www.dan-bailey.com

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KEY INSIGHT: Competitive and user research indicates that every existing tippet spool on the market snaps into a "stack" which makes them hard to hold, impossible to read, and easy to drop into a rushing river. Why?

STRATEGY: Use a "key chain" analogy and throw out everything the industry knows about tippet spool design. Simplify. Communicate.

DESCRIPTION: Bailey's came to me again and delivered an open ended project. "Make a new tippet spool." This design would replace their entire product line in a single season. Tippet is Bailey's top revenue product. No pressure.

Tippet spools are color coded to the leader type (top image). Matching materials is essential but no other manufacturer uses visual design to aid identification.

The color communicates material type. The graphics communicate material weight. All non-essential information (bar code, etc.) has been moved to the packaging.

In the image to the left you can see offerings from two other leading manufacturers.

OUTCOME: The spools were debuted at the World Fly Fishing Expo in 2004. I was present for both the 2004 and 2005 Expos to speak with customers, store owners and reps regarding the design. Despite mixed reviews at the debut, Bailey’s brought the new spool to market and replaced all of their production with the new design.

During the first season of sales, the new tippet spools set an all time sales record. In 2005 several other fly fishing companies began introducing lanyards and various accessories to compliment the Bailey’s spools. Feedback was mixed, but divided along simple lines. People who had never used the spools tended to be critical, and people who had actually used the spools wondered how they had put up with the old designs for so long.  

This design has been awarded a utility patent and continues to perform strongly in the marketplace.