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Co-creator of Method and Olly disrupts the first aid category

Dynamic, vibrant new first aid brand Welly, β€˜for life fully lived,’ turns products such as bandages into β€˜badges of honor,’ packaging them in reusable, stackable tins in a range of bold prints, patterns, and colors.

Dynamic new first aid brand Welly uses reusable, stackable tins in a range of bold prints, patterns, and colors.
Dynamic new first aid brand Welly uses reusable, stackable tins in a range of bold prints, patterns, and colors.

Say good-bye to the sterile, conventional design of first aid products and packaging. Eric Ryan, co-founder of household cleaning and personal care products company Method, which blazed a trail in 2000 with its style-forward packaging and eco-friendly formulas, and of disruptive, design-savvy vitamin brand Olly has turned his attention to reinvigorating the first aid category with the introduction of Welly Health PBC.

The company’s innovative, new 25-SKU first aid products line was introduced in April 2017 exclusively at Target and on Target.com. The brand comprises premium bandages and first aid products cushioned in exuberantly-decorated, stackable, and reusable tins that Welly says blend function with fun and encourage play by enabling preparedness.

Says Ryan, β€œWhen we looked at first aid options, we saw a hugely stagnant category with products that were either geared towards children or meant to blend in, hidden in a way. Healthcare and self-care are such important components to your overall lifestyle, and we wanted to apply that thinking to this everyday necessity. Cuts and scrapes are often a result of getting out into the world, exploring, and living to the fullestβ€”that should always be celebrated.”

With playfully-named products such as Handy Bandies, Itch Fix, Oops Equipment, and Bravery Badges combined with patterned container and product designsβ€”among them polka dots, rainbows, and leavesβ€”Welly clearly telegraphs its philosophy that β€œbumps and scrapes are to be celebrated, never hidden.”

Design considerations

The Welly brand concept was the brainchild of Ryan and co-founder Doug Stukenborg, a former retail merchandising executive. β€œEric has seen success in taking brands that haven’t had innovation in decades and creating disruption that adds value to the customer. Doug had worked in OTC in Target and saw the success of Eric’s approach to the vitamin category with Olly and had a huge passion for creating products that blend form and function,” explains Laura Conlon, VP Marketing for Welly Health PBC. β€œTogether, they saw opportunities to combine premium materials with bright colors and bold designs to reach an audience that is ready to embrace their cuts and scrapes as badges of a life well lived.”

To bring their vision for a first-aid brand that puts play back into the category, the co-founders enlisted the help of branding agency Partners and Spade and structural design firm Prime Studio. From concept to store shelf, the project took just over a year to complete.

Explains Stukenborg, Welly’s unique packaging format of a tin with lid was created in response to consumer comments that, with traditional first aid products, β€œthey often did not have what they needed when and where they needed it.” He adds, β€œWe saw an opportunity to improve portability, storability, and findability through thoughtful packaging innovations.”

Prime Studio took the lead on designing the secondary packaging, considering many different requirements before choosing the final format. β€œWe knew we wanted to incorporate modularity, but the question was how much should it drive structural design?” says Prime Studio founder Stuart Harvey Lee. β€œWe also considered different use case scenariosβ€”home, office, travelβ€”as well as different possible storage casesβ€”drawer, medicine cabinet, gym bagβ€”and the different requirements for each case.”

Prime Studio also considered how iconic the design should be. β€œWe wanted something instantly recognizable but not at the expense of efficiency and ease of use, while also considering efficiency at retail, both in terms of ease of planogramming and product navigation for the consumer,” Lee says.

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