Kitsbow by Manual

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CLIENT

Based in Marin, CA, they design and pro­duce high qual­i­ty moun­tain bike appar­el with a min­i­mal aes­thet­ic and tai­lored details. Their prod­ucts are impec­ca­bly made and jus­ti­fi­ably expen­sive. Their tar­get audi­ence are pas­sion­ate moun­tain bik­ers who are hap­py spend­ing mon­ey on the very best qual­i­ty gear.

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BRIEF

Frus­trat­ed by a lack of styl­ish appar­el in the moun­tain bik­ing sec­tor, Kits­bow’s founder set out to cre­ate a new sort of com­pa­ny that makes refined moun­tain bik­ing appar­el at a high­er price point. Our client was enter­ing a sec­tor where the mas­cu­line grunge aes­thet­ic reigns supreme. They want­ed to dis­rupt this and cre­ate a brand (and accom­pa­ny­ing visu­al iden­ti­ty) that echoed the qual­i­ty and crafts­man­ship that went into their prod­uct. With an abstract name with­out mean­ing, the chal­lenge was design­ing an icon­ic mark that car­ried the con­no­ta­tions the client was seeking.

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APPROACH

We saw an oppor­tu­ni­ty to embrace the ele­gance and tai­lored con­struc­tion of their prod­ucts. The result­ing mar­que has a lev­el of craft and ele­gance that paired per­fect­ly with their prod­uct and brand promise. The loop­ing of the “K” brings asso­ci­a­tions of tai­lored stitch­ing, while also mak­ing ref­er­ence to the wind­ing trails on which moun­tain bik­ers ride. Intro­duc­ing stripes into the mark allowed us to crop the logo to pro­vide a more sporty and dynam­ic appear­ance when need­ed. We used extra thick card stocks, var­nish­es, and foils to pro­vide a sense of tac­til­i­ty and sub­stan­tial quality.

The branding that Manual created perfectly encapsulated everything that Kitsbow stands for—craft, elegance, boldness (have you seen our van?!), and attention to detail. Manual was involved in every aspect of our brand launch, from the logo and icons, to the website and product photography. The feedback on our branding—the logo in particular—has been overwhelmingly positive. Manual continues to work as our brand agency, and we look forward to a long lasting working relationship with them. — Zander Nosler, Founder and CEO of Kitsbow