Geometry Creates Beautiful Posters That Transform Into Nets To Help Save The Caribbean Eco-System

Geometry UK and Geometry Colombia's new Lionfish campaign “Posters For Catching Fishermen” sees powerful communication turn into practical function to help Caribbean fishing communities threatened by invasion of the beautiful, but venomous, Lionfish.

The goal was simple: more fishermen are needed to join in the hunt for the Lionfish. The brief was to capture attention and help them to do the job.

Inspired to design something that was useful in more way than one, Geometry created “Posters for catching fishermen”, beautifully designed posters explaining everything about the Lionfish: toxicology, how to treat stings, where to find and catch them.

The posters have an unexpected twist.

Each is printed with an innovative perforation technique which means, when pulled apart, they literally transform into a working lightweight net fishermen use to bring home their catch. As a result, information Colombian fishermen routinely ignored was transformed into constructive support they wanted to keep and use.

For the idea to be successful a material had to be found that would work equally well as a beautiful poster and as a net.  Geometry discovered Tyvek®: an incredibly tough sheet material made from high-density polyethylene fibres ideally suited for durability. In poster form, Tyvek® is an excellent printing surface with high opacity. It’s also tear, puncture, water, UV and chemical-resistant.  100 percent recyclable and deal for the eco- conscious project. And unlike paper, which absorbs humidity and falls apart, it’s perfectly waterproof - keeping our message perfectly intact.

Lionfish sightings are starting to increase around Islas del Rosario national park reserve (one of the most important coral reefs in the Caribbean), and in the Guajira region.

As a result, the posters have become essential tools for the Ministry of Environment of Colombia in its mission to inform and support the fishing community. Providing powerful information and an effective fishing aid in tandem, fishermen now have more than one reason to take notice.  

Budgets are limited and the posters are part of a wider, successful campaign keeping Lionfish population under control. In Islas del Rosario - numbers are starting to decline. Every fisherman we manage to convert can catch an average of 6 Lionfish a day, as each Lionfish can lay 2 million eggs a year; up to 300 million eggs less will populate the Caribbean. Impacting the future of the next generation.