Trail Solutions Inc.
CASE STUDY: Building a sustainable ecosystem around the total trail experience
CHALLENGE
Trail Solutions Inc. is a professional trail building company in the Philippines forged together by an experienced group of cyclists from different disciplines. To establish their strength as a force that not only builds world-class bike trails but also as one that has the acumen to manage well beyond the build stage, they needed an identity system that would help set them apart from other competitors all while encompassing their core values.
SOLUTION
With a set of core skills that bridge the gap between meticulous planning and their hands-on building expertise, we created a visual system inspired by engineering blueprints and topography maps that not only celebrates Trail Solutions Inc as master trail builders, but as architects of a fully sustainable ecosystem. The final results were a brand book with strategy and guidelines, communication materials, and sample merchandise.
INDUSTRY
Health and Wellness
COLLABORATORS
Photography by Miguel Nacianceno
Animation by Paolo Nañagas
RE-THINKING STRATEGY
The original brand tagline of “Design-Build-Ride” had a disconnect between what the team was saying and what they truly envisioned. We adjusted their pillars from a linear flow of “Design-Build-Ride” to a circular approach of “Design-Build-Sustain.”
The original word “ride” ended up becoming limiting, thus missing a crucial opportunity for the brand to highlight an important facet in their arsenal. Replacing the word to “sustain” showcases the brand’s savviness when it comes to business management and addresses their vision of continuous development by involving the local community—a move that makes it economically viable and constantly engaging to all parties involved.
Shifting focus away from a linear outlook supports an on-going commitment of developing trail systems that nurture the environment, sustain the local economy, and involve the cycling community in its care.
MOUNTAINS NOT MOLEHILLS
The mark we created reinforces the new brand pillars and their strengths. The outer circle, which frames the mountain range from the perspective of a lens or scope, represents the company’s expertise in surveying and mapping out the land. The mountain ranges framed within not only represents the three principles of: design, build, and sustain, but they also depict the brand’s vision of outward growth towards the local community and beyond.
TRAIL ARCHITECTS
With the Trail Solutions Inc. logo in place, we knew that we had to complement it with a simple, yet structured, identity system that would further highlight the company’s expertise in designing well thought-out courses.
BREAKING DOWN THE ELEMENTS
To bring the brand to life, we organized a natural palette
inspired by the land with a pop of orange to
bring in the warmth of the tropical sun.
Our main typeface for the brand, Overpass, was based on the typeface used by the United States Federal Highway Administration for highway signage. Overpass was selected for its utilitarian nature as well as being the right choice for proper legibility of trail signage later on. Overpass Mono, the secondary font, hints at brand’s technical nature.
Taking inspiration from the structure of engineering blueprints and plans as well as the patterns and shapes in topographic maps, we created a visual system that blends organic elements with the rigidness of grid lines.
To ensure a consistent identity, we drafted a set of guidelines not only for proper logo usage and the strategy developed, but also a set for executing the established visual language of the brand.
Trail Solutions Inc is one of the first mountain bike trail-building companies in the Philippines. As the pioneer in a new industry, TSI’s branding not only had to look good, but also had to communicate our philosophy clearly. Makesaint’s unique creative process ensured all our bases were covered, and then some. The resulting identity system was more than what we were expecting. Makesaint knocked it out of the park!
— AGU PAISO, DIRECTOR + TRAIL SOLUTIONS
BEYOND RIDING
To seal the impact of the brand, we presented
initatives and merchandise to build the community
of conscious cyclists.
