Brand & Formworks bridges high-performance engineering and bold brand strategy.
Backed by three decades of architecture, product innovation, and brand leadership, we combine precision engineering with strategic storytelling to build enduring brands for the sporting goods industry. Founded by architect and-elite level Cyclist Mike Pryde, our practice bridges high-performance industrial design with market-defining visual identities.
Over the past 16 years, our work has earned the industry’s most prestigious accolades—including Red Dot, IDSA, and multiple Best Design Awards—while proving itself at the sharp end of world-class racing. From technical product development and race-winning bicycle platforms to global brand repositioning, we turn complex engineering into iconic, commercially successful products.
Featured Industrial Design Projects - Sporting Goods
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![Close-up of a black TYR swimming goggle strap and adjustable buckle against a dark background]()
Winspace Hyper2 Riser
New Zealand, 2026
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![Pink and black Lapierre road racing bicycle with deep-section carbon wheels against a black and magenta background]()
Chapter 2 RIRA & RIRA Ultra
New Zealand, 2025
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![An image of The Float House]()
Chapter 2 KAHA
New Zealand, 2023
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![An image of The Cultural Center.]()
Chapter 2 KOKO
New Zealand, 2022
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Chapter 2 TOA
New Zealand, 2021
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Winspace New Wordmark & Graphics
New Zealand, 2026
Brand Building & Management
Chapter 2 Bikes
Role: Co-founder, CEO & Product Design Leader
Period: 2017 - 2026
Chapter 2 was sold in January 2025, and Mike Pryde remained with the owners to ensure a steady transition over one year, exiting completely at the end of January 2026.
Founded in 2017 by father-and-son duo Neil and Mike Pryde, the brand set out to build high-performance road and gravel bikes that marry cutting-edge engineering with distinctive aesthetics.
Their bikes feature bold paintwork and decals inspired by New Zealand’s unique landscape and culture. Collaborating with Onfire, they developed a clear brand DNA alongside a restrained logo and wordmark to keep the product front and center.
Neilpryde Bikes
Role: Brand Manager & Product Design Leader (PrydeGroup)
Period: 2008 - 2015
Building upon its dominance as a market-leading windsurfing brand, NeilPryde expanded into high-performance road cycling, utilizing decades of advanced carbon fiber engineering and aerodynamic expertise to build premium bicycles.
The Neil Pryde Bikes division was managed by Mike Pryde. Initially, DESIGNWORKS (A BMW Group Company) designed the brand's first three models before Mike Pryde took over design duties.
The bicycles received prestigious accolades, notably multiple Red Dot Design Awards for the Alize and Diablo models in 2011, and the Bayamo time trial bike in 2013. The Bayamo also scooped an iF Design Award,alongside IDSA and Chicago Athenaeum awards recognizing Pryde's designs.
Furthermore, Neil Pryde Bikes sponsored the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team, achieving stage victories at the Tour of California, Tour of Utah, and the US Pro Challenge. The brand's lightweight BURAsl model also secured a major victory at the US Criterium National Championships with Eric Marcotte.
DXL Body Protection
Role: Brand Manager (PrydeGroup)
Period: 2004 - 2008
DXL Protection was part of PrydeGroup, an international sporting goods company based in Hong Kong, where brand management, manufacturing and distribution were the company’s core businesses.
The DXL Protection business originated from a patent developed by French engineer Pascal Joubert. Leveraging its existing presence in the snowsports sector through the Flow Snowboard brand, PrydeGroup established a dedicated protection division. San Francisco-based Fuseproject, led by Yves Béhar, was engaged to undertake the industrial design of the DXL project, collaborating closely with the patent holder and a Chinese supplier to industrialise the adjustable helmet system. Fuseproject also designed the body protection range, which incorporated highly breathable Polartec material and 3D compression fabric.
Mike Pryde served as division manager, overseeing all brand and product development as well as distribution.
The project received prestigious accolades, including the IDSA Gold Award, the ISPO BrandNew Award and the Chicago Athenaeum Award.
Featured Architecture Project: HK Housing Authority Exhibition Centre
Architecture
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![Geometric sail-like ceiling panels and white support beams in a modern architectural interior]()
HK International Airport
Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong
Mike Pryde began his architectural career at the globally renowned firm Foster + Partners. His first project after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 was Hong Kong International Airport, where he worked on-site as part of a multidisciplinary team delivering the project.
1996-1998
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![Engineering concept sketch of an adjustable arm-mounted display monitor with pivot hinges, hydraulic mechanism, rotation sensor, neoprene handle, and satin stainless-steel framing.]()
HKHA Exhibition Centre
Homantin, Hong Kong.
At Integrated Design Associates, Mike was the Project Architect for the award-winning HK Housing Authority Exhibition Centre, working closely with Arup Engineers and specialist exhibition designers to deliver the project on a constrained budget and accelerated schedule.
2001 - 2002
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![Illuminated glass office building with triangular rooflines and steel lattice facade at dusk, surrounded by a city skyline.]()
Parkview Green
Beijing, China
Parkview Green set the standard for eco-efficiency with its glass façade and full-site ETFE roof that unified four individual buildings. Mike was a project architect at Integrated Design Associates and played a key role in the early design and development of the façade.
2002 - 2004
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![Modern two-story glass-front home with expansive windows, balconies, manicured lawn, and outdoor seating at dusk]()
Private House
Whangaparāoa, New Zealand
Private commision built on a highly exposed greenfield site in Whangaparāoa, the design is a courtyard house open on one side to enhance the sense of space. It leverages the gently sloping site to maximise views toward Okomorai Bay.
2002 - 2003
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![Architectural blueprint section drawing of Kaitāia Station featuring a sloped platform, drainage details, structural columns, dimensions, and human scale figures]()
Kai Tak MTR Station
Kaitak, Hong Kong
Station Design Architect for Aedas. Kaitak station was part of the new SCL line built by MTRC. Aedas joined a multidisciplinary team led by Atkins to design and develop the Kaitak railway station. Located adjacent to the planned Kaitak Stadium, the design incorporated advanced circulation modelling to accommodate stadium surge movements.
2003 - 2004
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![Modern office building lobby with wood-slat ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows, columns, and people waiting near a reception desk]()
R+F Tower
Guangzhou, China
Under the direction of Ken Wai (Global Design Principal, Aedas), Mike led the design of the exterior façade and also took responsibility for the public lobby layout, selecting finishes and coordinating material detailing.
2004
Driven by an unwavering commitment to design excellence, Brand and Formworks is led by Auckland-based,award-winning architect and industrial designer Mike Pryde. Pryde cut his teeth at the prestigious firm Foster + Partners, establishing a rigorous foundation in architectural innovation that continues to define his work today.
Bringing a wealth of global expertise to New Zealand, he has built an impressive portfolio through strategic partnerships with industry heavyweights, including Designworks (a BMW Group Company), the acclaimed San Francisco design studio Fuseproject, and the prominent Onfire branding agency. This unique convergence of world-class architectural discipline, cutting-edge industrial design, and top-tier brand collaboration allows Brand and Formworks to consistently deliver meticulously crafted, boundary-pushing solutions.
Employers & Clients
1996 - 2004
Architecture
Foster + Partners
Integrated Design Associates
Aedas
2004 - 2015
PrydeGroup
DXL Protection
Group Distribution Manager
Neil Pryde Bikes
2017 - 2026
Chapter 2 Bikes
Chapter 2 Bikes
2026 - present
Brand + Formworks Studio
Winspace
Token
About Us
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
But often cruising at 30,000 ft.
Mike Pryde is a New Zealand architect, designer, and cyclist whose work bridges performance engineering and bold aesthetics. After beginning his career at renowned architectural firms Foster + Partners and Aedas, he transitioned into industrial design and brand management in 2004.
In what he calls his "Chapter 1," Mike established the NeilPryde Bicycles division. Collaborating with Designworks, he designed over 15 acclaimed bicycles that earned Red Dot, IDSA, and New Zealand Best Design Awards. His frames quickly proved themselves at the elite level, securing major victories for the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team and a USA Cycling Pro Criterium National Championship.
In 2017, Mike and his father, Neil, founded CHAPTER2 in Auckland to create beautifully crafted, world-class frames with a boutique, personal spirit. The brand immediately stepped onto the global stage, supplying frames to Team Bigla and delivering headline results at the Giro Rosa and the 2020 New Zealand National Road Race Championship.
Today, channelling over 30 years of multidisciplinary experience, Mike leads Brand and Formworks Studio Limited—a consultancy bringing strategic, product-led expertise to a wide range of design-forward businesses.