As the man often credited with inventing mountain biking, it’s no surprise Gary Fisher is an iconoclast. I had the good fortune to hang out with him, soak up those iconoclastic vibes (often over Thai food, always followed by espresso), and spin them into various expressions of his brand.
Client
Gary Fisher / Trek
Agency
Planet Propaganda
Collaborators
Dana Lytle, Creative Director
Dave Taylor, Designer
Rob Sax, Account Manager
Objective
Highlight Gary’s personality, showing how his soulful, iconoclastic perspective translates into uniquely innovative bikes.
Approach
Illuminate the connection between Gary Fisher (the man) and Gary Fisher (the bike).
Gary’s bikes weren’t like the other bikes.
As what you might call a polymath, he saw things differently. Fashion, design, music, and various subcultures informed his idea of what a bike could—and should—be.
It stood to reason that the work we did for Gary’s brand didn’t feel like the work of other bike brands. Respect to the Fisher/Trek crew for having the vision to sign off on projects like FISH, a sort of mountain bike-culture-zine-product-hybrid-catalog-design-lookbook. For one issue, we took a trip to North Dakota to explore the Maah Daah Hey trail and compose a Thompson-esque travelogue piece. I enjoyed driving around that surreal landscape with photographer Steve Milanowski, sneaking up on stuffed bison in buffet lines and waiting out tornadoes in the saloon.
“Gary is a polymath. Fashion, design, music, and various subcultures shape his idea of what a bike could—and should—be.”
