Harley-Davidson is an American icon. Yet despite its iconic status, the brand was facing new challenges - its riders were aging out, global sales had slumped and sadly, riding itself was becoming less relevant. We needed to make riding matter to a new generation. So we started with a simple truth, when you’re on a Harley the world melts away, it’s transformative. And in a world that’s increasingly isolated, disconnected and numb, riding can deliver the physical, emotional, mental, even spiritual benefits people are craving. With that, a new philosophy was born: Full-Throttle Wellness.
When people look at riders, they think, “crazy,” “careless,” “death wish.” If we wanted more people to ride, we needed to prove that riding is worth the risk. So we began with a film that introduced a new perspective: it’s not what the bike can do, but what the bike can do to you. In an accelerated stream of quasi beat poetry, a rider explains in their own words the strange mix of clarity, calm, focus and exhilaration that a great ride gives. Those who ride know, and it was time the rest of the world knew it too.
We debuted a new minimal identity, a modern distillation of the well-known heritage logo to appeal to Harley traditionalists and new riders alike. A more precise and contemporary shape was constructed alongside the introduction of a new ‘horizon’ wordmark that stripped away ornamentation in favour of a responsive design defined by simplicity.
We then evolved our visual language. A new photographic approach blended blurred landscapes, bikes and real riders with gritty depictions of the sights and sounds that stay with you long after a ride has ended. Enlisting the talents of acclaimed photographers Magdalena Wosinska, Jack Davison, Christian Weber and Alex De Mora, each artists unique task helped create a complementary library of imagery that when combined, painted a vivid picture of mind, body and machine.
Our new philosophy, visual language and simplified identity system began to permeate every facet of the brand. Across film, print, digital, OOH, social, and events we evolved our tone of voice and personality to shift away from telling stories about products to stories about people. All to bring our audience closer to the experience of riding a Harley, before ever getting on a bike.
Our approach got right to the heart of how the benefits of riding have become more vital than ever. We celebrated the serenity of time spent in the saddle as a cure for the modern condition. Because having your hands glued to a pair of handlebars, rather than your phone, is healing.
From the bottom up everything became about Full-Throttle Wellness - a unique and radical form of self-improvement, but without the new-agey stuff. In social we unpacked the intense rush that comes from a good ride, the benefits of being out in nature while everyone’s stuck inside, and profiled real riders from Harley’s live community that spanned the globe.
Our new approach established fresh road rules for the brand and recontextualized riding as an experience that everyone could aspire to. Gone were the hyper-real, airbrushed depictions of the road, replaced by raw and real imperfections of riding.
We then shifted focus to the 2020 H-D Apparel launch, presenting a new, younger and more diverse group of riders to the world. On a brand level, we distilled real riders' mental and emotional states when riding into surreal, kaleidoscopic and expressive portraits. Showing off the spirit of the brand through the people who are changed by riding.
More personality was injected into the product lookbooks, showcasing the fits, designs, textures and features of the H-D apparel line with playful posing, styling and more contemporary casting.
Our GM lifestyle photography continued to expand on this new definition. Using the vast American sky as the backdrop we created a collection of graphic imagery that embodied the open freedom associated with riding. Shot day to night, urban to rural, we took on the perspective of the bike itself to create low, heroic and candid shots of riders in key pieces from the H-D apparel collections.
For riding specific collections, we introduced elements of the bike through graphic crops and unconventional perspectives. And created fragments of a larger story while showing off the specific details of individual pieces.
The Harley-Davidson catalog has long been a cornerstone of motorcycle culture. For the 2020 range we wanted to capture the beauty, elegance and craftsmanship of the bikes, while enlightening a new generation to the joys of riding. So we brought life from the road into the studio environment to recreate the metaphorical experience of riding. A surreal, iconic and captivating study into the craftsmanship of the bikes and the places they take you.
Visual stories were crafted around the objects and elements you see, smell or hear on a ride. A dreamlike snapshot of the fleet and the things encountered on the road that linger in the mind. Each product shot on these pages was accompanied by real rider interviews and visceral riding shots that became a reminder to put this very book away, get outside and go riding.
This new attitude informed our holistic reimagining of the global Harley-Davidson website: a sleek, airy aesthetic that retained Harley’s grit while modernising the site architecture to make it easy for non-riders and experienced riders alike to navigate bike types and ride styles.
A 56% increase in site conversions was recorded with 74% more revenue per visitor. Not only were the metrics successful, but the site stimulated an overwhelmingly positive response from riders and non-riders alike. New content sparked discussions about the benefits of riding, why riding matters and debates about the future of riding across the web.
The work struck a chord, reflecting something older riders knew and newer riders were soon to find out: riding is good for the soul. People not only championed the message of WHY riding matters, they actively embraced the brand encouraging more people to ride.
From new product launches and dealerships, to community strategies and brand summits, our fresh philosophy filtered into customer touchpoints worldwide as Harley-Davidson began the journey to a unified brand experience. One designed to guide the next 116-years of growth with the next generation of riders and rightfully restore their place within American culture.