Bike Type
In 2014 I created the Bike Type book as my bachelor thesis. In this book I combine two of my passions — typography and bicycles (who would have guessed).
I had been collecting type specimens on bicycles since I started studying. Luckily ridership and safety in most german cities is high, so it was easy to encounter a lot of bikes parked on the streets. I posted the photos to typeon.bike but always had the urge to investigate the history and evolution in more detail. When the time for my bachelor thesis came around, I knew I already had the perfect topic.
In the book I examine five major international bike brands (Bianchi, Cinelli, Diamant, Gitane, Peugeot and Trek) and their use of typography on their frames throughout history. Furthermore it contains four interviews with designers working in the industry about the process of designing graphics for a bike, for example Hilmar Meyer (Product graphic designer, Diamant) and Christian Thill (Brand manager, Canyon). In additional chapters an introduction on the general history of the bicycle is given and miscellaneous typographic treatments on bikes are showcased.
