Livetarget makes lure that look and act like REAL bait! They are an award winning company that specializes in hyper realism on and under the water. Recently purchased by Mustad and Sons, Livetarget took the opportunity to bring in a new designer and explore a new visual identity.
See the Livetarget websiteThis was a very big deal for LiveTarget. The first of their kind, these lures brought to the industry replaceable life-like limbs that make the lures swim and act like real bait. This piece acts as a single fold handout and contained sales information for B2B and direct to client information.
Working with the former CEO now Product Director and Marketing Director was amazing because they weren't used to a sophisticated level of design knowledge and execution. One of the confusing pieces was the measuring tape, which I thought had gone unnoticed, but different stakeholders had different explanations for its existence. Eventually, the question came up, why the measuring tape? The following is an email explanation sent to the marketing team.
Good Morning,
It is part of the design. I realize it’s very unusual and not what you are used to seeing but, here is the breakdown of why it’s important.
1. Contrast of colour
The main colours used with LiveTarget are white and black. This represents the highest contrast of value that we can replicate. We also use red as an accent colour (which has a mid-range value similar to deep grey) To match that contrast of value, we are using this highly contrasted ratio:
I have been thinking of it as a cigarette. You can see we are using a lot of black and only a little white. The measuring tape fills out that red portion of the ratio and also recreates this palette with the front cover having the white and then going black all the way to the inside edge. In other words, it helps to boost the red accent.
***bonus, you’ll see we are also matching the contrast of white to black with size and shape. The 3/4 view lure is the black space, the colour variation the white and then the illustration is the red accent.
2. Lure Sizes.The common way of representing size with LiveTarget has always been to show two different-sized images.
We show a 2” and a 2 1/2” image. But these aren’t the actual size of the lures, they aren’t different images in any way, they are only answering a question that no one is asking. “2.5 is bigger than 2”. The measuring tape allows buyers the opportunity to discover that difference on their own. The tape IS actual size so you can visualize the difference between the 2” frog and the 3.75” craw. Now we are not only handing them our product information but also a tool.
***bonus, I would encourage you to use the measuring tape in conversation. If you are discussing sizes without the actual lure you can stretch your fingers across the measuring tape to say “It’s this big vs THIS big”. The buyer takes this bifold to another booth/company and starts looking at their lures. If they want to visualize their product they can open our bi-fold and use this handy tool. And now they are not only comparing sizes but they are semi-forced to compare the product because they are opening them up side by side. LiveTarget will always win here.
3. Symbolism (As Grant pointed out)
A brand is a gut feeling that people have when dealing with a company. We can’t create it but we can influence it. We also want to tell the truth, people can sense a lie. LiveTarget has an amazing truth, when I call the product dev team, they are always working in the shop, tweaking products, striving for excellence and focusing on the detail. The tape does show accuracy and precision but it also hints at the truth, that these lures are designed intentionally. They aren’t just a couple of computer codes that spit out a blob of plastic. They are first thought out and drawn, they go through ideation, and someone physically makes them with their hands—using simple but detail-specific tools like a ruler. This is the story you aren’t telling and should be telling.
Hope this helps clear up the ruler, I was surprised we hadn’t really talked about it yet.
Kevin Scholz
contact@zymes.ca
This project was a collaboration mostly between myself and the Product Development Director. He wasn't familiar with final file hand off so I made another Loom video to help him bridge the gap between himself and the printer. I usually like to add a video like this to the final files package to help future employees and directors understand old projects when looking back.
The bifold was created for the conference iCast2022 in Florida. This is the largest fishing equipment conference in the world held every year in Miami Fl. We created more pieces as part of the entire campaign but the BiFold was the most important element. Here are a few examples.
