Narrative Design
FixIts
Shaping brand and visual direction for a DIY lifestyle product
Client
FixIts
Expertise
Brand Strategy
Creative Direction
Social Media Strategy
Visual Identity
Sector
Lifestyle
FMCG
Year
2018-
2020
Mouldable plastic sticks for mending and making
Developed by Chris Lefteri and Forrest Radford, FixIts are mouldable plastic sticks that can be used to mend or make objects. With product and packaging design already in place, I was asked to help bring FixIts to market via Kickstarter.
1
“Pressure is mounting on the DIY sector, with spending becoming increasingly fragmented and shifting from specialists to non-specialists.”
Image: Mintel
2
Sugru is the world’s first multi-purpose mouldable glue
Image: Sugru
3
Lifestyle brands such as Mahabis are becoming increasingly sought-after
Image: Mahabis
4
Keyword searches were a crucial part of the research process
Image: Pexels
5
Existing packaging developed by Here Design
Image: FixIts
6
The Right to Repair movement is gaining ground across the globe
Image: Culture of Repair
An essential for everyday fixing
The founders envisioned FixIts as what they termed the new ‘kitchen drawer essential’, a tool that anyone could use for a wide range of purposes – not just DIY enthusiasts. As a new type of product, one of the key challenges would be to demonstrate how it could be used by a variety of audiences.
Identifying key user groups
I began by delving into research, extracting insights from market reports, keyword searches and industry benchmarking. Through this process I identified six key user groups, creating narratives and user journeys based on this. These were compiled into a brand book as an internal point of reference.
Bright, clean and minimal
Drawing on the aesthetic qualities of lifestyle brands with a wide range of products, I developed a visual direction that was clean, but cheerful.
It was applied across three main types of photography: real-life scenarios that users might find themselves in, examples of use cases and step-by-step instructions. Where backgrounds were used, I selected soft pastel hues so that the vivid orange of the product would stand out.
Getting Kickstarter-ready
I planned and produced a multimedia campaign for the Kickstarter launch, including the campaign page, short film and content for social media.
FixIts raised more than 700% of its Kickstarter goal and was funded by 2,941 backers.
Building on early success
After a highly successful launch, I continued to engage with the community by building on the initial campaign and incorporating user feedback into the marketing.
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