Fynbos fish:
Swimming on the edge of extinction
WEBTUISTE ONTWIKKELING, WORDPRESS, LANBOU | Julie 30, 2020
How to tell the story of ancient fish species, the secretive streams in which they live… and the incredible conservation work of THIS Trust.
That was the brief from the Fynbos Fish Trust to LoveGreen in order to develop their digital platforms.
We had a wonderful source of information to work with, including the book, “Swimming on the Edge of Extinction: The perilous state of the indigenous freshwater fishes of the Western Cape”, by Craig Garrow (a Fynbos Fish Trust Trustee).
The Fynbos Fish Trust was established in 2018 to serve and conserve the freshwater fishes in the Cape Fold Ecoregion. Working alongside its 3 passionate Trustees (Craig, Riaan van der Walt and Jeremy Shelton), we were impressed by their intricate knowledge, dedication and amazing underwater photography skills.
Their new digital presence included an interactive website, social media platforms and an email marketing platform.
Working with their existing logo, we used a calm colour palette of different greys, with a dash of eye-catching red, to create a look reminiscent of the special and endangered Redfin species that the Trust works to protect. This allowed the photo visuals to really stand out between the calm colours.
For the typography, we chose a font that was easy to read, with a light font weight, while incorporating caps in the headers – integrating the branding of the Trust throughout the website.
The content was based on the story-telling style used in Craig’s book – but incorporating a slightly softer online approach. The Trust shared incredible information on some of the mysteries and secrets of these ancient species, and we aimed to capture this wonder and mystery on the platforms.
Interactive elements to provide an underwater look and feel.
We used many special elements in the website design like parallax, scroll transform and hover effects – all to capture the feeling of being underwater. Subtle animation was also applied. It was a real treat having access to impressive high-quality underwater photos, and as fish fanatics ourselves, we could see the distance the Trustees went to in order to get these photos (like having to hike long distances to unreachable spots, and swimming in icy water to be able to see these special fish).
Exploring the fynbos river systems in detail.
The Cape Fold Ecoregion (CFE) is the freshwater equivalent of the Cape Floral Kingdom. It extends from the Olifants-Doring River catchment in the north-west, to the Sundays River in the east. We created a custom, interactive map to showcase the different river systems and their reach, providing more information that’s easy to use.
The result? A valuable resource of important information for people interested in fynbos fish.
Visual, user-friendly and calling visitors to take action to help protect these special species.
“The Fynbos Fish Trust received excellent service from LoveGreen when they were contracted to compile a website and assist with social media. Their knowledge of biodiversity was a big plus and the Fynbos Fish Trust highly recommends their services to other potential customers.”
– RIAAN VAN DER WALT
Images: Fynbos Fish Trust
Heather is our content writer. She enjoys helping our clients formulate their message and loves to run her way across beautiful mountains, to explore new places and is always ready for an adventure.
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