Avanti brand refresh stars at Rio 2016

New Zealand's leading cycle brand, Avanti, has undergone its biggest rebrand in more than 20 years, proudly unveiling their new design on the bikes of the Kiwi cycle team at Rio 2016.

The new logo emblazoned the Avanti bikes ridden by the New Zealand Olympic track cycling team, with the Sprint team winning Silver during the first week of the Games. The Avanti Pista Team Olympic Edition, and Avanti Pista Pursuit Team track bicycles have been nominated as finalists in the Best Awards for Best Product Design. 

Led by Auckland-based design agency Onfire Design, the major rebranding exercise saw the classic Avanti logo - untouched since 1995 - transformed and modernised for a new era of competitive cycling. 






Sam Allan, Onfire Design's Creative Director who led the brand's redesign, has had a long term relationship with the company, having successfully designed Avanti's graphics back in the 1990's. Sammo explains: "The Avanti bikes themselves are constantly changed and upgraded through development, testing and performance measurement to stay innovative and cutting-edge, but the logo on the bikes has remained the same for the past couple of decades. It was therefore an exciting challenge to take the classic design that Kiwis know and recognise, and give it a more modern makeover." 

"We're thrilled with the finished result, which pays homage to the old design and brand but is fresher, contemporary and much more competitive on the shop floor," he said.

Avanti's Head of Product Development, Stephen James says, "Working with Sammo and the Onfire team was great, their in-depth knowledge of the cycling industry and manufacturing techniques meant we didn't have to waste valuable time educating them. They certainly had their finger on the pulse and our client feedback has been extremely positive." 

Over the coming 2017 cycling season, the new design direction will be rolled-out across Avanti's entire bike range, as well as all branding and marketing material, including the website, apparel and point of sale.

Sammo's involvement in the cycle industry and his relationship with Avanti spans more than 25 years. As well as being an avid cyclist, he's worked across the industry in retail, manufacturing, design and marketing. He was formerly a director of Momentum Bicycle Group producing the Genius and Grammo brands, and has designed graphics for other leading bicycle manufacturers around the globe. 

The Avanti Pista Team Olympic Edition, and Avanti Pista Pursuit Team cycles were designed by the Avanti team in close collaboration with Cycling New Zealand. Avanti's leading, silver medal-winning bikes are based on the concept of structural and aerodynamic design. These are the bikes that continue to give the Kiwi cycle team a strong edge against their competitors.