In late 2015, I met up with a bike mechanic at DreamBikes to discuss ideas for putting graphics onto a plain white Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van used as a mobile bike repair station. We talked about how to best stand out the van without completely covering the vehicle. Out of the discussion, we agreed that the design needed to be identifiable as DreamBikes. But at the same time, best express the purpose of the van itself.
The rough draft designs identified two different stylistic directions. One was more typographic to see how the addition of another color to the already established red & black would be reacted to. While the other was to experiment with how the name could be integrated into a crank-shaped image. The bicycle crank was seen as the better route, but needed to put an emphasis on the mobile repair aspect into the logo. With the initial idea in place, I put attention to enhancing the logo itself as a starting point.
Grouped again into two different options, this round of designs combined the elements of the DreamBikes logo, the bicycle gear, and the wrench into different arrangements. The designs with the star filling in the middle of the gear were chosen as the best options to move forward with.
Refining the graphical elements further, three designs were created as final candidates for the van. It was at this point, defining where on the van the graphics would be placed stood at the last step before sending out the designs for printing.
With the addition of a mirrored logo on the hood, the final designs were applied to the van mockup to showcase the final look. With two different options for the sides, the front and rear-end would share the same design regardless. From the beginning, the intention was to keep the van's white color and add in the vinyl-printed graphics. While awaiting to move forward with preparing the graphics for large-format printing, changes in the non-profit caused the livery design to be delayed and then cancelled.
Despite the unfortunate outcome, this opportunity allowed my skills to expand beyond web-based content & two-dimensional printed materials for something completely new while giving my time to a local non-profit.