Graphic Design, Illustration and Production
Scott funded most of his adventures, this website and a lot of school projects with the profits from years of working in the advertising business. Scott worked as either a senior graphic designer or art director in some of the best advertising agencies in the country, including TBWA\Chiat\Day when they won the prestigious Ad Agency of the Year Award. Not only did he design dozens of bicycle logos, but he also designed thousands and thousands of ads, posters, billboards, websites and much more.
Scott’s loves to do graphic design for anything related to bicycles, travel and adventure, especially logos. Who better to design your logo than someone who loves bicycles? Please browse this small sample, and if you like what you see and want to hire Scott, we guarantee your satisfaction. Besides, all profits help fund more adventures, web maintenance and school donations. So, hurry. Call now. Supplies are limited. (Just kidding.)
Below is a small sample of Scott’s bicycle logos as well as related adventure, fitness and travel logos. My graphic design website is no longer because it is hopelessly out of date, and I get most of my clients by referral; however, you can still see some of my best work here: this award-winning website, my new website for kids, and all my books.
Don’t miss the bicycle ad that got me fired below.
Bicycle Logo Design
I tried to adapt my bicycle theme to a website about graphic design business. For years, I kept them separate. Then I tried merging them together, similar to how you see it now. But, I admit, neither way was very successful. I probably should have just branded my design business with my name, like scottstoll.com.
In the header of this webpage are two more related logos: the main logo The Argonauts a travel-adventure website that was built around my trip around the world, but was expanded to include everyone’s journey. There exist about a dozen variations of this logo different purposes. And next to that is a logo that represents bicycle touring and bicycling around the world. I turned this logo upside down, because when traveling the world I realized everything was relative.
And you can see the Falling Uphill logo and book design. Falling Uphill became the metaphor for my trip around the world on a bicycle seeking happiness. You probably know that by know, but did you also know that I was the graphic designer, illustrator and production artist? Oh and the author, too. Yikes. But I had a lot of help!
Women’s bicycle racing team
Truck decal, sign and logo design
SUCCESS STORY: My client requested, Wheel Peddler Logo, “I want a logo that people can see from across a parking lot, and say, ‘Oh, there’s Jim.'” So, I designed a “simple” looking logo that can be placed on all kinds of media and is attractive and legible from business card to billboard size, especially on the side of his mobile bicycle store and repair shop. It’s also designed so that the colors of the different elements can be changed easily to attract more attention depending on where the logo is printed.
Bicycle store logo design
SUCCESS STORY: We spun the creative wheels for several rounds and returned to the client’s original idea, which gave them the confidence that it really was a good idea.
Electric scooter and bike rentals
Logo and T-shirt design
SUCCESS STORY: My client, Pedal Chick, gave me a lot of creative freedom, and some great ideas, and this synergy generated a storm of creativity. These concepts will make great logos, T-shirts, ads and posters, which will create great marketing and brand awareness.
Logo design for cycling apparel
SUCCESS STORY: Bicycling is near and dear to my heart, and I think it shows in my artwork. My client knew what he wanted but gave me a lot of creative freedom, which resulted in a logo that resembles a Chinese character and would make a great tattoo.
The success of the original Big Dude Cycling logo spawned one of the most bizarre illustrations I’ve ever done. Click on the Chain Dude logo. This one deserves to be seen full size. A successful logo can survive many variations.
Similar fitness and travel logos
Personal trainer logos
SUCCESS STORY: A simple but very effective logo, that’s not to say we didn’t go through several dozen variations to get to this solution. We both liked how the athlete is leaping off the platform of performance. These kinds of visual cues make a logo interesting, meaningful and memorable.
Update: This client went on to train the Club de Fútbol América, a Mexican football league, to the championship.
An all-time favorite travel logo
Hiking T-shirt
A closely related passion to biking is hiking. I designed a series of hiking T-shirts. Here is one of my favorites. I designed way back in 2005, back when the first iMac computer was becoming popular and LONG before an iPhone. Many ideas in advertising and entertainment are spoofs, meaning they re-imagine or re-popularize or piggyback an idea or fad that is already in the mainstream consciousness. Since the shirt has been designed, I believe it was plagiarized (one of the shirts was, I wasn’t told which one) and my client sued. It seems they lost because now this shirt is quite popular and I’ve even seen it on bumper stickers. Oh, if only I had a nickel every time someone…
A few bicycle-related charity projects
A bicycle advocacy newspaper ad
Here is an ad that I feel very strongly about as you can tell from my body copy below and the headline which has a double entendre. This ran in the San Francisco Guardian. It’s uses a photograph of downtown SF from my old apartment and I increased the contrast of the fog to make it look like pollution. And if you look closely, you can see the old-fashioned halftone screen of the newspaper.
Body copy: FREE the environment! The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s goal is to empower bicyclists to make a difference in our community: to make the city bicycle-friendly and the air easier to breathe, add more bike lanes and improve transit access, reduce car speeds, combat global warming and cement-rification, save the redwoods, end racism, feed the hungry, and promote peace, love and happiness. So you decide: do you want to make a difference or do you want to just sit there? Join now, create positive karma for all your bicycling reincarnations. (Oh yeah, members get a 10% discount on supplies at area stores.) 415-431-BIKE or visit sfbike.org
I also did a series of web banner ads. It’s a little generic, but those were the days of dial-up phone modems. This illustration is of the SFBC’s famous Critical Mass Ride.
Bike MS poster
We’re honoured to be part of the MS Society family once again. Scott actually designed the 1994 poster for the Ride (see below). Scott donated the profits of his book to the National MS Society.
Coincidence or Not? I created this in 1994, just a few years before I realized that the cure to my own life was in my garage. And, years later, I attended several Best Dam Bike Tour events and sold copies of Falling Uphill and donated the profits back to the MS Society.
Bicycle advertising campaign
Full-page, 4-color newspaper ad
This ad helped launch both my career in advertising and my bicycle ride around the world. The advertisement that got me fired and “ruined” my life. The short version of this story is that this ad actually got me a much better job which paid for my trip around the world.
More articles in this series:
- What is a logo?
- What makes a good logo?
- Bicycle logo design. Some of my favorites.
- How is a logo made? The creative process.
- How to make a free logo.
The following blurb is the call to action. Every ad has one.
Scott is still available for graphic design, information design, web design, branding and illustration. Profits support this website and our work with schools, not to mention Scott himself. Please contact Scott to discuss your project.
If you ever want to turn your logo into a wall sign let Apex Metal Signs do it for you.
