernise the brand logo in a way that would relate to the new generation, while paying homage to the history and classic design that Kiwis instantly recognise.
He explains, “The current brand was 20 years old, and was looking dated on the bikes. I felt it was a necessary change to make the bikes more competitive on the shop floor, with a more modern design. I wanted to update the brand whilst retaining aspects of the company’s history.”
Sam’s relationship with Avanti dates back to the 1990s, where he successfully designed graphics for many of their bike ranges, giving him an in-depth understanding of the company’s values and ethos. His involvement in the bicycle industry in general over the past 25 years has been all encompassing, covering retail, manufacturing, design and marketing. He was a director of Momentum Bicycle Group producing the Genius and Grammo brands, and he has designed graphics for leading bicycle manufacturers around the globe.
The head of Avanti product development, Stephen James, said “Working with Sammo and the Onfire team was great, their in-depth knowledge of the cycling industry and manufacturing techniques meant we didn’t have to waste valuable time educating them. They certainly had their finger on the pulse and our client feedback has been extremely positive.”
Over the coming season this new design direction will roll out across the brand and marketing touch points for Avanti, including website, apparel and in-store. Look out for the new Avanti logo on the new season Avanti bikes, and of course, the New Zealand track team bikes.
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