Context:

The Ibis oval logo served the brand well for three decades, but it was designed for another era. Created for elegant, slim steel tubes and print catalogs, it did not scale to larger aluminum and carbon frames or translate cleanly to digital.

Scot Nicol named the brand after the ibis because birds are light and can fly, important qualities in a bike. Over time, that connection faded. The script logo no longer communicated the heritage or the intent behind the name.

Before executing a single creative decision, I led the effort to clarify who we believed Ibis was internally. We explored brand values, early positioning ideas, and potential taglines. We then partnered with famed design studio IDEO to reexamine the brand’s core audience and competitive landscape. That project revealed a need for a modern identity that scaled across every touchpoint, reinforced the bird inspiration behind the name, and made the brand instantly recognizable to a new generation of riders.

The visual identity was designed by Strohl, a creative studio known for their work with brands like Google, Timbuk2, and American Giant. They translated our vision into a modern, scalable identity system, complete with brand guideline that worked seamlessly across product, digital, and print applications.

I worked with ownership and leadership to execute this multi-year project. My core responsibilities included:

Strategy and Leadership

• Built the business case for the rebrand and pitched it directly to leadership
• Helped evaluate and select the creative partner
• Led the brand discovery work to define voice, tone, and positioning

Creative Direction and Feedback

• Gave structured feedback on logo, icon, typography, and the broader visual system
• Directed the website redesign to align UX and content with the new identity

Project Management and Cross-Functional Work

• Built rollout timelines and Gantt charts that accounted for product dev cycles, lead times, and operational dependencies
• Project managed design, marketing, product, and ops teams to keep everything in sync

Content and Asset Creation

• Produced all new studio photography with Scott Bellitici
• Scouted, produced, and art-directed lifestyle shoots with Lear Miller
• Wrote go-to-market content, including launch copy, emails, social assets, and internal brand tools
• Developed branded assets across every customer touchpoint: packaging, apparel, event materials, sticker packs, dealer POP, and more

Impact:

The new identity modernized the brand, strengthened recognition, made the bird heritage clear again, and helped Ibis appeal to a wider audience. It solved the practical usability problems and gave the company a visual system that can grow for years.