DixonBaxi designs identity for Eurosports’ Grand Tour cycling coverage

DixonBaxi has created a new identity, Home of Cycling, for Eurosport’s cycling coverage of the Grand Tour races this summer. Eurosport will cover 2,500 hours of cycling over 200 days during 110 professional events. A longtime beloved sporting event, DixonBaxi’s identity puts the historical context of cycling and its passionate fans at the forefront of its design aesthetic, creating a “language that amplifies the sport”.

DixonBaxi had numerous image resources and routes to go down when developing an identity for Eurosport’s cycling coverage, seeing the sport as “a visually stimulating discipline”. As a result, there was a “wealth of imagery, photography, and experience that inspired the Home of Cycling identity: from the passion of the fans with their vibrancy, energy and vivid encouragement on the road; to the classic heritage of cycling inspired by the badges and crests found on the bike frames; and, of course, the colours and designs of the race jerseys which have their own historical and contemporary associations,” DixonBaxi explain.

In turn, the design agency’s identity is full of cycling-related hints and details, such as a custom-made font edged with tyre marks, inspired by “painted messages that are synonymous with the greatest cycle races in the world". The font has "a bold, hand wrought feel that looks like it’s been rolled right onto the asphalt,” says the agency. Pictograms were then designed from looking at the brand typeface and are “crafted to communicate key race events — from victory to abandonment as well as topological and course features such as cobblestones, climbs or sprints.” Pictograms are a key element of the identity for a series of races which take place throughout Europe and for “multi-lingual broadcasts and social streams,” as well as enabling “instantaneous communication across all the territories”.

The agency’s branding also includes a vast number of extra assets from “pre- and post- race analysis including programme branding, titles, signposting and data-rich graphics assets". With a key understanding of cycling’s avid fans, the identity also incorporates the crowd at home into the action with an augmented race experience DixonBaxi devised, including a “high performing graphics system to deliver context and storytelling within the race,” they explain. By building a “360° cycling sensation” DixonBaxi have utilised graphics tools and in-race infographic systems “to deliver a better understanding riders and help the fans connect better with their heroes”.

Live coverage of races is included, too. Noting the importance that a fan “never loses contact with the live race action,” DixonBaxi also “devised a fully active and responsive ‘live squeeze’ system” which allows “space for a wealth of contextual race commentary and analysis.” By using colour codes dependent on the race, icon suites to “pinpoint critical moments and data-sets”, jerseys for rider recognition, as well as mapping topologies and infographics to provide “total clarity”.

DixonBaxi’s Home of Cycling identity will continue to be rolled out across the summer on Eurosport’s channels.