New Amsterdam finally seems to follow the example of its parent city in the Netherlands. Bicycle use in the Big Apple is becoming more and more popular. Right in time for the new cycling season Pentagram’s Emily Oberman and her team have rolled out a new identity for Bike New York, the city’s leading proponent of biking as a practical, sustainable, and healthy means of transportation and recreation.
New York now has 900 miles (1400 kilometres) of designated bicycle lanes across the city and recently a bike-sharing programme was established. The new brand identity and campaign for Bike New York is meant to popularise bike culture even more. To convince new riders the group provides free bicycle classes for riders at all skill levels, as well as lessons in related topics like bike maintenance, commuting, and how to buy a bike. Last year the organisation taught bike skills to over 16,000 New Yorkers.
According to Emily Oberman traffic in New York has adapted to cyclists in the past years. For Bike New York’s new identity she wanted it to have ‘a spirit of inclusiveness, but with a street culture edge’. In the new logo the letters NY form a bicycle frame in a sign that reflects the visual icons used on the streets. The colours used also are borrowed from the bicycle lane street signage.
The new identity was introduced together with a new website, new mobile site, and a campaign announcing the TD Five Boro Bike Tour on May 3rd. The friendly design conveys the message that biking New York is the easiest and most fun thing to do.