Writing & Research: Technical

June 27, 2017 / / No Comments

In order to write effectively in technical documents online or in print, writers need to do their research. My ability to get the facts straight and communicate them in ways that are engaging is showcased in my technical writing & research for the websites, blogs, and news feeds of these four clients; Velocette Racing New Zealand, Terranova thing, MTC Equipment and TruLine Civil. Depending on specific client needs, as is the case with the VRNZ project, or my own MagentaDot Brands portfolio website, blogs are integrated with a Facebook page.
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Atujara logo makeover in progress.

Logo makeover: Atujara MCC

January 23, 2017 / / No Comments

Turning a “jaggy” unusable logo into clean web & print files

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.You’ve got a scan of a great retro logo, everything looks perfect when you look at it at small size on the screen. But when it needs to be printed at a large size, it turns out to be unusable because the file format is incorrect. A logo makeover is the BRAND-AID® that turns unusable logos into clean web & print files by converting the jaggy, pixellated logo to a clean vector drawing format that is future proof.

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Velos at the Burt 2015: Megaphones on Bluff Hill

January 13, 2017 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.This post and the following 5 contain galleries that cover the motorcycle racing for the Classic Pre ‘63 class which are largely ‘girder forks’ motorcycles, that merge with telescopic forks machines from the mid 50s through to ‘63. The girder forks racing machines from the 30s and 40s are rare birds, highly prized hard-out competitors at the 10th Anniversary Burt 2015.

Links to the galleries

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Classic Pre ’63 with Girder Forks, Cloud Craig-Smith, KTT 350, KTT MK VIII, Rider 231, Teretonga Circuit races, Velocette

Teretonga Races: The KTT trio & Big Velo

January 13, 2017 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.E Hayes & Sons Teretonga Circuit Races, Friday 27 November 2015 (Practice day), Saturday 28th (Race day). VRNZ classic racing at Teretonga Raceway, Otatara, included 4 riders aboard 5 machines in the Classic Pre ‘63 Girder fork and the Classic Pre ‘63 Class. In the feature image rider Cloud Craig-Smith sweeps his gleaming 1949 KTT MK VIII through the exit apex of the Loop at Teretonga.
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Invercargill Street Races: Velocette 1, 2, 3

January 13, 2017 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.Three galleries of the Class winning Velocettes competing at the Honda Invercargill Street Races, Sunday 29 November 2015. Racing at the exciting new Invercargill street circuit included the same four riders, the trio of KTTs and the Big Velo in the Classic Pre ‘63 Girder class and the addition of a second ride for Chris Swallow aboard the Eldee Velocette in the Classic Pre ‘63 Class.

The VRNZ pits shared space with team Rudge’s Francie Winteringham and Rhys Wilson of Invercargill in pit lane who feature along with team VRNZ in the pit culture gallery below. In the feature image Chris Swallow aboard KTT 1041, leads Cloud Craig-Smith (KTT 1079) to a historic Velocette 1, 2, 3, class win in the Honda Invercargill Street Races for the VRNZ racing team.
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Ben McConochie, Bluff HIll Climb, Burt Munro Challenge, Flagstaff Road, Motupohue, New Zealand, NZ Hill Climb Champs, Open Class, Rider 77, Triumph Daytona 675

Bluff Hill Climb: Open Class

December 6, 2016 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.The Open Class gallery features 11 of 13 riders competing in the class at the 2015 Burt Munro Challenge in November last year. The 13 riders that made their way to the 2015 Bluff Promotions NZ Hill Climb Champs to compete included one from Australia three North Island riders. The Open Class bikes ranged in age from a 1999 Yamaha RZ 1000 to two 2015 machines, an MV Agusta 675 and a Yamaha R1 1000. The Bluff Hillclimb is the event that kicked that off the 2015 tenth Anniversary Burt on Thursday 26 November, 2015.
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Alan Kempster, Bluff HIll Climb, Honda CBR 500, Motupohue, New Zealand, NZ Hill Climb Champs, Rider 1/2, Up to 600cc

Bluff Hill Climb: Up to 600cc

November 21, 2016 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.Burt Munro Challenge in November last year. These shots showcase most of the riders & machines in the Up to 600cc Class who turned on the roaring spectacle on the streets of small town Bluff, at the southernmost tip of New Zealand in November 2016. Riders like the courageous “Rider 1/2”, acclaimed Aussie battler, double amputee and motorbike racer Alan Kempster. The 36 riders and machines that made their way to the 2015 Bluff Promotions NZ Hill Climb Champs to compete included three from Australia and from as far afield as Rotorua in New Zealand. The Up to 600cc bikes ranged in age from a 2000 Yamaha to 2016 Hondas and KTMs. The Bluff Hillclimb is the event kicked that off the four day 2015 tenth Anniversary Burt on Thursday 26 November, 2015.
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Bluff Hill, Bluff HIll Climb, Burt Munro Challenge, Classic Pre ‘82, Kevin Kinghan, Motupohue, New Zealand, NZ Hill Climb Champs, Rider 222, Suzuki GS1000S 1085

Bluff Hill Climb: Pre ‘82 class

July 26, 2016 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.The bikes that made their way to the track up Bluff Hill in the Pre ‘82 class at the 2015 Bluff Promotions NZ Hill Climb Champs were a diverse range of machines. They ranged from hot street bikes to high performance sidecars, while the intrepid riders hailed from Invercargill to Waihi, Timaru, Greymouth, Geraldine, Richmond and Pahiatua to participate in this thrilling event that kicked off the 2015 Burt Munro Challenge. The Post Classic Pre ‘82 class are motorcycles built or manufactured between 1st November 1972 and 31st December 1982.
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Big Velo 500, Bill Biber, Classic Pre ’63 with Girder Forks, Practice Day, Practice Racing, Rider 4, Teretonga Circuit practice day, Velocette

Classic Pre ‘63 racing at the Burt

July 22, 2016 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand organisation logo. Classic racing motorcycle enthusiasts organisation brand. ‘Coca-Cola’ style sloped and looped copperplate lettering in metallic gold on a black background, consistent with the historic livery of Velocette motorcycles. Brands for New Zealand / International organisations.Classic Pre ‘63 motorbike racing at the Burt Munro Challenge event, November 2015. This is the first in a series of posts covering the racing in 3 of the 6 events at the 2015 tenth anniversary Burt. Kicking off proceedings on Thursday 26th November with the Bluff Hill NZ National Hill Climb championships, the Teretonga Circuit Races & Practice Day spanning Friday–Saturday and culminating in the hugely successful new Honda Invercargill Street Races on Sunday 29th. Racing for the Classic Pre ‘63 class (with and without girder forks), including Phil Price’s superb collection of original 1930s Velocette racing machines, covered the aforementioned 3 events.
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Eldee Velocette, front three-quarter, poster, A2, portrait, Craftsmanship, mock-up

Eldee-2 I.O.M. launch posters

August 8, 2014 / / No Comments

Velocette Racing New Zealand logoTo commemorate both the launch of Eldee-2 in July 2014, and the achievement represented by the VRNZ team getting the classic racing machine rebuilt, equipped and race-ready in time for shipping to the Isle of Man Classic T.T., I flew to Wellington to photograph a set of heroic publicity photos of the bike—and to assist applying the set of decals I designed, race numbers, rider’s signature, sponsors logos etc., onto the new carbon-fibre racing fairing and seat.
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