Stack of Sombrio Cartel 2020 catalogues titled 'The Experience of Shred' with a forest design on the cover.

Sombrio Catalogue

Art Direction
Print Design
Catalogue Design

Overview

Sombrio makes mountain biking gear, and in 2020 they needed their yearly catalogue to connect with riders instead of just showcasing products. The theme was exploring 'shred' from a biker's perspective—which meant my goal was to balance storytelling with featuring the collection.

I handled everything from art direction to the photo shoot that provided our main assets. While I was at it, I filmed and edited a collection preview video that they used in sales conferences and social media. Sometimes you just end up doing it all because that's what the project needs.

Objective

To produce a catalogue that captured the authentic 'shred' experience—the rush, the community, the whole culture—while showcasing Sombrio's gear. The challenge was making something that felt real to the community while still doing its job commercially.

Key results

Delivered a catalogue that felt authentic instead of corporate—managed to tell a rider's story while still hitting all the product requirements (minor miracle)
Solved the multi-stakeholder circus with clear communication that kept everyone aligned without endless revision rounds
Built a template system that actually works—now Sombrio can pump out seasonal catalogues without starting from scratch every time

Research

I needed to understand what would resonate with riders, so I dug into both Sombrio's past catalogues and what their competitors were doing.

Starting internally, I went through previous catalogues I hadn't worked on to see what connected with their audience and what fell flat. I made notes on what was working well and what needed serious improvement for this round.

Then I analyzed competitor catalogues and marketing materials to get a feel for industry trends and figure out where Sombrio could stand out. The research gave me a clear picture of the landscape and showed me exactly where the opportunities were.

SUGOi brand logo above illustrations of three plaid cycling jerseys in red, brown, and blue colors, with front and back views of the blue jersey showing a rear pocket holding a bottle.Line drawings of front and back of a short sleeve T-shirt with a cyclist graphic and SUGOI logo, priced at $13.

Ideation

The research gave me the foundation I needed, so now it was time to figure out how to tell the visual story.

I created a storyboard approach that let me work out the balance between the featured rider's journey and showcasing the new apparel. The key was making sure neither story overshadowed the other—riders needed to see themselves in it, but people also needed to want the gear.

The result was a visual flow that felt natural instead of forced. I was genuinely happy with how it came together—sometimes the pieces just click into place when you've done the groundwork right.

Challenges

  1. This was Sombrio's biggest print project of the year, which meant everyone and their manager had opinions. Too many voices can kill deadlines fast, so I focused on keeping communication crystal clear between all stakeholders.
  2. I also had to work with a team that did everything manually instead of using Data Merging, which is what I'm used to. Not gonna lie, it was frustrating at first, but once we figured out how to sync up our different workflows, it worked out fine. Every team works different and you have to find your rhythm.

Final results

Every stakeholder was genuinely impressed with how the rider's story and product showcase balanced each other—nobody felt like either side got shortchanged.

The project worked so well that I created a template version so Sombrio could keep producing quality catalogues without starting from scratch each season. Sometimes the best compliment is when they ask you to make it repeatable.

This ended up being one of my favourite projects—there's something really satisfying about working with a brand that gets their own community as well as Sombrio does.

Open catalog brochure titled 'The Experience of Shred' with forest imagery and Sombrio branding.
Stack of Sombrio Cartel 2020 catalogues titled 'The Experience of Shred' with a forest design on the cover.
Open catalog on a gray surface with black and white forest imagery and blue highlights, featuring text about The Experience of Shred Sombrio 2020 Collection.
Open magazine spread showing a mountain biker riding fast through a forest with blurred background and text titled 'Tunnel Vision' describing the experience.
Open magazine showing a mountain biker riding on a forest trail in black and white on the left page, with a text block titled 'Havoc Embrace the Chaos' and green illustration of biking-related icons on the right page.
Open men's collection catalog featuring mountain biking image on left and detailed jersey descriptions and images on right.

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