OVERVIEW
First aid had become a stagnant category filled with serious products that only spoke to those moments when things go wrong. That’s where serial entrepreneur, Eric Ryan, saw an opportunity to disrupt the First Aid aisle with a new fun, playful brand that spoke to life’s adventures not mishaps.
Early in the project, he decided to collaborate with two agencies : Prime Studio and the branding firm Partners and Spade (now known as Mythology - the same agency we had worked with on Harry's). These three teams collaborated closely to turn the Welly vision into reality.
Welly
WHAT WE DID
Structural Packaging, Manufacturing Liaison
DESIGN TEAM
Stuart Harvey Lee, Jochen Schaepers, Michael Bambino, Carla Biasotto, Ben Oppenheimer
BRIEF
First Aid for when Fun Wins
The title of page one of our design brief from Welly stated “The packaging is just as important as the bandage.” As soon as we saw that we knew that this was a project we would enjoy sinking our teeth into.
The brief went on to call for us to develop an iconic, modular packaging system that would empower people to feel better prepared. The vision for Welly centered around breathing life into the first aid experience - both at retail and during use.
How can first aid inspire people instead of scare them?
How can the product experience be a joy rather than a pain?
It was an ambitious idea that focused on better products, aspirational messaging, thoughtful packaging, easier navigation in-store and an enhanced at-home experience.
PROCESS
Designing for a life fully lived
We began by studying the current landscape of the shelf aisle to understand what opportunities there were and how Welly might fit in. We also researched the end-user experience after purchase - Where do people store their bandages and ointments? Do people travel with first aid items? How easy is it to find the right bandage when your kid is sitting on your knee crying and bleeding?
All the teams had agreed that primary packaging was the going to be the most impactful aspect of this new brands launch. At Prime Studio we were considering form factors, suitable materials and ease of use at the same time that Partners and Spade were honing the brands positioning.
Their tongue-in-cheek approach helped feed into our design thinking and packaging explorations. According to them - bandages weren't just for cuts and scrapes anymore - they were Bravery Badges. Signs of a life well lived.
Because fun isn't always safe - but it's always fun!
Prime Studio was the perfect ID partner for this project. They understood our vision immediately and executed it with the perfect blend of creativity and production pragmatism.
ERIC RYAN
CO-FOUNDER, WELLY
Throughout the structural development we had to consider many different requirements. We knew we wanted to incorporate modularity but the question was how much should it drive the structural design? Then there was the question on how iconic the design should be – we wanted something instantly recognizable but not at the expense of efficiency and ease of use.
Finally, appropriate materials selection was high on the list – we knew we wanted to develop structural packaging that was more premium and consumer friendly than a paperboard box but the question was just how premium was appropriate - and we wanted the package to be as sustainable as possible.