Exploring a Visually-Driven Design Language

How do you establish the concept for a branding video? To answer this question, another one needs to be asked: How do you capture the hearts and minds of participants in an extreme sport like BMX?

Essential to this process is ensuring the concept is visual and instinctual, bypassing traditional verbal expression. Typically, concepts are born from words, but this approach can often restrict the process to being overly cerebral, detailed, and subtle.

For this reason, we began not with words but with abstract elements created using CGI. This approach enabled us to develop a concept and to define a design language that emerged from these visual elements.

Branding Video That Will Resonate with BMXers

The Playful Parts concept originates from the three design drivers of PLAY the Life, SYNC Hearts, and FLY High. Based on ALAUDARK’s mission, vision, and values, the concept portrays bike components—or parts if you prefer—as athletes pursuing their dreams and enjoying playful competition among themselves as friends.

PLAY the Life
The motion of the components evokes the joy of Dirt Jump as athletes compete with and support their friends.

SYNC Hearts
The interactions and synchronized motions of the components symbolize the link between athletes’ minds and their emotional highs.

FLY High
The excitement of Dirt Jump as an extreme sport is expressed physically, through metal, stone and earth, and emotionally, through dynamic framing and fast-paced editing and music.

ALAUDARK has a significant user base in the US, a mecca for BMX competitions, as well as in the UK and Europe. Given the brand’s international presence, we decided to adopt a global tone and style of communication. To realize this aim, we collaborated with the London-based sound studio Noizlab on the sound design, while also working across borders with Takram’s Shanghai and Tokyo studios.

Designer, Project Director

After studying Vehicle Engineering in China, Zijun came to Japan to study design at Tokyo Metropolitan University, earning a Master's degree in Art & Engineering. Following graduation, he joined a major internet company in Japan, gaining experience in UI/UX design, motion graphics, video design, and web development. In 2017, he participated in a national project "Kansai Research City" as the associate professor. These experiences led to a holistic understanding of the symbiotic relationship between design & technology, which he continues to investigate at Takram. He joined Takram in 2018 and launched the Shanghai branch in 2021. His awards include the Good Design Award,  CSS Design Award, and Core 77 Award.

Zijun Zhao

Visual Designer, Motion Designer

Visual and motion designer who melts the boundaries between business and creativity, studied under Nahuel Salcedo at Onesal Studio from 2020-22, and is active in the fields of CGI-based visual and motion design. He has been involved in visual design in the field of video in general and real-time graphics in particular, and is also expanding his field of activity through various awards, while improving his literacy in product and business design. Awarded runner-up in the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2021 and TOKYO BUSINESS DESIGN AWARD 2021, Film Craft: Silver / Digital Craft: Bronze in ADFEST 2021, CANNES LIONS 2017. Bronze, etc.

Ryo Kobayashi

CG Designer, Visual Designer

Designers who lead concept-making and prototype the future with visuals that have a strong sense of substance based on 3DCG. In order to properly design highly abstract and complex objects, Rena explores visual engineering that makes use of the textures, materials and movements unique to 3DCG. While studying abroad in Spain at Tohoku University's Faculty of Economics, Rena came into contact with a free and generous atmosphere and developed an interest in creativity. After working as a freelance CG designer and video production company, Rena joined Takram in 2023. she aims to expand her field from visualisation through video expression to physical prototyping of products. Born in the rice-growing north-eastern part of Japan, Rena is a great lover of rice. Her favourite varieties are  "Yumepirika" and "Date-masamune.

Rena Komatsu

Branding, Visual identity, corporate identity

Brand

Production of a Branding Video for Global BMX Brand ALAUDARK