SPECIALIST BIKE COMPANIES
The next stage was to move the research on from commercial bike manufacturing companies to some more exclusive and small independent bike makers too gain inspiration from some companies that are a lot more relevant to tartar bikes as specialist bike makers and also a look at bicycle companies of which in to the same stye category as Tratar bikes by looking at road bike and fixed gear manufacturers. Here below are the four companies chosen;
Saffron Frameworks
The first company looked at are Saffron Frameworks, they are a custom bike frame manufacturing company based in London, UK and they offer a fully finished service from the initial design of the frame to your exact standards all the way to the manufacturing and finishes to get you on the road. They offer the full bespoke service and so this make them a perfect company to look at as they work in a very similar field as Tratar bikes and to my benefit I manages to find the background written story to the design of the logo by the design company Red Crown a graphic design agency based in South Africa that specialise in brand communication.
The images below show a very simplified step by step process that Red Crown went through in designing the logo with the initial idea generation stage, the choice of which concept to take forward, the finalised logo, its fully developed branding and then finally an application of the logo on collateral. Seeing the initial stage of development for the logo has helped give an insight in to the range of outcome that this type of logo can be design in. The logo is effective in its use for the bike frame company and uses the iconic typographic logo with accompanying iconography but it isn't quite the right style for me to take forward for Tratar bikes as it gives across a much too of a sleek,corporate and elegant feel with doesn't quite work with the handcrafted, economic and wooden traits of tratar bikes, this is understandable as the bikes are handmade and customised metal frame bikes which lends itself perfectly to the intended message of the logo. Although this hasn't really worked to inspire my final logo design for tratar it has given a good insight in to the logos of similar companies to Tratar. Seeing the application of the logo on some collateral is the best way to display the finished logo application.
Igleheart Frames & Forks
Next it was time to look at Igleheart Bike Company of which is another bicycle manufacturing company that fits in to the same category as Tratar bikes as they also offer special custom and handmade bike forks and frames. but unlike the last example where they tried to represent the precise and custom nature of the company to display through the logos clean and simple style instead they have picked upon and are trying to represent the more personal and specific style of the company by using friendly curves that invite the viewer in to the logo and a heart silhouette to do the same again, and I believe that this is a much better approach to take through the logo as rather than using the clean aesthetic to represent the company of which I believe makes it seem like much more of a commercial company they have tried to convey the personal side of the company instead as this is their USP and displaying this well can be what needed for a company to take off properly. This is definitely something that I will be taking forward in to the final design stage of the unit as this concentration on the more caring, personable and specific nature of the company is what they are good at and so should be what is displayed in the logo.
They have also used the iconic combination of typography and iconography to create a bright and outstanding logo that will be remembered very easily by the target audience, and this familiarity is needed to boost the interest in a company.
Bamboo Bicycle Club London
The final manufacturers logo that will be looked at as research is the Bamboo Bicycle Club London and this is the perfect example of a company to look at as it not only created custom and handmade bikes as an independent company but it also creates these bikes hand carved from wood making it very similar to Tratar bikes as a company. They also use for their logo a nice balance between the typographic and iconography and this is exactly what is effective in gaining logos the notoriety they need to take off, and still employs the clean and sleek aesthetic but does this with a twist that instead of displaying a precise and mechanical corporate feel they convey a homely and much more welcoming aesthetic through the logo. The designer has still stuck to this simple title font and icon combination but has done it in a way that differs it from the rest. Although this is much more like the style of logo I would like to design it still doesn't give off the personable look I desire were enough.
After looking at these logos coming from independent and specialist bike manufacturing companies I have decided on the fact that I would like to take massive inspiration from the style and shape of the of the Bamboo Bicycle Club logo as I think this more geometric and modern style better represents the products that Tratar offer in the way that they although they look nice are well built products some of the best quality bikes on the market, this couples with the style aesthetically of the same logo as this conveys the modernity and looks based side to Tratar bikes achieving their main goal and mission statement, that the bikes are both FASHIONABLE but also at the same time are HIGH QUALITY products! Some inspiration will also be took from the second logo looked at as I would be able to convert the quality and fashionable side to tratar from the third logo but also the more personable and welcoming feel from the second logo, as this is a massive selling point for Tratar they family based company, that care about the team that create the products and the area in which they are manufactured.
These things coming together to achieve the perfect aesthetic for the Tratar Logo;
Personable, Friendly, Sleek, Simple and High Quality!
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