GORDON McINTYRE-LEE ZEUS JONES DESIGN HOMEWORK

REIMAGINING A CLASSIC AMERICAN BRAND

THE ASSIGNMENT

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCHWINN

Founded in 1895 by Ignaz Schwinn

Company was founded on the

principle that high quality bicycles

could effectively compete against

numerous other competitors.

!Focus on simplicity and quality, not

ground-breaking design.

!Schwinn recognized the marketing

and product development value of

racing. Team participated in, and

sponsored “6-Day” races.

Beginning in the mid-20th century, growth was fueled by innovative design and features

Schwinn brought the double-tube

balloon tire to market in 1930s

!Frank Schwinn insisted on higher

quality, despite an industry known at

the time for cheap manufacturing

!Emphasis on highly stylized bikes,

rather than “lightweight” bikes

!1950s through 1970s was focused

primarily on the growing youth

market

!

Decline through ‘80s and ‘90s

Slow response to BMX and mountain

bike markets cut into Schwinn’s

market share

!Kids that grew up on Schwinns

moved to foreign “lightweights”

!Manufacturing was contracted out to

Panasonic and later Giant

!Schwinn filed for bankruptcy in 1992,

due to eroded market share and

increasing labor costs

The Schwinn brand continues on to this day,

selling primarily through mass-market retailers.

There are few connections to the earliest values

Schwinn was founded on.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Category: !

Loud

!Expected

!European-influenced

!Sponsorship-heavy

!Poorly designed

!Focused on competition

!Cheesy

Schwinn is: !Understated

!Surprising

!American

!Simple

!Well designed

!Focused on everyday racers

!Authentic

Market Whitespace: !Quiet confidence

!Valuable

!Rooted in history

!Refined

!Inventive

!Supportive of audience

!Has soul

Category: !

Loud

!Expected

!European-influenced

!Sponsorship-heavy

!Poorly designed

!Focused on competition

!Cheesy

Schwinn is: !Understated

!Surprising

!American

!Simple

!Well designed

!Focused on everyday racers

!Authentic

Market Whitespace: !Quiet confidence

!Valuable

!Rooted in history

!Refined

!Inventive

!Supportive of audience

!Has soul

This core belief embodies the Schwinn brand, from their earliest days

inventing new products and supporting American racers, to their mission

today: creating products that allow riders of all levels to hustle harder,

ride farther and chart new paths.

“WE ARE HUSTLERS AND WANT HUSTLERS”– Arnold, Schwinn & Co. Advertisement

1896 Chicago World’s Fair

We begin with the most distilled kernel of the

Schwinn brand, and build a cohesive strategy that

brings this to life through imagery and actions.

GRAPHIC TONE

SCHWINN’S PAST SERVED AS A CREATIVE FOUNDATION

Schwinn’s creative direction has

literally spanned a century of design.

Simple, strong typography, clear

depictions of their product, and a

generally consistent use of the color

red served as the foundation of a

renewed brand approach.

IDEAS

A simplified palette brings the

Schwinn brand back to its roots

!Bold graphic forms reiterate

Schwinn’s commitment to quality,

simplicity and durability

!Imagery captures the craftsmanship,

camaraderie and sense of discovery

that comes with cycling

COLOR

TYPOGRAPHY

IDEAS

Type should be rooted in Schwinn’s

past, but feel contemporary

!Combination of sans serif with

geometric forms and industrial slab

serif connect to past type use

!Although used in the past, script

faces should be limited to illustrative

elements and display use, not

incorporated as a system face

!!

PATTERNS & ILLUSTRATION

IDEAS

Graphic elements should articulate

Schwinn’s core values of craftsmanship,

quality and performance

!Graphic forms should be scalable and

easy to use across a range of

applications and mediums

PHOTOGRAPHY

a

IDEAS

Imagery should capture the broad

range of emotion that occurs while

riding, not simply happiness

!Riders should be placed in a broader

context – riding is about exploring

the world

!Always display the craft and quality

that is the heart of Schwinn

EXISTING PHOTOGRAPHY

NEW PHOTOGRAPHY

LOGO EXPLORATION

a

IDEAS

A new logo should be iconic, easily

reproducible, and move the Schwinn

brand into a more modern stance

!Simple use of color will help

modernize and simplify the mark

!The bike, and Schwinn’s early

commitment to its basic technology,

can form the basis for a new mark

!

VISUAL LANGUAGE EXPLORATION

A broad range of graphic assets can easily be

extended to strategic marketing actions, at once

reinforcing and molding the brand over time.

AID STATIONS

Sometimes when you’re grinding out the miles, things go south.

That’s why Schwinn continually hustles to provide aid along the most

popular urban routes. Schwinn aid stations provide easy access to

water, energy bars and support gear. Red towers mark each aid

station, or they can be found in the Schwinn Rider Tools app.

SCHWINN RIDER SUPPORT

Schwinn believes in the bicycle as a vehicle for discovery, and hustles

every day to ensure each rider is supported on the road. Schwinn Rider

Support provides the peace of mind to know that wherever you are, a

helping hand is just a call or click away. Integrated into the Schwinn

Rider Tools app, Rider Support provides around the clock service in

the event of a mechanical, so you can get back on the road.

STRAVA CHALLENGES

Partnering with Strava gives Schwinn access to a well used fitness

app that targets an enthusiast demographic. Sponsored challenges

build awareness of the revitalized Schwinn brand, and support riders

as they ride farther, grind longer and hustle harder.

SCHWINN CUSTOMS

Schwinn customs give customers a chance to get their hands dirty

and be part of the creation process. Harkening back to the days of the

high tolerances and traditional frame building techniques of the

Paramount, Schwinn Customs provides bespoke frames, custom

ordered to each customer’s spec. Every frame is hand built with the

highest quality materials, allowing a tailored ride, built in conjunction

with the customer. Bikes can be built online, or in consultation with a

Schwinn expert.

Thank you for your time.