Kat Stovall - JMS Customs

Overview

JMS Customs

JMS Customs is a motorcycle garage located in Fayetteville, Arkansas which specializes in vintage motorcycles -- namely Japanese bikes from the ‘60s and ’70s. Its founder was a young man before these motorcycles were considered vintage, and they’ve held a place in his heart ever since. His garage offers custom motorcycle builds, vintage motorcycle restoration, parts fabrication, and service & repair.

The Problem

Jan -- owner, founder, and my father-in-law -- was retiring from his day job and devoting himself fully to the garage. Although a number of JMS Customs’ builds had received international acclaim through publications and social media, the garage didn’t have an identity or a website.

The Approach

JMS Customs needed an identity to distinguish itself as a garage. It also needed a website to provide information about the garage, legitimize it, list its services, showcase its portfolio, and provide a clear means of communication for users.

Identity

Old's Cool

Jan is as old school as it gets, both in aesthetics and principles. He loves rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty, and he pines for the days when all you needed was a manual and some gumption to fix a motorcycle. Jan's personality, his shelves of vintage motorcycle manuals, and his retrofuturistic custom motorcycles -- particularly his debut build, the iconic ‘Purple Haze' -- inspired JMS Customs' visual identity. More specifically, it was influenced by the manuals for Japanese motorcycles of the ‘60s and ’70s -- JMS’s specialty -- which were printed in greyscale and featured block letters, illustrated diagrams, background-less photos of motorcycle profiles, and table diagrams.

Website

User Research

Due to the nature of my relationship with Jan, I had personal insight into the needs of his business as well as the people that would be using the website.

Business Needs

Jan was seeking to legitimize JMS Customs as a custom motorcycle garage, stand out from the competition, showcase its work, provide answers to frequently asked questions, and funnel communication through email rather than social media.

User Needs

Based on JMS Customs’ Instagram, three distinct user personas were apparent:

Custom Motorcycle Enthusiasts & Builders

Most users will likely be motorcycle enthusiasts and builders who have seen one of JMS’s motorcycles on social media or in a publication and would like to learn more. These users need access to high-resolution photos, information about each build (including specifications and a background story), a portfolio of JMS’ work, and information about JMS Customs.

Prospective Clients

Some users will visit the site because they want to work with JMS Customs. These users need information about JMS Customs, a list of available services, examples of JMS' work, and a means of contact.

Motorcycle Showcase Curators & Writers

JMS Customs often receives inquiries from custom motorcycle publications regarding their builds for write-ups. These users need access to high-resolution photos with credit to their photographers, information about each build (including a detailed list of specifications, background story, builder names, and contributor names), information about JMS Customs, and a way to contact JMS Customs with questions.

UI/UX Design + Front-End Development