No.o. 1
.Fashion PRODUCTS . trends . BLOGS
ARTICLES
SHOPS
Inspiration is Everywhere
I thought of that while riding my bicycle... ~ Albert Einstein
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Introduction Pages ..........................................................................................6 - 7
Inspiration & competitors Etsy..............................................................................................9 - 17 Oaklandish .................................................................................21 -27 Topo ranch .................................................................................31- 35 Keep Calm .................................................................................39 -43
Trends & information Fashion and Style .......................................................................45 -59 Blogs ..................................................................................... 60 -63 Statistics ........... .........................................................................64 -65 Books ..................................................................................... 66 -69 Quotes ..................................................................................... 70 -73
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Happy Biker is all about the journey, not the destination. “A happy biker is an individual who enjoys riding his or her bike EVERYWHERE! A happy biker is fond of bicycles in general because they have the capacity to get one where one wants to go--the clothes one wears, speed or model of the bike are inconsequential. Happy biker’s priority is to just get on the road and ride! That alone is a true accomplishment, and a contribution towards making the world a better and more beautiful place. The slow bicycle movement and happy biker is all about the journey, not the destination. “ -Helena This little booklet is the beginning of that journey. In this first installment of the inspirations booklets I’ll go through the sites / shops / and influences you mentioned in our initial questionnaire. We’ll look at what’s out there right now in terms of aesthetics and cover what trends we can flow toward or make sure to avoid. Bikes and riding are so beloved right now {and will be always, of course}. There is an abundance of wonderful stuff out there to influence Happy Biker.. So lets get going.....
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HAND MADE
art / shirts / bags/ prints / posters / cards
Etsy has an amazing collection of bike inspired works. Everything from T-shirts to art to bags to chain ring jewelry. If you can think of it, surely someone on Etsy has made it to go along with a bike or your biking interest. The main problem is there are only a handful of Etsy sellers doing it well. Once you’ve waded through the pages of so-so stuff you begin to find a core group of artists making quality items and selling tons of them to a solid collection of fans who keep coming back for more. Dark Horse Clothing (from Tampa ironically) is a great example. Their brand is focused and they are one of the largest T-shirt sellers on Etsy, even disregarding the bike connection. There are also a ton of poster and print artists that focus on bike inspired items. The next few pages are a collection of some of the ones I find most inspiring. I think creating products that match or exceed these is a good plan. It’s also important to know what’s being made so we don’t inadvertently make something too similar. Etsy is the perfect example of zeitgeist at work :) Links to most of the things are included at the bottom of each page..
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/Loftymornings http://www.etsy.com/shop/Loftymornings http://www.etsy.com/shop/Manvsink http://www.etsy.com/shop/FuzzyInk http://www.etsy.com/shop/darkcycleclothing http://www.etsy.com/shop/happyfamily http://www.etsy.com/shop/Martymay http://www.etsy.com/shop/darkcycleclothing http://www.etsy.com/shop/herodesignstudio
It seems like the graphics on the shirts fall into two very distinct visual styles: hand drawn naive sketches or graphic collages in solid colors. I saw so many sellers who had work that was virtually indistinguishable from other sellers. The challenge will be to make Happy Bikers graphics fit within the trends but not be a slave to the current trends. We need to focus on unique images that can’t be readily copied (a big problem on Etsy)
DARK CYCLE CLOTHING
Dark Cycle clothing is a husband and wife team of awesome hailing from Tampa, FL. They make T-shirts featuring what else, animals riding bikes. Their mission is “To provide ethical and quality clothing while promoting alternative transportation.”
HTTP://WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/DARKCYCLECLOTHING
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/artsinri http://www.etsy.com/shop/brokenheartsocial http://www.etsy.com/shop/thedreamygiraffe http://www.etsy.com/shop/Loftymornings http://www.etsy.com/shop/Manvsink http://www.etsy.com/shop/Loftymornings http://www.etsy.com/shop/Loftymornings http://www.etsy.com/shop/ http://www.etsy.com/shop/strawberryluna
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/vassislavova http://www.etsy.com/shop/vassislavova http://www.etsy.com/shop/ http://www.etsy.com/shop/cartonboxcompany http://www.etsy.com/shop/paradacreations http://www.etsy.com/shop/letterpress http://www.etsy.com/shop/Manvsink http://www.etsy.com/shop/cartonboxcompany http://www.etsy.com/shop/Manvsink
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1. http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes 2. http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurageorge 3. http://www.etsy.com/shop/alexwijnen
1. http://www.etsy.com/shop/letterpress 2. http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes 3. http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettysparrow
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/chalkchalk http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes http://www.etsy.com/shop/petekdesign http://www.etsy.com/shop/monkeyrope http://www.etsy.com/shop/picassos http://www.etsy.com/shop/citrustree
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/kmoyer22 http://www.etsy.com/shop/boardingallrows http://www.etsy.com/shop/herodesignstudio http://www.etsy.com/shop/houndsome http://www.etsy.com/shop/houndsome http://www.etsy.com/shop/missauryn http://www.etsy.com/shop/theclearancesale http://www.etsy.com/shop/theclearancesale http://www.etsy.com/shop/theclearancesale
I included a few pages of posters because many of the Etsy shops use art for both shirts and posters or prints. The only difference being that the prints tend to have more colors. Depending on the printing budget we might be able to use more colors in the shirt designs. This could help in keeping Happy Biker shirts separate from most of the other sellers on Etsy.
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http://www.etsy.com/shop/thewordshop http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes http://www.etsy.com/shop/vicinitystudio http://www.etsy.com/shop/alecwijnen http://www.etsy.com/shop/houndsome http://www.etsy.com/shop/crowbiz http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes http://www.etsy.com/shop/houndsome http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes
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Products SENSE a of with sense of P L AC E place. Since 2000, Oaklandish has been a strong local voice promoting a positive face of Oakland. They work with many local artists and community groups to create a strong network of like-minded individuals working to foster ground breaking work within the city of Oakland. Through the sales of civic-pride apparel, they have been able to give back to the community in the form of a grant program open to all residents of Oakland. I love how they’ve expanded that concept out into other communities with THERE THERE. Partnering with artists is a great way to expand out into any community. They have a solid mission that carries through into their new endeavor. It will be interesting to see if the sense of community focus will continue as they grow out into all these other locations.
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WOMEN& MEN’S T-SHIRT DESIGNS
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It’s always funny to see where work (and inspiration) comes from. The illustration of the 2 raccoons above is also sold on Etsy, probably by the artist who originally created it. I really love the shirt of the bottom right with the sketches of several connected cites. I’d love to do a series of city biking shirts that have a sketchy feel that is sort of similar. We could start with San Fran and NY then go from there.
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OAKLANDISH LOGO DESIGN Although it’s not as dynamic as the Topo Ranch logo it does work with the products and mission of the shop very well. It feels both urban and organic somehow, which is sometimes a really difficult thing to pull off. Like the Topo Ranch logo it has a strong silhouette. I’d ike to make sure that is something the happy biker logo has too...
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dreams
IN SEARCH OF
“In the beginning, it was the dream of Alex’s great - great grandfather, Edward Breen. He, along with his family survived the Donner Party and founded the original Topo Ranch. Located between Monterey and San Benito Counties, those 20,000 acres were part of the old Mexican San Lorenzo land grant. Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the spread was a cattle ranch, fig tree farm, supplier of wool to the US Cavalry, and even used for Western films by the likes of Gary Cooper. Eventually, the bank foreclosed on it, like so many casualties of the Great Depression. The “topo” for whom the ranch was named is Spanish slang for that stretch of land’s most populous inhabitants. We gave him wings to symbolize the rise of Topo Ranch once again, and to give flight to our dream of buying back the ranch. We can both look back on five generations of California dreamers, but it was Edward Breen’s pioneering spirit that inspired us to follow our dreams. We hope our quality dry goods inspire you to follow yours.”
WIDE OPEN SPACES
From the Topo Ranch about page:
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I really love all of these designs. They remind me of California in the 70’s: Sort of an Endless Summer / Big Wednesday surf vibe for the men and what appears to be wonderfully constructed shirts for the women. Love the spare website and the logo is one of my all time favorites. I could see Happy Biker flowing this direction quite easily. During my research I came across so many sources for vintage biking photos.. Incorporating them into designs would be a great way to go, even if it were just for a series.
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TOPO RANCH LOGO DESIGN The Topo Ranch logo was the one you seemed to put the emphasis on with the questionnaire. Actually, of all the logos we’ve looked at I find it to be the one that is most in sync with your logo requirements. It is revolutionary and bold, imaginative and iconic. To me, it feels the most dynamic. It has a sense of strength and hint of quirkiness too. I love how it acts as both an illustration as well as a logo. Having a few variations is key....
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The Keep Calm phenomenon fueled an entire movement of bold graphic feel good visuals ( mine included! ). Five years later there seems to be no stopping the flow of affirmations seeping into our world. Keep Calm (the shop) has heralded the movement by continuing to work with artists to update and reinvent the motivational poster. Given Happy Bikers mission, they are a wonderful source of inspiration...
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KEEP CALM THE DESIGN
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AESTHETICS of INSPIRATION
Bold lettering, seemingly simple phrases that resonate in deeply meaningful ways, and designs that are basic enough to be relatable to nearly anyone who looks at them are the benchmarks for KEEP CALM. They have taken a classic image and phrase and used it as a jumping off point. How can Happy Biker be inspired by this? I love the idea of a personal motto, perhaps we can come up with a handful of phrases that work in a similar way. The challenge will be to make the visuals unique and not just an off shoot of the Keep Calm graphics. About the personal motto: I’ve used a lot of phrases in my own work and often get letters from people talking about what the words mean to them. I think we can come up with some great ones for Happy Biker.
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Inspired trends from around the web... There is so much to see. Between design blogs like Design Sponge and SFGirlbythebay, the biking blogs, and community focus sites like GOOD, there is enough resource material to keep us looking for years! Bikes are much beloved right now. The next few pages are just snippets of things I’ve found and been attracted to, or things I think might be inspirational for one reason or another. Lets compare notes when you’ve gone through everything and see which direction you want to take...
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BIKING FASHION... Casual summer style, Cool Color Palettes, with sh
himmery hues ...
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and bright BOLD statements ... 51
From sweet sweet prints...
To High Fashion PATTERNS.......... Bikes are Everywhere.
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Retro Cool, Never Fails................
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Candy Colored Confections
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Came across this on Flickr and fell in love with it!
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e W
e r A
l l A
d e t c e n n o C
As always, blogs run the gamut for subject matter and inspiration. Such is the case with bike focused blogs. Knowing which ones to frequent will help with keeping designs current, marketing, and promotion in general. Most of the ones I’ve included here are really biking lifestyle blogs. In keeping with the Happy Biker mission they see their bikes as a lifestyle choice that brings joy and inspiration to their lives. They focus on style and eco conscience actions that uplift their lives through action... I’ll continue to add to this list on the project site so we can keep up to date as new blogs come up. I’ll also keep an eye out for posting on the other design and lifestyle blogs, since those post crop up again and again.
B LO
GS
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LETS GO RIDE A BIKE!
SIMPLY BIKE
{ http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/ }
{ http://shebicycles.com/ }
RIDES A BIKE!
THIS LITTLE BIKE OF MINE
{ http://ridesabike.tumblr.com/ }
{ http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/ }
SHE BICYCLES { http://shebicycles.com/ }
LOOP FRAME LOVE { http://loopframelove.blogspot.com/ }
VELO CITY GIRL { http://velo-city-girl.blogspot.com/ }
BLOGS BLOGS BLOGS
http://www.copenhagenize.com/ http://www.designsponge.com http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/ http://www.thesartorialist.com/ http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/ http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/ http://bouldercyclechic.com/
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STATISTICS
Bicycling is the second most popular outdoor activity in the United States. 47% of Americans say they would like more bike facilities in their communities. Most trips Americans make are short: 50% are less than 3 miles, 40% are less than 2 miles, and 28% are less than 1 mile. Adults who bike to work have better weight, blood pressure, and insulin levels. Women who bike 30 minutes a day have a lower risk of breast cancer. Adolescents who bicycle are 48% less likely to be overweight as adults. More than three times as many new bicycles (14.9 million) are sold in the U.S. each year than cars (4.6 million). Studies have shown that homes closer to bike paths are more valuable. The average American household spends $7,179 per year owning and driving their cars. On a round-trip commute of 10 miles, bicyclists save around $10 daily. For every 1 mile pedaled rather than driven, nearly 1 pound of CO² (0.88 lbs) is saved. The health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks by a factor of 20 to one. There is safety in numbers: the more cyclists there are, the safer bicycling is. It is estimated that more than a billion bicycles are present in the world, with nearly half of them in China. 2010 was a recovery year for the U.S. bicycle industry, with direct effect sales growing nearly 15% from 2009. The U.S. bicycle industry generated $6 billion in sales in 2010. New bicycle commuters can expect to lose 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting. 60 million Americans bicycle at least once per year On average, larger increases in state spending on bicycle projects are correlated with increases in bicycle commuting levels. While in Japan 15% of commuters bicycle to work, in the Netherlands 50% of commuters bicycle and in China 77% ; only 1.6% of U.S. commuters bicycle to work 0.55 percent of Americans use a bicycle as their primary means of getting to work. -This is up 14 percent from 2007, 36 percent from 2005, and 43 percent from 2000. Bike commuting saves you money: with gas costing $4 a gallon and overall annual car ownership costs -averaging $8,000, getting around by bike can free up money in your budget for other things. The 70 largest cities in the U.S. had higher bicycle commuter levels and larger increases than the national average. The average bicycle commuter share grew by nearly 50 percent since 2000 (to 0.93 percent). America’s cars and trucks consume 10% of world’s oil supply Trimming one vehicle from your household, saves you $340/month Bicycling reduces stress and anxiety, and makes for happier employees. Absentee and turnover rates are lower among physically active employees Companies spend less on health care when they invest in programs promoting physical activity: one Blue Cross/Blue Shield study showed a savings of $2.45 per dollar allocated to fitness and wellness programs
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http://tinyurl.com/78obwr3 http://tinyurl.com/7le8zxc http://tinyurl.com/6pzplgy http://tinyurl.com/74rgvm5 http://tinyurl.com/78obwr3 http://tinyurl.com/78obwr3
7. http://tinyurl.com/6oxd44t
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http://tinyurl.com/7a69acq http://tinyurl.com/ckocysf http://tinyurl.com/cye8bs6 http://tinyurl.com/7n4d6fc http://tinyurl.com/79nhuce http://tinyurl.com/6rcgt9d
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http://tinyurl.com/7tg6kp9 http://tinyurl.com/7zucrnr http://tinyurl.com/c6ozrru http://tinyurl.com/7q7uphw 5. http://tinyurl.com/88w4hya 6. http://tinyurl.com/7ndx94o
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WORDS to LIVE BY
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