In 2007, Apex Wheels rushed into the market with a unique design for BMW racing cars, proving itself as a dependable manufacturer of lightweight performance wheels. Now, the product range of the Pleasanton, CA-based company includes equipments for sports and regular vehicles, appearing as a result of efforts of a professional staff working across nine states.
Oriented toward real performance enthusiasts, Apex Wheels has perfected all the stages of its business process, from design to distribution and shipping. And this perfection is expressed in the company’s new identity recently created by the design studio Gold Front from San Francisco.
The main goal of the Apex Wheels rebranding was to show that the company offers faultless performance at an affordable price, setting it apart from numerous similar offerings that are often subpar. Aiming to represent the brand as the leader within the industry, the studio managed to create a “new category vision and brand” telling an appealing and, at the same time, true story about wheel production.
According to Gold Front, knowing truth is a key point for consumers when they try to choose right wheels for their cars. And it is also crucial for a manufacturer to honestly present its products, inspiring confidence in its potential customers. So Apex Wheels’ new look is based on the idea of telling the truth about the brand’s “real performance”.
This true story concept has been encoded in contract colors and sleek and curved forms which are able to catch your eyes. The studio calls this design loud and urgent, making this style a hallmark of Apex Wheels.
Speed and power are the two common ideas in logos of wheel/tire brands. In Apex Wheels’ old logo, this was expressed by a racing circuit-like edging around the Apex wordmark. Although some small detail were rather interesting, the emblem was quite generic and clunky.
The new logo continues the racing track motif as a separate icon with two “chicanes” that visually match the initial “A” of the wordmark. The round forms of “Apex” were, in fact, inspired by the fonts from International Typeface Corporation. Placed together, the icon and the wordmark make up a curious combination, looking quite attractive with their curved lines and openings.
While the logo’s design reminds the vintage aesthetic of 40-50 years ago, this vibe is reinforced by the new typography. The brand will use Herbus as its primary typeface, which is also a reference to the ITC style, as the font was once created by Eliott Grunewald to pay homage to ITC’s legendary type designer Herb Lubalin. Within Apex Wheel’s branding, typography feels more modern due to racing-themed photos and animation.
Apex Wheels’ branding embraces a sleek black-and-red color scheme, reflecting the brand’s commitment to high performance. In general, all of this evokes timeless automotive rivalries like Ford vs. Ferrari, while infusing elements from modern racing scenes such as Formula 1 and the Fast and Furious franchise.
