Riding, Art, Design, & More - A Travis Collier Interview

Jeff Z.

• April 30 2009
• 2,233 views
• 35 comments

Riding a BMX bike is a perfect means to channel your creativity, and sometimes that creativity spills over into other avenues. Such is the case for Travis Collier, who first made a name for himself as a professional flatlander with his own unique style, and is now making waves with his design work—both within BMX and beyond. If creativity, art, and design is something you’re into, Travis is one dude you should learn more about.

Interview by: Jeff Zielinski, Fat Tony, Terry Adams, and Darcy Saccucci.

Photos by: Harrison Boyce, David Lang, and Eli Horn.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Photo: Harrison Boyce

Just to get our readers up to speed, how about you give us a breakdown of your background with riding and schooling?
I’ve been riding flatland for probably ten plus years. But never limited myself to the parking lot. Kind of just rode everything since the beginning. I was lucky enough to grow up riding with some of the most influential dudes BMX has ever seen. After years of contest and demos around the world I decided to further my design career. I spent three years in university studying design and finished last spring. Now it’s full time design, and back on the road whenever I have time.

You were fresh off the graduated college boat and you landed a job at St. Bernadine Mission Communications, which is comprised of some really talented designers, would you mind elaborating on that?
I landed in a really great spot after school. Everyday it’s a pleasure to be around so many experienced and skilled designers who enjoy themselves. It’s so important to surround yourself with people who never forget to have fun no matter how heavy shit can get. We have so many clients and so many opportunities to work on great projects. Everyone in the shop is incredibly talented. The strengths within our shop are so diverse and everyone is very well rounded. It’s a great group to learn from.

How has the adjustment to working 9-5 been for you, how has it affected your riding?
It’s fine. I really enjoy my work because it’s what I love to do. But even after a few years of school and work it’s still hard to be inactive for such large periods of time. But I do a pretty good job of balancing it by riding almost everyday. My spot is a two-minute pedal from the studio, so it’s usually straight to the lot after work. Riding generally feels the same because I have always had something else to fit in with riding like school, freelance, drawing etc. The times when all I did was ride felt so mindless. I became bored easily because it is possible to ride too much. I would say my progression has slowed a little bit, but that’s expected. My mind is on so many different things now, so I knew it was going to happen. Coming out with the newest wild flatland move of the month isn’t at the top of my list. But I always learn new things. I enjoy riding more now than ever before actually.

“Find what you do, stop yourself from doing what you see.”

Travis Collier, international man of mystery? Photo: Eli Horn

You have a unique relationship with Macneil where you are a rider and you do a fair bit of design work for your frames, seats, and other products as well. Can you tell us a little bit about your riding and design relationship?
I mainly work with Harrison and Darcy on my Macneil products. It’s great because we can sit down and brain storm a ton of stuff and just have fun with it. Those guys have great ideas when it comes to design and aesthetic. It’s totally the same as having a freelance client. I usually just come up with a bunch of ideas and then we work together so it takes shape. Its always fun. Since I’m a rider who rides generally everything, it works well that I give input from a flatland perspective and they give their’s from a street/park perspective. My frame and seat designs are a perfect combination of both sides I think. So it works out awesome.

Is it important for you to have a fair bit of creative input when it comes to you signature products with Macneil?
It is for me, yeah. As a designer it’s impossible to not have at least some input when it comes to stuff like that. I love having the opportunity to work on a group of specific products so they have a certain consistency and are somewhat flatland focused.

Any new Macneil flatland stuff coming out in the near future?
I think we are really happy with my frame, seat and seat post right now. I don’t really ride anything else that would be considered “flatland specific,” so we’ll see. We’re currently working on the latest stuff and it’s going to be good.

Describe your design work that you’ve done for The Fremont Experience?
I work with Rich [Hirsch] on design for Fremont and Lotek stuff. He approached me a couple years ago when it was getting started up and we’ve been working together since. It’s doing really well and people seem to love it, which is dope. Rich is fun to work with. We focus on what we like in clothes and shit. It works pretty well because we have similar taste in things. It’s a lot of nostalgia and just whatever we’re into at the time. We do a lot of illustrative style artwork but we want to start moving onto some other styles of work.

I understand you’ve been doing some work that is out of your comfort zone lately?
Yeah, I guess you could say that. I’ve been working on a lot more corporate pieces lately, which happens when you work in a studio—like corporate communications and what not. A lot of people say they can’t picture me doing stuff like that—which is funny. In design, you won’t always be doing exactly what you want to be doing. It’s important to be out of your comfort zone to expand and learn. I’m glad to be challenged by different things in anything I do. I feel that in design it’s important to be able to look past the fact that you’re not working on your dream project and focus on the design challenge. I’m always stimulated by the challenge itself.

Obviously art, design, and illustration have a lot of overlap, but which area do you feel is more of your focus?
I’d say design and illustration are pretty equal for me.

Can you describe your personal art/design/illustration style?
Pretty free I think. I always just try to keep my work functional and fitting to the project, but I still try to hang my balls out there.

Travis gets busy two minutes from the studio. Photo: Harrison Boyce

What’s the flatland scene like in Vancouver right now?
There are bunch of people who ride flat in the city. Everyone is great to ride with, but it feels a bit dead at times. [Jay] Miron and [Dave] Osato show up to bust out once in a while—[Jason] Enns too, when he still lived here. All the dudes who I grew up riding with have moved onto other things. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it has the same juice as before, but it’s good.

“I would rather see people wear and use things because they thought the idea was unique or useful than buy it because of a name slapped on it.”

What are your goals with art and design?
I want to be challenged, and I want to be able to continue doing them for as long as I can. I guess I just want to get to a point where I’m “satisfied” and I feel like I’ve really done something. Could be next week…maybe never?

Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring flatlanders and/or artists?
It’s hard to not to sound cliché with stuff like this. Ultimately, I think for everything, it’s important to escape what everyone else is doing and bring something new. That doesn’t mean being different for the sake of being different. Find what you do, stop yourself from doing what you see. But everyone does need to start somewhere, and sometimes that doesn’t mean being totally original.

You’re known in the flatland world for being a style cat, How does it feel to finally design your own clothing and let your style trickle onto other rider’s backs?
It feels like there is a lot of regurgitated sh-t out there. Having the opportunity to try and contribute some different things is rewarding. It’s always rad to see kids around the world wearing your clothes or riding your bikes. I would rather see people wear and use things because they thought the idea was unique or useful than buy it because of a name slapped on it.

Photo: David Lang

So now that you are on Lotek, do you plan on designing a shoe in the future?
[Laughs] Hopefully I’ll get a chance to work on some more shoe related stuff in the near future. I love to contribute ideas to the shoe side of things with Lotek. As for a pro model, I don’t think so.

Has anyone ever told you that you look like Charlie from Party of Five?
Yep.

You are a guy with the knowledge and style to start your own company, has this ever crossed your mind?
It has, but I’m not sure if that’s what the world needs right now. There are so many great companies running out there these days—too many, I think. If your dream is to have one of your own, then you should chase that no matter what. But I don’t know if that was ever a dream of mine. Right now I like to help other companies be their best and contribute to positive change in many areas. Maybe I’ll change my mind about that in the future.

You are pretty well known flatlander and now your name is growing for doing things in the background of the BMX industry, which side do you prefer working on the most?
I love being involved in the business side of the BMX industry. But to be totally honest, I prefer being a rider when it comes to BMX. I’d rather be a part of the action and that’s where I have always been. But I will always take on both sides.

Thanks?
My family, my lady Sara for always being there, Harrison, Darcy and Jay at Macneil, Jamie and Terry at Ten Pack, Nuno and Jim at Odyssey, Osato, Rich Hirsch, David Lang, Nadia at Eastpak, Tyler Quarles at Volcom, Eli Horn, Mike McKinley, everyone at St. Bernadine, all my friends from school and the parking lot, all the European riders, Jeff Z. and Fat Tony—thanks for everything.