CLIENT: Fireflies Foundation 
INDUSTRY: Cycling
PROJECT: Fireflies Patagonia book.
LOCATION: Santiago,Chile.
YEAR: 2020

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Editorial design, Strategic design, Content development, Infographic design.

General public wishing to purchase the book to support fundraising for Fundación Vivir Más Feliz, cyclists interested in the FireFlies Patagonia ride, and potential sponsors.

1. Research
This first stage focused on the exploration of graphic references and materials related to cycling in search of inspiration for the design of the book, in addition to the study and review of the contents provided by the client, from information about the organization to an extensive photographic archive of the rides corresponding to the years 2017 to 2020, including access to the preliminary version of the documentary “A hand full of dust” about FireFlies Patagonia.

In order to understand the human and material scope of the project, meetings and interviews were held with different strategic stakeholders. This helped to identify different user profiles:

• Riders and their families: Family interest, some affected by cancer.
• Beneficiaries of Fundación Vivir Más Feliz: Human interest and solidarity.
• Cyclists in general: Technical approach.
• Current FireFlies Sponsors: Commercial and communicational interest.
• Institutions (potential sponsors): Potential future collaborators.

2. Definition of Design and Innovation opportunities:
This stage resulted in a conceptualization of the project and a structured framework for the design solutions. This framework is summarized as follows:

• To create a visual story from the photographs, reflecting the journey of effort, pain, overcoming, personal discovery and sense of group and belonging of the participants. Highlighting the value of teamwork and all that can be achieved through it.
• Generate a friendly and approachable narrative (text) to achieve empathy and identification of the project’s target audience, effectively communicating the mission, complexity, depth and human scope of the project.
• Create a graphic line that identifies FireFlies Patagonia and differentiates it from the versions of FireFlies in other countries, highlighting the difficulty of the terrain in which this particular ride takes place (gravel) and exalting the beauty of the Patagonian landscapes.
• Design infographics with technical information, to communicate in a clear way the hard facts of each ride, which may be of interest to readers in the cycling world.
• To generate a unique book-object, of great graphic and technical quality (materiality) that invites reading, generates support for the project and is perceived as an object to be treasured.

3. Solution proposal
Always bearing in mind the conceptual proposal, the first step was the design of the graphic line of the project, which considers the definition of style, layout and composition of the graphic system. The format, materials and production processes of the book were defined, ensuring that they reflect the spirit of the project. This included the creation of the brand image, iconography, color range and typography with clear hierarchies to facilitate reading.

The content generation, development and editing stage was also very relevant. The story that guides the reading was developed around the guidelines derived from the design synthesis and the contents were developed covering different areas:

• History: Description of the origin and development of FireFlies Patagonia.
• Institutions: Recognition of the organizations involved (organizers, beneficiaries, sponsors), their mission and belonging to the project.
• Technical information: Specific details about the rides, including routes, milestones, distances and slopes.
• Emotivity: Stories of experiences and efforts of the organization, the cyclists, and the struggle of children with cancer.
• Appreciation: Appreciation for all the people and institutions that contribute to the cause.

4. Experimentation, prototyping and testing
Multiple mock-ups of the book were developed, in digital and physical versions, to explore different solution options and learn from failures about what might not work.

5. Launching
The book launch was held on October 19, 2021 at the Teatro Nescafé de las Artes in Santiago, Chile. It was held in conjunction with the official premiere of the documentary “A hand full of dust” and was attended by the founders of FireFlies Patagonia, representatives of Fundación Vivir Más Feliz and Nescafé, plus the attendance of many of the riders and their families, filling the theater with energy and solidarity.

A bilingual publication (English and Spanish) was developed as a book-object, whose graphic line and strategic visual communication evoke the sense of journey by composing the story with large photographs and descriptive infographics. Subtle yet sophisticated details were incorporated on the cover, using gold foil to emulate the glow of fireflies during the day and photo luminescent silkscreen to be seen only at night.

The book traces the history of FireFlies Patagonia from its conception to its realization, delves into its link with the Fundación Vivir Más Feliz, provides technical information on the 4 rides included in the book, shows an evocative photographic selection of each year that highlights the best shots in coherence with the story, and shares testimonies of the founders, riders, production team and support, among other contents.