Background
After leaving GP VeloTek in 2015, I spent a year mostly cycling solo in search of new goals and motivation. Two former teammates did the same. While riding together one cold December day, we floated the idea of forming a new squad—this time with fewer riders and stocked only with the people we most enjoyed riding with and who shared similar temperament. We became a group of nine riders tightly bound by devotion to each other and a competitive, yet humble, sensibility.
Challenge
Create a name and identity for our small club, and design a unique team kit and social media presence on Instagram that deepened the brand expression.
Solution
Because we kept the idea under wraps and shared it only with the few riders we invited to join, there was an air of mystery. I intentionally used misdirection as a guide for the naming and color palette. Raven Road Club is made up of 13 of the nicest people you'll meet on the road or gravel path, yet our black and blue kit with a diving, talons-out raven conveys aggression, menace and a sense of darkness. It inspires conversation and wry laughter on the road, that's for sure.
The shield on the jersey breast is a nod to our VeloTek heritage: A raven in flight, with one foot touching an orange stripe, set against a white field of peace and goodwill. Our story is woven into our patterned sleeves: A cluster of diamonds for our founding four (Keith, Dustin, Bobby and Chris) connected to another cluster of two diamonds (Lawrence and Boulder where we live) and two hearts (one for road, one for gravel/dirt). The network of lines in between? Friendship, adventure and awesomeness, of course.
The squad and kit have been an instant hit, inspiring several victories and high placings this season on the regional gravel racing scene.
Instagram: @ravenroadclub
Art direction, design and production // Chris Ralston Apparel vendor // vie13
Photographers // Chris Ralston, Tom Parker, Andrea Skalla, The Marysville Advocate, Matt Fowler, various members of Raven RC and friends
Photographers // Chris Ralston, Tom Parker, Andrea Skalla, The Marysville Advocate, Matt Fowler, various members of Raven RC and friends
