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MISSION
Heart. Mind. Gut.

STX Lacrosse

Evolution, Partnership, and Dominant Brand Growth.

STX: Global sports innovator and unstoppable force in the lacrosse industry. For 15 years, we’ve been their partner as agency of record. Not one day has gone by where we haven't challenged each other to think bigger, reach deeper, and push farther. And there’s no better testament to this creative and strategic relationship than the ever-evolving Play Huge STX brand campaign.

Four years ago, the Play Huge brand campaign helped STX expand to a global market. Since then, we've had the privilege of reimagining every product, brand, and campaign to keep up with the increasing demands of the market. As the campaign evolves, we're careful not to lose the authenticity and intensity of its earliest iterations. But 2020, like each new year, required a fresh approach and a few creative plot twists to fuel the Play Huge momentum.

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Expertise

Agency of Record: Brand Platform, Messaging, Content Strategy, Design, Environmental, Advertising, Photography, Video, Web Design, Development & Integration, Digital Marketing, SEO

Markets

Sports

Online HQ

stx.com

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STX.005 SC-TI Brand Video
I

Product Videos

Everything starts with video.

We found creative inspiration for the entire campaign through video ideation. Two athletes, in two starkly contrasting environments, symbolize the duality of the lacrosse mindset and play. Set-design minimalism portrays the grace and precision of STX products and athletes. High-energy lighting and graphic projections add a layer of athletic aggression to the scene. Emulating the diverse skills of the featured players, the dramatic layers work together to tell a unified story of talent, drive, and domination.

Art Direction

Video

Compositing

Animation

VFX

Surgeon RZR Video

One of four cross-platform campaign videos featuring athletes and products.

VFX Details

Sci-fi film inspiration meets video game graphics. Key product features are highlighted through 3D composites applied to the product surface. A combination of Cinema 4D and X-Particles, rendered via Octane and composited in After Effects, amplifies the impact of the layered animation.

STX.007 Animation Detail
STX.008 Animation Detail
STX.009 Animation Detail
STX.007 Animation Detail
STX.008 Animation Detail
STX.009 Animation Detail

Lights, Camera, Lacrosse

With a singular video concept in the crosshairs, we were able to capture a variety of moods by arranging a multi-studio shoot.

STX.010 Behind the Scenes
STX.011 Behind the Scenes
STX.012 Behind the Scenes
STX.010 Behind the Scenes
STX.011 Behind the Scenes
STX.012 Behind the Scenes
II

Photography

Dominating the marketplace means all eyes on us.

While video brought the action, it was the still photography that truly achieved the drama of the STX brand personality. How'd we do it? Chromatic aberration, baby.

What is chromatic aberration? An unintended (but kinda cool) effect that we discovered on set. When we captured graphic projections with shutter speeds higher than the projector refresh rate, the results were incredible. The camera detected and separated the RGB channels produced by the projector, creating a very cool in-camera effect.

Strategy

Photography

Animation

Design

STX.013 Key Art
STX.014 Key Art
STX.015 Key Art
STX.013 Key Art
STX.014 Key Art
STX.015 Key Art
STX.016 Photo Detail
STX.017 Photo Detail
STX.016 Photo Detail
STX.017 Photo Detail

Projection Elements

At the heart of this year's creative direction, we allowed projections to define the 2020 Play Huge look. More than a leading-edge design element, these rapid, ethereal shapes also symbolize the speed and fluid performance of elite athletes and their gear. The shapes themselves, built from basic brand elements, represent the dependability and simplicity of STX product design. Multiple layers of twisting, bending light add dimension to the scene, like the unique skill and performance brought by each athlete that wields the product. All of these metaphors and effects come together to create a unique identifier in the marketplace: Projections=STX.

STX.018 Animation Sample
STX.019 Animation Sample
STX.020 Animation Sample
STX.018 Animation Sample
STX.019 Animation Sample
STX.020 Animation Sample

Product Photography

Capturing the fine detail of the STX product design with dramatic lighting.

STX.021 Product Photography
STX.022 Product Photography
STX.023 Product Photography
STX.024 Product Photography
STX.025 Product Photography
STX.026 Product Photography
III

Campaign Identity

Dominating the marketplace means all eyes on us.

Play Huge. It's a rally cry, a mindset, and a representation of everything STX...athletes, culture, and style.

Strategy

Style Guide

Photography

Video

Animation

Design

Art Direction

STX.001 Campaign Style Frame
STX.002 Key Art
STX.003 Key Art
STX.002 Retail Activation
STX.003 Digital Interactive

The Key Art Sets the Work Apart

Seamlessly translating imagery, graphics, and identity conventions across all channels.

IV

Brand Architecture

Bringing order to the field.

After four years, it was high time to update the nuts and bolts of the Play Huge brand architecture. First up, we consolidated and modernized the design conventions-assigning a symbol, color, and phrase to each player position. Each position aligns neatly with an STX product family, meaning we could reinforce these updated conventions across each major product launch throughout the year. For a little added jazz, we introduced streamlined color blocking to ground the complexity of the overall identity system.

Identity Design

Messaging

Illustration

STX.027 Brand Deck
STX.028 Print Spread
STX.029 Social Sample
STX.028 Print Spread
STX.029 Social Sample

Brand Architecture

Outlining each instance of the identity conventions.

STX.031 Billboard
STX.032 Advertising Sample
STX.033 Advertising Sample
STX.032 Advertising Sample
STX.033 Advertising Sample
V

Website

A bridge between brand and commerce.

The challenge? Transition smoothly to e-commerce while maintaining the STX brand story, look, and feel. The solution? Tons of UI and UX research, a clean interface, and (as always) keeping a level head.

Responsive Website

Landing Page

e-Commerce

STX.034 E-commerce Website
STX.035 Athlete Detail Page
STX.036 Partner Detail Page
STX.034 Tag Key Art
STX.035 Athlete Detail Page
STX.036 Partner Detail Page
STX.037 E-Commerce Platform

Product Landing Pages

Each elite-level STX product has its own landing page. Seeking brand cohesion, we updated each page to match the new and improved Play Huge campaign conventions.

STX.038 Product Landing Pages
STX.039 Product Landing Pages
STX.040 Product Landing Pages
STX.038 Product Landing Pages
STX.039 Product Landing Pages
STX.040 Product Landing Pages
STX.041 Responsive Layout
STX.042 Mobile First
STX.041 Responsive Layout
STX.042 Mobile First

Surgeon RZR Glove

STX's major elite product launch of the year, the RZR Glove is the result of five years of innovation and manufacturing craftsmanship. How did we communicate the complexities and superiority of its design? With a beautiful 3D animation that took only 1/60th of the time to bring to life.

STX.043 Campaign Style Frame

3D Render Animation

With a flexible (pun intended) render, we were able to bring the glove to life on the product landing page, on social, and across various paid channels.

Glove Animation Process

Producing the hyper-real 3D render of the glove was a complex, multistep process led by our motion graphics team. Read more about the full RZR Glove 3D render project in our "3D That Fits Like a Glove" blog post.

STX.044 Glove Render
STX.045 Glove Render
STX.046 Glove Render
STX.044 Glove Render
STX.045 Glove Render
STX.046 Glove Render
VI

Social Campaign

All roads lead back to the landing page.

Every asset served as an eye-catching tease for the individual product landing pages. Used in both organic and paid instances, we reached deep into the subconscious with consistent video assets and strategic targeting.

Facebook

Instagram

Google Display

Online Retail

STX.047 Story and Post Samples
STX.048 Story and Post Samples
STX.049 Google Display Campaigns

Simply put, Mission is not our agency, but rather an integral part of our company. Through the years, the lines between client and agency continue to blur. Mission has been the linchpin in our success of redefining our brand and cutting through the clutter and noise. They not only "get" our business, they "get" us.

Ed S.

STX
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