Shimano XTR Global Rebrand

For Shimano’s XTR global rebrand, Trail Born became the brand platform behind the work: a manifesto-driven identity built to honor Shimano’s legacy as the company that introduced the world’s first mountain bike-specific groupset, while pushing the category forward. The system leans into ancient Norse rune forms, invoking a primal, elemental era set in deliberate contrast to XTR’s modern engineering. Alongside the new mark, the redesign and reintroduction of Shimano’s original Deore stag head, first printed on Shimano’s earliest mountain bike derailleurs and nicknamed the “Deer Head Group” after its debut on the DEORE XT M700, tied the platform back to the brand’s own history. Components born from the trails. Experiences born on the trails.