Going From Initial Idea to Kickstarter Success with Project Stronghold UK

Project Overview

In May 2022, Alex shared his concept for Project Stronghold, a versatile attachment for water bottles, designed for easy access on the go by attaching to bag straps. Come January 2024, the project exceeded its Kickstarter goal by 120%, backed by over 200 supporters.

Making It A Reality

Working with Alex from Project Stronghold, I concentrated on branding, digital experience, and product visualisation. I shaped the brand identity, defining elements from the colour system to typography. Crafting the web design, I developed a single-page landing site aimed at efficiently funnelling users to the Kickstarter page. Additionally, I brought the product to life through 3D-rendered visuals.

Branding

Starting with branding, our goal was to create a modern brand identity that encapsulated the essence of the product. We developed the tagline "Where innovation meets exploration" and crafted a cohesive system including typography, logos, colours, and layouts.

Telling the Story

We focused heavily on storytelling to help resonate with our target audience, showcasing how Project Stronghold integrates into the lives of commuters, travellers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The tagline "Slip, Clip, Go" conveyed the product's functionality and vision and became a key tagline for the promotion of the launch.

Digital Experience

Recognising the need to standout in the market, Project Stronghold's digital experience was geared to highlight the product's utility and differentiate it from competitors. Understanding the importance of a personal yet professional approach, we launched the Project Stronghold Instagram page, with the goal to start building an audience passionate about the idea of the product, offering a look into our development process, posting scenic views, and explaining the product's functionality. Alongside the Instagram and Kickstarter, we developed a single-page website as a funnel, guiding visitors through our brand journey. The lander acted as a one-stop source for learning about Project Stronghold and get a feel of the brand and it’s vision.

Product Visualisation

For Project Stronghold I worked on 3D-rendered product shots, for placement across digital touchpoints. I worked with Alex to adapt manufacture ready 3D files into ready to use visual assets for use in Blender. The process involved remeshing, engraving and material creation to accurately represent each colourway of the product.

Project Stronghold’s Success

The product, brand, and digital experiences all contributed to the launch’s success. In the span of a month long Kickstarter Project Stronghold was able to beat it’s goal of £7,500 totalling over 200 backers all receiving the first version of Project Stronghold in April of 2024.

What’s Next?

Looking ahead, Project Stronghold aims to transition to a full e-commerce platform. In November 2024 we launched the store, built and hosted with Shopify. Read the full case study here.