LiveWire was released officially in 2019 and within a year, was deemed the best electric motorcycle on the market. There was just a rather large snag: the core of Harley-Davidson riders shunned it, and those that embraced it had a hard time calling it a "Harley." CEO Jochen Zeitz understood the potential and leverage this product wields, and decided to split the brand off completely.

So in early 2021, GM of Brand Jon Bekefy and myself were tasked with creating a new brand from scratch. We needed some serious chops to help us pull it off in a very short amount of time. I called up the talented team at Manual in San Francisco to lead the creative charge – brand identity system, web design and all the supporting ephemera.

The ask? Avoid the “electric” tropes. No need for lightning bolts and green leaf icons. Make it about the joyride. Highlight the beauty of engineering. Show the outlet for escape. The result is proof how a bike with no sound still has a soul.

Manual
CD: Tom Crabtree
AD: Tanner Irwin

Film
Specialty Field
Director: Matt Johnston
EP: Jake Schmidt
Editor: Andy Jensen

Photography
Emiliano Granado
Trashhand