Schlegel Bicycles
Industry: Retail, Cycling
Services: Brand Positioning, Rebrand, Naming, Logo Design, Brand Guidelines, Creative Services, Event Brand Creation, Promotions, and Brand Building Consulting
Building a Breakaway Brand
The Bicycle Store Too was the name. This was a problem. There were three other retail stores within a 15 mile radius with a similar moniker. Even loyal customers were mistaking competitors for them. When they moved the store to an emerging business district in 2007 they decided to fix the brand.
The client’s objectives:
- Strong stand out name
- Market differentiation and positioning
- Grow market share
- Convey professionalism
- Create a culture of education and community support
Logo
Schlegel Bicycles’ logo and other identity pieces were crafted to reflect the nostalgia surrounding their new location in automobile alley while harkening to the timelessness of cycling and its appeal to all ages and ability levels.
A name for consistency and strength
We normally wouldn’t recommend naming a company after someone’s surname. But, Steve Schlegel’s larger than life, spirited personality was well known throughout the cycling community both in Oklahoma and throughout the US. (And who can forget a name like Schlegel?) A bold and unique mark set the stage for a new brand as memorable as the store’s frontman.
We worked with the internal team to identify opportunities to leverage the new brand. Designs and standards were created for wearables, marketing and signage. Cyclist-focused e-newsletters shared information on safety, education, cycling clubs, community events and highlighted specialized custom fittings. We assisted in the creation of events such as Schlegelfest and Ladies Night, which forged new relationships and increased sales by niche for pro, road, triathlon, recreation, women, mountain and kids bikes. This once neighborhood bike shop grew to be a destination store.
Color Palette
Colors were selected to stand out from the competition. Vibrant earthy colors mirrored the outdoor environment of the everyday cyclist, while black and grays tie into the mechanical and technical aspects of the sport.
Exterior Sign Design
The classic neon fit perfectly into the historic Automobile Alley and included a spinning bicycle tire.
“We were one of the first retail businesses to move to Automobile Alley, a newly designated district in downtown OKC, and we knew we needed to have a strong brand identity and roll out if we were going to keep current customers engaged and build our business. We had a strong sense of purpose to expand cycling in Oklahoma and support the local cycling community. S Design worked with us to establish a vision for the company, align our core values and design a brand identity with a feel that would help us recruit the right team and build a community brand.”
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Work Shirts / Uniform
Ephemera
“If I had known what it was going to mean for the trajectory of the business we would have found a way to do it sooner. The new brand is a fixed asset. It’s not just the increase in revenue, it continues to compound year after year.”
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community outreach
sales
Bicycle Retailer
Results
- Increased retail sales by 82%
- Recipient of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce’s Metro 50 Award for fastest growing companies in 2008
- Doubled revenue by 2015
- Named one of the nation’s top 100 Bicycle Retailers for 5 years in a row
- Local and Regional Addy Awards for both logo design and promotional posters, attire, etc.
- Destination bike store with customers throughout the US as well as internationally
- Case study published in Recycling and Redesigning Logos: A Designer’s Guide to Refreshing & Rethinking Design by Michael Hodgson
- Published in 1000 Garment Designs, Rockport Publishers and Letterhead & Logo Design 11 by Design Army, Quayside Publishing Group / Rockport Publishers
- 4 ADDY® Awards for logo, stationery, mechanics shirts and sign
- Acquired by Trek in 2019
Special thanks to Andy Chasteen, and Biff Stephens for contributing killer photography for this case study.
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