Terra Bikes
Identity, Art Direction,
Website, Full Brand Build Out
The Ultimate Commuter Bike
Terra Bikes founder Dylan Brown came to us with a passion project that was ready for the next step. He had developed a prototype of what would become Terra Prime — the first electrified motorbike to combine the power of a street racer with the freedom of a trail rider— however just a bike does not a brand make.
Dylan’s vision for Terra Bikes sits on the precipice of time. It has direct ties to the heritage and history of café racers and the kit-bike community, and the attitude embodied by the garage bike community. These are the rugged roots from which Terra comes, but the brand’s eye is firmly fixed on the electrified future. How does a brand born of a world of grease and grit retain its identity and soul in the clean and quick world of tomorrow? This was our challenge, to define Terra Bikes as a brand that owns its history while leading the way forward.
Brand Strategy
In initial conversations with Dylan and his partner Sarah, we found a wellspring of passion and inspiration to feed their vision for Terra Bikes. We knew that any branding for Terra had to be built around three crucial pillars of their business: The bike itself, spirited lineage Terra was taking the mantle of, and the community that surrounds it.
The Bike was built for people who are not afraid to get their hands a little dirty, the folks who would use such a machine, not just admire it. The bike is essentially a Scrambler with more tech, a truly hand-built bike with a storied pedigree. It’s for both the weekend tinkerer and the urban traveller. It’s the new kit racer with city polish and mountain trail dreams. It’s not your grandma’s e-bike. It’s the ultimate commuter bike.
The spirit of the bike and the brand had to align around the history of the bike, but also around the collective optimism for the future. This brand has innovation and adventure at its core. It needs to be both aspirational and accessible. It needs to pluck the heart strings of the true motor-head while offering a path to a sustainable, earth-centered future. It needs to express grit and gusto for all.
We knew the community would rally around the brand if it were positioned as being for a community of owners sharing appreciation of a quality bike. The community would embrace it if it supplied the same level of function and enjoyment as any garage kit bike should. We led the branding efforts with the mantra “attract with style and back it up with good tech, and the community will commit with love.”
Identity
Logo
The Logo Symbol is the best first impression, and the most potent piece of brand communication. Terra’s symbol is a confident T for Terra, infused with the linear mechanical language of the bike itself — a vernacular derived from the form and philosophy of the bike’s construction. Simple, clean, and ownable.
Wordmark
The wordmark mirrors the confident, wide stance of the logo while bringing a few more moments of personality to the table. Chamfered top left corners call back to the pipe-bend T. The letters are designed to work well big or small, featuring cut corners and softened edges with a friendly electric edge.
The full wordmark is modular in its construction, allowing the brand to be represented by a simple singular Terra or the full Terra Bikes in multiple configurations.
Secondary Wordmark
To bring a little energy, we got to hand letter an electrified secondary wordmark that feels right at home hand painted on a sign outside the workshop or elevated in sales materials.
Branded Marks
Icons
We worked to flush out the brand expression system with a series of additional branded marks. Icons are secondary opportunities for the logo to pop up wherever needed. Inspired by road signs, these icons put the logo in the context of the streets and commuter vernacular.
Plates
Plates are a set of rigidly structured nameplates that can be applied pretty much anywhere. Whether machined out of metal, stamped into leather, or embroidered into merch, these plates bring a sense of official established-ness.
Stacks
Stacks act more as graphics for the brand, providing a structure and an opportunity to communicate more than just the identity marks. Having these baked-in graphic stacks means Terra does’t have to reinvent the wheel in marketing and advertising graphics and can focus on well, reinventing the wheel.
Art Direction
Photography
It was clear from the very beginning that Terra Bikes was going to be a photography-led brand. Founder Dylan Brown is an adventure photographer, so he had a library of incredible photos of landscapes and the bike building process ready to draw upon. We developed additional categories of photography for the brand including streets, trails, and materials to round out a functional and communicative collection.
Typography
We developed an exquisite typographic palette for the brand, headlined by the rugged and racey Blakey Slab. Pairing GT Pressura, a typeface with mechanical production and warmth, as a workhorse to the slender display face gave a the brand that tie to heritage it needed. And, representing the clean and smart future, the brand got a Tiempos counterpoint. This palette brings versatility, personality, and attitude that can refresh and grow as the brand does. More editorial needs? Let Tiempos stand in. All about that OOH Marketing? Blakey Slab shines.
Color
Dylan & Sarah had a very clear idea of what they wanted color-wise from the very beginning. Handsome and rugged blues paired with rich, leathery browns. We filled out the palette to bring extra meaning to these choices.
Application
We must give a massive thank you and shout out to Dylan and Sarah for being such incredible clients throughout this process. The diligence and insight from Dylan, and the vision and energy from Sarah, made this project a dream. The Terra Prime is available for sale now, and we gotta say, it zips. Visit their site, and follow their founding journey on Instagram. Terra Bikes is a home-grown Colorado business based out of Carbondale. We could not be more proud to work with Terra Bikes!
