Chasing Rainbows – 2012 Track World’s set to celebrate vintage cycling

Date: 22nd December 2011

The 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships has joined forces with The Squeaky Wheel to pay homage to the much loved tradition of the vintage bicycle poster.

‘Chasing Rainbows’ – a poster design competition taking the 2012 Track World’s back to a bygone era – will run as part of Melbourne’s Bikefest from early January to March 18.

Students, design professionals and bicycle enthusiasts will be encouraged to design a traditional bicycle poster in promotion of the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships with a design brief to be release early in the new year.

The winning designer will pocket $1,000, with his or her winning design also used in an outdoor media campaign in the lead up to the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in April next year.  Four placegetters will receive $500 each.

An exhibition will be held in the final week of Melbourne’s Bikefest where a judging panel will decide the top five finalists and eventual winner.

Creative producer of The Squeaky Wheel Pip Carroll is excited about the prospect of bring a slice of history back to the modern world of the 2012 Track Worlds.

“Track racing has always held an important place in cycling culture, going right back to the days when outdoor velodromes were bursting with fans and competitors,” Carroll said.

“The vintage bicycle poster was as icon of this era and we are thrilled to include the local design and bike-loving community in a celebration of the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

“A new generation of track bike enthusiasts has blossomed through the emergence of the fixed wheel bike culture, and Melbourne Bikefest is a great way for us to link these audiences to the championships.”

The history of the bicycle poster is well documented as The Squeaky Wheel’s Kathryn Thompson reports in her history of the bicycle poster.

Click here for more information about the poster competition.

The history of the bicycle poster

• During the late 1800?s, bicycles rose to popularity and became the modern hobby craft as we know them today.

• Bicycles manufacturers struggled to keep up with demand as society embraced the freedom the bicycle carried with it.

• Bicycle companies were looking for a modern form of advertising to reach the masses, thus we saw the birth of the bicycle poster as the most popular form of advertising.

• Bicycles were described as the most civilised, noblest and curious invention of mankind.  Many saw it a vehicle for freedom, especially women. Advertising reflected all of this thinking.

• Bicycle posters could be seen on city walls and in bicycle shops throughout the city. They were so popular that by the turn of the century, more posters were created for bicycles than any other product.

• Post WWI, society had changed, and thus posters and advertising changed too. Art deco became the predominant style with much smoother, simpler designs and straightforward text.

• While poster artists were intrigued by the bicycle’s diffusion into society, they were completely ignorant to its form and functionality.

• Today, due to their general appeal and affordability, vintage bicycle posters became highly prized and valuable collector’s items.

Check out some of the examples here.