Team Branding: EF Education First – Drapac p/b Cannondale Pro Cycling Team

By Dean Schwartz (SWAG Master): In the world of cycling, team branding is everything. In fact, for over a century pro cycling teams have been known by the name of their sponsor. Take “EF Education First – Drapac p/b Cannondale” for instance. The name is a mouthful but it shows how important sponsors and team branding are for a pro cycling team.

Brand identification is huge in cycling, so let’s take EF Education First – Drapac p/b Cannondale as an example (“Drapac-Cannondale” for short). EF Education First is their new title sponsor for 2018. They offer educational tours, immersion language learning, cultural exchange and academic programs around the world. Drapac Capital Partners is a property fund management business. And Cannondale is a bicycle manufacturer. With all of these sponsors driving the brand, most people don’t even realize that the team is owned by Slipstream Sports. Talk about team branding!

SOBO Team Branding for Drapac-Cannondale

Drapac-Cannondale tapped SOBO to create a custom podium cap. Team branding had to be sharp with all the sponsors that are involved, and they had some very specific requirements. They required a specific pink color for the cap and a green color underneath the brim. Embroidery of all their sponsors around the cap was a must. They also requested a wool, high crown snap-back with a flat brim. On top of the design requirements, Drapac-Cannondale requested we ship part of the order directly to Spain, where their training camp was taking place. The other part of the order was to go to the US for sale at their online shop.

Our team got to work on creating the custom podium cap. Strong team branding was at the forefront of our design while keeping all the other parameters in mind. It was clear that the cap needed to be made from scratch, so we tapped our overseas factory resources to get the job done. What resulted what an awesome piece of SWAG! The embroidery clearly showed off all the sponsors, and the signature pink color brought everything together. Check out the pictures below to see the finished product. Want one of your own? Purchase your cap here and support Drapac-Cannondale.

Do you have a team of your own you need to SWAG up? Give SOBO a call 888.752.0432 and we will help you design some customized SWAG to show off your team’s identity. SWAG with style!