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Hard Target Co was entering a crowded industry with an eclectic heritage. Finding their voice needed to be meticulous and clear.
Joey creates quality shooting targets. He approached us to help design his brand strategy and we came to understand the industry was full of history, factions, meanings and personalities. Guns is a big topic in the US which required us to use discretion while being completely authentic. We had to be precise on where we wanted to land, and even more so, where we didn’t. Terminology and symbolism can align you with a subculture of shooting which was not the positioning for Hard Target Co.
They were ready to invest in their brand and we focused on positioning, messaging and the visual system.
We needed a tight brand message on craftsmanship, discipline and skill.
Customer discovery sessions are vital and meticulous process but this was the first time we had to create a fully fleshed out anti-customer persona. Something which we didn’t fully grasp until after the design stage was just how much references and symbolism is in the firearm industry. Ideas like the style of bullet, animals, or even seemingly innocent words would be chalked full of meaning and would offend our target audience.
The crux of the design would be to separate ourselves from the myriad of gun-cultures which go against Hard Target values.
To connect with customers we made the designs clean, minimal and representative of competitive shooting culture.
