The Client
The Women’s Motorcycle Contingent organizes the ‘Dykes on Bikes’ contingent in the San Francisco Pride Parade. The group starts off the Parade each year with whoops, hollers, leather, lace, and a roar of engines.
The Challenge
As a longtime motorcycle lover, I was flattered when the WMC approached me about designing T-shirts for them to sell as a fundraiser. The target: a celebration of the love the women have for each other, the open road, and their bikes. They also asked for promotional handbills to distribute before the Parade.
The Solution
The WMC wanted black T-shirts, naturally, so I used white ink. I came up with the ‘Fast Women, Beautiful Bikes’ and ‘Hug the Curves’ headlines. I used the white ink for the headlines, the ‘glow’ silhouetting the dynamically leaning motorcycle rider and the light playing over the reclining woman. Click here for a closer view of ‘Fast Women.’ Click here for a closer view of ‘Hug the Curves.’
I wrote the headlines for the brightly colored handbills as well. The secondary text is lost to time so dummy type is used in these reconstructions. The handbills were distributed in bars, cafes, motorcycle stores and more throughout the Bay Area.
The Results
The shirts were enthusiastically received: ‘Fast Women’ sold out two printings, and the design was reprinted several years later and sold out again; ‘Hug the Curves’ sold out one printing. Many participants in the Dykes on Bikes contingent noted being drawn in by the handbills.