With a mission to get “a generation of gamers” into this new wearable tech for little ones, Google (which acquired Fitbit in 2021) approached Koto Studio to create a brand for Ace LTE that “spoke to the zest for life of kids” — something that was at once “bold, playful, weird and lovable.” Koto’s creative director Caroline Fox began with brand research, telling us, “The Ace team came to us with an incredibly extensive amount of research into the category, the hardware, the audience and the technology. They laid an incredible foundation that we were able to use as a starting point for the creative.”

From their immersion in the world of the product and the consumer, Koto worked on a brand strategy and visual and verbal identity that extended from the watch’s marketing to digital and packaging. To position Fitbit’s Ace LTE as the “exciting alternative to traditional and sedentary gaming experiences” (and the coolest new thing in school), Koto focused its strategy for Ace LTE on the boundless fun of its immersive games, encouraging “play for the sake of playing” and the benefits of movement in and out of the device.

Their “Because it’s fun” brand strategy became the springboard for the design of all of Koto’s brand touchpoints. Playing with Google’s creative avatar characters, the team developed a custom font called “Eejie-type Sans,” a font Caroline describes as “a bold, larger-than-life font, equipped with the quirks and surprises you’re likely to find in the world of Bit Valley — referencing the watchband design.” Building on this, the Ace LTE wordmark “embraces a ‘zoomy’ perspective that reflects the active nature of kids on the go,” Caroline says.

The vibrant project is the result of a two-year collaboration with Fitbit that went “way beyond creating a brand,” Caroline says, “it was about really representing a younger generation of gamers and inspiring motivation to get up and go.” The team at Koto hope that every aspect of the vibrant branding system “resonates authentically with kids and parents alike.”