The anatomy of my world championship winning livery

Ever wonder how a racing livery is created? How is it different than motorcycle production graphics/livery? How is it the same? And, how does it feel to have your work on a world championship winning team? Read on!

On my previous post about the story of my livery design career I explained how it started and went all the way to the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, MotoGP :)

Here I will explain my racing livery design approach, how is diferent than production livery design, what do they share, and how my design got to be the livery of the 2020 Moto 3 world championship Aspar team….., well, that’s easy: Albert Arenas X Aspar! The right combination AND time (They were also together in 2019) of rider/team, but “how does it feel?” it feels surreal!

As noted on my previous post, I worked with Aspar for their 2014-2015 MotoGP season. After that, I became very good friends with Gino Borsoi (Team Manager) and Majo Botella (Marketing). At the end of 2019, they came to me for livery design help for their 2020 season. They had tested some concepts but it just wasn't coming out up to part :(

Step 1 and main difference with racing to production livery design: For racing, is all about the main sponsor, for production, is all about the brand and the bike, HUGE difference!

So, the starting point is the sponsor logos layout.

Step 2: Once I have an initial (Subject to change!) layout for the logos, my goal (Which is something shared with production livery design) is to create a cool frame for the logos, THAT is THE main goal of a well done livery. Although there is nothing wrong with developing one’s own style, It is a must AND where the challenge lies, to create original work as per the client’s needs, so HERE is where I start looking for inspiration to design that “logos frame”. In the 2020 Aspar case, I looked at tennis shoes! and a bike rendering that caught my attention.

Step 3: Start working the first idea WITH the colors of the main sponsor, in this case, Gaviota.

Although a cool concept already that we all liked, the team was not feeling the overlapping of the Gaviota logo, so…..back to the drawing board and working with all the comments of this first proposal…voila!

The 2nd proposal hit the nail on the head, but in this case, I used their Moto 2 as a template and this one with more of the tennis shoes inspiration.

Step 4: The first real life mockups begun, notice the variation on the belly pan to accommodate another sponsor logo.

Once we have the bike’s livery approved, THIS is THE point of inspiration for the rest of the team’s assets, truck, box, team apparel, rider’s suit etc

All the work was done, ready for the 2020 season and then…COVID-19! However and thankfully, the Moto 2 and 3 teams were already in Qatar, so the first race of the season was possible (But without the GP teams) and….WE WON, WE WON!!! WOW!!!!!

We were all specially proud how the front came out! LOVE LOVE!

Of course, this high was interrupted with the VERY low, a bunch of races cancelled and postponed due to COVID, but once the show went on later in the year, Albert x Aspar continued to win races and have enought top results to:

I was already in shock with the first race win, then more and more, then the whole championship looked very likely and at last! What a feeling and honor, SO SO thankful to Aspar and bravo Albert!

Which, Aspar will continue (as this is very often the case) with the same livery and VERY happy sponsors for 2021, but Albert steps up to Moto2, stay tuned!

Livery design chapter 1: The Story of my livery design career

I’ve been wanting to do this article for a while now. If having one of my motorcycles livery designs win the 2020 Moto 3 Championship isn’t motivation enough, what is it!? :)

When I first stared doing motorcycle racing liveries around 2003, I thought, “there must be a formula” and there sort of was, as there are ones in most commercially creative fields. I quickly found out that the classic “motorcycles racing layout”, had been all over the place, with its most notable example for me here

The lines going from wide at the front to narrow at the tail.

Me being me, right away I knew what NOT to do, and again as in most commercially creative fields, there is also room for no rules and innovation to create one’s own style, so I started developing my own livery design style/vision/philosopy, and not just for racing, but for production bikes as well (Part 2 )

So what was my first ever livery design? A proposal for the Qatar Moto 2 team/my friend Albert Bellido, manager of the Losail track at the time, which, did not get picked up but it gave me the motivation to continue.

Next, a design for my own bike, a 2008 Honda CBR 1000rr. Which in this case, I got to “hear the feedback” of people at the track: Simple yet so great!

Now THIS really really motivated me to keep going, and I did!

Next, a SoCal club racer’s bike for a livery design story in the Next Moto Champion magazine. This one felt a bit more like the real deal! this bike was actually going to RACE! and it had a sponsor with cool graphics to beging with (More on this later)

Next, I placed a small ad on Road Racing Magazine, which brought another club racer in as my next client, but this time, he also wanted the suit!

Next I approached via cold emails all the 2013 CEV (Spain’s national championship) and AMA teams, 2 of them said yes!

Next, from AMA Supersport and CEV Moto 3 to…MOTO freaking GP! The 2014 Aspar MotoGP full livery design with Nicky freaking Hayden! (Still miss you champ!) and THE big question I often get for this one:

How did you get this???

1-If I may say so my self, talent.

3-The luck to have met a friend of a friend of a friend that introduced me to the Losail manager at Lagua Seca 2013 to then become great friends and get VIP paddock passes every year.

3-If I may say so my self as well, Huevos muy grandes! to approach every single teams’ manager “offering my livery design services”, something I did not see anyone else doing and which I did 2, 3 years in a row.

4-Good old/classic perseverance! it took me 2 years approaching Gino Borsoi from Aspar, to have him and his girlfriend/marketing finally come to me on the 3d year: OK, we have a very special year coming, Nicky Hayden-Honda-Drink sponsor, show us what you got, send us a proposal….wow! A total “be careful what you wish for because you might get it” moment! will I fit the bill!??? Yup! they loved it! so much, they asked for the rest of the assets, box, suit, truck, etc

Having already worked at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, felt like: How much better can it get?, and oh boy, did it! Not just with an extra special special production bike project (Triumph Dayton Moto2 LE), but a world championship winning project! Stay tuned for chapter 2 (Production bikes process and philosophy) and 3 (The anatomy of a world championship winnig livery)

2015 Production liveries...so far

Some of the 2015 production liveries have been unveiled this week at the ECIMA Motorcycle show in Italy.

As you know, SMD is about liveries and design, not performance, which I love but to talk about too, but I leave that to the experts! 

1st, The Yamaha R1M. I would love to know who is their graphics designers or creative director! they do a great job, consistent style/branding from their production bikes to their GP ones.

Production graphics are HARD, because they need to be minimal and yet make a statement AND represent the brand year after year.

This Yamaha R1M does just that.

Next, what will probably be my next bike! (I hope is not super expensive) The Honda RC-213V-S, Honda's answer to the Ducati Desmocedici, a street MotoGP bike.

I can say I am "Honda" guy, love all brands, each ones has something great, but Honda is what I ride, mainly because is so light! (The Honda CBR 1000RR 2008 and on)

I like this livery, but in general, I think Honda is not at the level of Yamaha, Aprilia or Ducati when it comes to production liveries, what do you think?

Next, the Aprilia RSV4RR . LOVE IT! Have also always loved silver for liveries, and it seems that silver is the new black! with the R1M and this one too. I would have just lined up the line on the tank with the line on the faring, same angle. I talked to Miguel Galluzzi, head designer of the Piaggio Group, about SMD doing graphics for Aprilia, we'll see one day :)

Metallic Silver!

Love the bike designed by SMD in Metallic Silver! Special Livery for the 2014 Malaysian GP!

Home of their sponsor DRIVE M7 energy drink

Gino Borsoi the manger told me he wanted it this color for the whole year, but that this the of paint is SO expensive and with the crashes, impossible.