Designing a
passport to
cycling passion.
PEARL iZUMi
Recentering a brand on their core purpose, connecting people to the world around them through the power of cycling.
BACKGROUND
How does a
storied brand get
their mojo back?
PEARL iZUMi is a mainstay brand in cycling apparel. Well known for their quality, reliability, and for products that strike the perfect balance between comfort and performance. And while no one spoke ill of their offering, their place in cycling culture had diminished. They were once highly regarded for their innovation, fit, and materials, but many years later, they were considered a basic “safe bet.”
Fort West was asked to reestablish the PEARL iZUMi brand with cycling culture — first internally with their own team, and then externally with a bold new look and reinvigorated purpose.
Services
+ Brand Strategy
+ Brand Design
+ Brand Activation
BRAND STRATEGY
Time for Fully Engaged Freedom.
PEARL iZUMi has a proud history in racing and innovation. Over the years, the same advances they brought to purpose-driven performance apparel (especially in chamois design) were extended to casual riders, making PEARL iZUMi a staple cycling brand. As time passed, new and disruptive brands began to change expectations in cycling culture. Many of the innovations PEARL iZUMi pioneered have now become best practice for all brands, and as a result, the universal adoption they had sparked now has them perceived as generic. In short, they changed the game, and when the game changed again, they were left on their heels struggling for relevance.
Working together, we helped PEARL iZUMi get back to their roots of innovating products that deliver performance-driven comfort and connecting people to the world around them through the power of cycling. When those two things come together riders experience what PEARL iZUMi promises — fully engaged freedom.
STRATEGIC TARGET
The
Enlightened
Explorer.
Reestablishing their focus was key for PEARL iZUMi to claim their rightful position in cycling culture. Paramount to that was understanding their audience. We needed to define their Strategic Target.
Identifying as a “core cyclist,” the Enlightened Explorer is on a lifelong mission of discovery. At work or at play, they define their own path, ever-curious to find out what lies on the road ahead. They approach every opportunity from a practical point-of-view. They value form that follows function, tangible innovation, and experiences that deliver moments that matter.
Core Values Org. Benefit
+ Experience ⟶ + Freedom
+ Connection ⟶ + Community
+ Commitment ⟶ + Performance
+ Authenticity ⟶ + Stewardship
+ Progression ⟶ + Innovation
BRAND CHARACTER
Introducing The
Momentum Maker.
A strong brand character brings personality and tone of voice to life. We utilize archetypes to help personify the brand’s offering and promise. Unique to Fort West, we then identify and combine two sub-archetypes to create an ownable character that sets the brand apart, and becomes the driving force for all expression. For PEARL iZUMi, we created The Momentum Maker.
N. One who is both an inspiration and a catalyst to action for those around them. They encourage, support, and lead a life in perpetual motion, fully immersed in the moment.
BRAND DESIGN
Stories That Move.
For PEARL iZUMi, the design ethos is intended to inspire riders to connect with the world around them while demonstrating the gear that helps to make that connection rich and authentic.
Design elements convey dynamic movement and energetic progress celebrating the spirit of the ride. We see product used in real scenarios, capturing cyclists in their element. We offer multiple perspectives (detail, fit, and how the product interacts with the environment) in order to bring depth to the essential role we play for those invigorated by the ride.
DESIGN SYSTEM
Making momentum through a sum of parts.
Our design system embodies the brand character: The Momentum Maker. Every element is there to create energy — from “Screaming Yellow,” the signature pop-color, to bold typography and the intentional photography used to show (not tell) cyclists what it looks like when you are fully engaged in the freedom of the ride.
MESSAGING SYSTEMS
Inspire first,
explanation to follow.
The PEARL iZUMi brand promise of “Fully Engaged Freedom” is all about creating cycling passion. When we speak to the Enlightened Explorer, our overarching goal is to invite them into our world and demonstrate to them the care we take to turn every mile into meaningful moments. Emotive language and haiku like phrasing draws riders in, leading them to discover the deeper benefits of PEARL iZUMi’s innovation and quality.
BRAND TAGLINE
An intentional
shift of intentions.
With this brand refresh, PEARL iZUMIi had reclaimed it’s mojo. To properly re-introduce themselves to the market, the brand needed a bold tagline that would signal their change of intentions. One that would reflect their newly reestablished positioning and resonate with their long-standing purists in cycling culture.
BREAK AWAY
Every time you get on the bike is an opportunity to break away. Some rides are spent breaking away from the pack. Other rides are are about breaking away from the rider you were yesterday. Either way, PEARL iZUMi wants to give you the tools to get on your bike so that you can seize every opportunity to break away.
BRAND ACTIVATION
More than
a metaphor.
With BREAK AWAY, our goal was to own an open, inviting look and feel that allows us to directly tie PEARL iZUMi’s products to a great ride. It’s free of distraction, open with possibility, and connected straight to the cycling experience.
We juxtapose cinematic photography with tight macro product details implying PEARL iZUMi’s attention to the little details of the gear that make it so you can put your attention on the little details on the ride. Our open typography is paired with Haiku inspired messaging, romanticizing the moments all cyclists experience and connect with.
