Putting the fun in functional
When Welly sought to create a functional but fun first aid kit, steel was the obvious choice of material. Not only does steel’s smooth surface lend itself to a range of decorative techniques, it’s impressive recycling credentials made it the ideal match for Welly’s sustainability criteria.
Welly was created by Eric Ryan, the entrepreneur behind eco-friendly household brand Method, and Doug Stukenborg, a former retail merchandising executive. They looked at first aid options on the market and saw a stagnant category with products that were either aimed exclusively at children or designed to blend in.
Welly worked with industrial design firm Prime Studio and branding agency Partners & Spade to design 25 beautiful boxes containing everything from bandages to first aid tools and ointments.
The brief was to create bold packaging that is not only bold and playful, but portable and practical.
The result is a range of premium bandages and first aid products, nestled neatly in beautiful, durable tins that come in bright colours, a shiny finish and either a hinged or removeable lid embossed with a distinctive design.
Steel packaging is ideal for Welly first aid products. It can be moulded, embossed and debossed. Printing, tactility and matt finishes are also easily achieved. Additionally, the flexibility of steel means it was easy to achieve the modular, stackable packaging the brand wanted so consumers are able to tailor their own first aid kit.
It was also important to Welly that its packaging was reusable, recyclable, and even collectible. As a permanent material with unique magnetic properties, steel is the easiest and most economical material to recover from any waste stream. Moreover, its strength means these boxes can be used time and time again.
One review on Buzzfeed noted:
“Another added bonus [of Welly first aid kits] is the fun-coloured tin it comes in that I will definitely use for odds and ends once the bandages are all used.”