THE BRAND
Sklar bikes is a custom, built to order, bike frame company based out of Bozeman, Montana. Sklar bikes went from a small hobby to a well-known frame builder with lengthy waitlists in just a few short years. These bikes are designed for adventure and known for their iconic top tube arch.
THE PROJECT
Adam reached out to me to help brand the touring bike he was launching. This bike is known as The Trusty PBJ. While this PBJ stands for “Performance Basket Jammer” the similarities to the tried and true sandwich are hard to ignore. While it is simple and universal, it gets the job done like no other. It is your go-to, this is the bike you can grab with no plans and take it anywhere. The handling is familiar and playful and it will bring you anywhere you want to go, just don’t forget to pack a sandwich!
My role was to create a visual identity for this bike. I created the icon that is painted onto the top tube, as well as came up with a fun and approachable colorway that this bike would be offered in.
THE INSPIRATION
The inspiration was adventure. Adam had previously worked with another designer to create the icon for the SweetSpot. He wanted to continue with the style, but expand upon that vision with this touring rig. I had a bunch of ideas initially. I put together a little mood-board to get my ideas on paper. With this vision board, I landed on a few ideas that I could carry over; a bag of some sort (I was really stuck on the bindle idea, inspired by Huckleberry Finn’s adventures), a basket icon, and of course a sandwich.
THE IDEATION
After the first presentation, both of us agreed that the two best ideas were the basket and the sandwich. After a few ideation rounds, we landed on keeping it simple with a sandwich icon with the “PBJ” slightly curved mimicing Sklar’s iconic curved top tube.
V1
V2
THE FINAL ICON
THE COLORWAY
For each of the bike’s Sklar is planning on rolling out, each will have a “white” and “black” spectrum option. With that in mind, we also wanted to incorporate a yellow as well. After a few variation options we landed on, Chevy Yellow, Blackberry Jam, Nickel plated, Umbra Grey.
THE BANDANA
To complete this bike’s brand identity, I also designed a fun bandana with a variety of different PBJ themed icons all over it. I was also able to incorporate the basket icon that I had previously designed as an option for the main PBJ icon. As many in the bike world know, bandanas have been a handy tool for whether you are on a tour or amidst a global pandemic. These comfortable cotton bandanas were offered in two colors (Peanut Butter Brown & Blue Jelly) and are discharge printed. These bandanas turned out beautifully and can be spotted out in the wild across the country.
