The Process

The process of creating our new 185 page Spring 2010 catalog is grinding. The months of conceptualizing, photoshoots, bike builds, page layout, copy writing, and proofreading take a heavy toll on the Icon staff. But the end is in sight. Currently the Icon 2010 Spring catalog is weaving it's way through the printing presses in a secret Slabtown location. Click here to get a copy.

Even our printing press runs at limiter

Kirk and Spock set theirs to STUN - we set ours to CHILL

The Turquoise Tickler

A little rain and some slick pavement is just what the doctor ordered when one engages in a drifting session aboard an ape'd 883. 

Miki Black

Beauty and the Bridge

Sachs Beast

 

A fighter concept from Sachs circa 2001. Best known for their mopeds, Sachs threw down this wild concept with some help from Target designs studios. If memory serves correctly, the powerplant on the 'beast' was a Suzuki TL1000 with revamped heads to serve as a stressed member. 

Concept and Execution - GSXR Collection

Not every ad we do can feature fire jumps, chain beatings, kissing lesbians, or smoky burnouts. Sometimes even Icon, the moto kings of industry disrespect, have to notch it back a couple. Such is the case with the GSXR Collection ad. Strict corporate guidelines dictated that the GSXR gear be portrayed in a more 'family-friendly' manner. The Icon design team, being extremely clever, produced the following. Not exactly a cutting-edge hate-mail inducing ad campaign but successful none the less.

Initial (non-offensive) GSXR ad comp in pencil, pen, and marker

Prepping the bike and checking the lighting

 Exploring different photo composition options in the studio

The finished print ad featuring our favorite girl Liz and Portland's own cage fighting hero Greg Thompson

 ...And a digital version - You can click for more details but we won't give you Liz's digits

Mad-Dogging

Sometimes photo shoots just don't go as planned. Originally we were going for a casual aloofness with a bit of underlying tension. What we got was a pit who was more interested in sleeping than snarling. Even the old peanut butter on the roof of the mouth trick didn't work.

The initial Represent ad comp

It's gonna be a long day

ICON UAV

Nothing says "Surprise!" like a hellfire missile raining down from twenty thousand feet. Icon is a proud corporate sponsor of a number of US Military UAV's. While some companies sponsor football stadiums or walkathons, Icon prefers to sponsor autonomous killing machines. We call this particular one El Guapo because of it's confident stance. We are close to finalizing a long term sponsorship program for SkyNet's next project - an unmanned urban assault cycle. Look for it patrolling the I-5 corridor sometime in early January.

Getting off'd by a RC plane is kinda humiliating but at least it's quick

 

We pleaded with DARPA for the chrome wheels...