SCIERRA FLY FISHING
Full concept from product design and development,
graphic design, marketing material and photos. This was a big one!
Having a product designer, graphic designer, marketing specialist, content creator, photographer and heavcy user of the gear in one person, that the ultimate to have all aspects of the conepts inline and to tell the story. Not to mention a great investment for any company.
I was giving the opportunity to be that person by the owner of Svendsen Sports, Lars Svendsen. From 2000 to 2008, I was Head Designer at Svendsen Sports who created Scierra which was where I spent most of my time among the many brand under Svendsen Sports.
STEP 1
PRODUCT DESIGN
If you would walk into a big tackle store back in 2000 and look at the fly rod section, you would notice that all the brands looked quite the same. When starting designing fly rods, first thought for me was to make something that stands out from the crowd visually, give it signature look and then add some new technical features as unique selling points. The same recipe goes for fly reels and clothing.
Taking it to the extreme! But I had the chance to do something that I did not understand why others did not do, make the reels fit that rod design. Anything else just screamed in my eyes as wrong!
Prototypes of what became CTC rod and reel.
At the time being, reel seats was just a metal or wooden tube. A major signature I did for all Scierra rods was the reel seats. It was made if an inner tube in metal or carbon. Then an outer aluminium tube with a laser cut fish silhouette matching the given rod. My BW2 salt water series had Bonefish, Permit and Tarpon while most other rods a trout/salmon.
A unique detail I added to the rods was using the rod codes as assembly points on all sections. - Helps putting the rod together correctly and fast. If have many rods, it also helps identify the rod. Most brands have apapted this detail today.
Another detail and practical function was using the fight butt as the up-locking mechanism for the fly reel.
11 FOOT
SINGLE DOUBLE-HAND
FLY ROD?
In 2002, I suggested making two rods models of 11 feet length with a shorter and modified version of the handle from a double hand rod.The rods would cast with same weight as a single hand rod.
The idea was to make a light double hander that can be used as a single hand rod. And no, you cant do that with what today in the US is called Switch which cast with double-hander lines.
The rods was aimed for sea trout fishing in Norway and the UK.
They were never produced, I was stuck was this vision all by myself.
FLY REELS, again a conservative market for the time being. But the world was ready for some new and daring gear. It was very exciting to challenge the market with some at times very crazy looking reels.
I received my first product award for the TX2 fly reel in Fly fishing America, January 2007.
CLOTHING, a new area as profession for me but for many years I had a huge interest in technical outdoor clothing and looked up to companies like Arcteryx for pioneering design, technic and the technic to make it.
Since then, I have worked with several clothing brands including own brands
STEP 2
PACKAGING
PACKAGING is often the first chance to catch the eye of the consumer and therefor an important part of the sale.
Here taking package design to a new level with unique design, product information and features. Why should a fly line come on a spool? The MWF line kit came in cool box with both a information brochure and a practical line wallet which became so popular that we had to sell it separately.
STEP 3
MARKETING MATERIAL
Marekting material is extremely important being your communicating to customers. Print, online, photo, brochures, catalogs, adverts and so on, this was a big and exciting tak for me. Being the product designer was an advantage at this step, I could pull the red line through over into the marketing. And since I was testing and using the gear myself, I could use my creative photografer skills to make location photos. Since I am a perfectionist, I was with also on every studio shooting putting product, light and camera setting according to how I wanted it all to play out. We even built a hud inside the studio in order to make the right atmosphere and being able to control everything. You don’t have to be crazy to work with me. I’ll train you.
Main catalog covers
Product design: NFJ
Catalog design: NFJ
Products on 2008 cover, TX2 reel, HM3 rod, HydroVent Jacket.
Catalog page samples. - A lot of manual work. I never tool any short cuts.
As technology was improving, I was seeking know-how on new technology to archive something superior. myself. When making the Scierra website, I used Flash to make an outstanding interactive site where you choose product by clicking on what part of the anglers gear wanted more in information on.
Full page printed advert samples