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Building a brand from the bottom up: Veloce Indoor Speedway

In 2015, Cicero Studios was contacted by a client who wanted to open a high-end go-kart experience unlike anything seen before.  Traditionally, go-kart facilities tended to use the same elements over and over: Checkered flags, white and red color schemes, uninspired logos and ad-hoc graphics. The client made it clear that he wasn’t interested in any of those tired visuals for his new venture and so Cicero Studios began work on creative concepts to build up the entire company identity. Our tasks included everything from corporate identity to the collateral items, clothing, decals on the karts and even the interior design of the building.  There wasn’t one aspect of the business that was overlooked when considering how to begin the challenge of building the best go kart experience in existence.

The client had a very specific European F1 racetrack he wanted to replicate on a smaller scale for his customers. The Belgian track Spa-Francorchamps has been in operation since 1920 and it is considered one of the fastest and most iconic courses in professional F1 racing. As a starting point, we began researching archival and modern photos of the track and F1 racing in general to get a feel for the visual and emotional flavor of the sport. Since the track inspiration is located in Belgium, it seemed natural to consider a sleek and sporty European look that would serve as a cornerstone for all the designs to follow.

Inspirational Boards

Inspirational Boards

The name of the new company was initially “Spa Indoor Speedway”, but we felt that this name wasn’t very interesting and it didn’t have the character it should have had given the nature of the sport. Additionally, the word “Spa” might be confusing for potential customers.  At the second meeting with the client, we made the bold decision to suggest a renaming of the company.  During our spur of the moment brainstorm for a new name, the owner off-handedly mentioned that the Italian word for “fast” is “veloce.” Upon hearing this, we instantly felt that this elegant word was the perfect way to combine the European feel with the speed and energy the brand should represent. The new name was immediately adopted by the client and his investors. “Veloce Indoor Speedway” was born.      

To get buyoff in the initial design concept, Cicero Studios produced a series of inspiration boards, look and feels and potential logo designs for Veloce. After approval of the general concepts, we began to create the rest of the company identity by presenting the newly-designed logo in several mockups that showed what the logo might look like when applied to signage and collateral materials.

Brand Design Process

Brand Design Process

After the logo and the overall feel of the company had been established, we began to work on the interior design by arranging walls, picking lighting, furniture, carpeting, and paint colors. We even designed the custom countertops where guests pay for their races.  3d Renderings were made to show the client what to expect when the main design was finished.

Interior Design Process

Interior Design Process

To complement the interior branding, we designed the sides of vending machines, a mobile app, and exterior signage as well.  For the walls we produced detailed and colorful custom illustrations of racing that gave the entire space a dynamic and modern feel. Veloce uses high-end, high-speed Italian go-karts for racing and they needed to look the part as well so we designed the kart decals to give them the energetic look of European F1 racing cars.

Product Design

Product Design

Image5-Blog Veloce

Product Design 2

We are pleased that Veloce Indoor Speedway has become the premier provider of high-end go-kart experiences in the U.S. and we are delighted to have been able to play such a pivotal role.  By centralizing the entire design process with Cicero Studios, the client was able to save substantial amounts of money and time, while receiving a world-class branding and design package.  And let’s be honest: Saving time and money…that’s something everyone could use.

Veloce today in its Milwaukee Store

Veloce’s Flagship Milwaukee Store

If you are interested to see what we have to offer, give us a shout at info@cicerostudios.com
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