Diabetes Can Be Scary
As a kid, having any kind of medical problems or health issues can be both scary and embarrassing. When I was younger, I always thought my medical issues made me grow up a little quicker than other kids. So how do you take away some of the fear and inherent “adultness” of diabetes and related conditions?
icon and type
feel connected
A Brand For Kids
I found out pretty quick that there aren’t really any brands that make tools
for diabetic kids specifically. Kids are stuck with intimidating, grey devices,
and bland glucose.
I decided the best course of action was to create a brand that specifically targeted
kids with diabetes.
I found out pretty quick that there aren’t really any brands that make tools
for diabetic kids specifically. Kids are stuck with intimidating, grey devices,
and bland glucose.
Solutions
I started off with the logo and settled on the bear motif, going with the idea of a bear who takes honey for his low blood sugar, to be sort of a mirror for the kids. Patterns were drawn in Procreate and then taken into Illustrator to turn into vectors.
Colours and patterns were chosen for each flavour to be super duper recognizable, even for kids that can't read yet.
The serif is round and sort of invokes alphabet blocks, and they’re playfully off kilter in the same way alphabet blocks look when stacked. Body copy is easy to read and rounded as well, giving the type an overall friendly and playful vibe.
a heart shaped nose
After settling on the branding, I jumped into Illustrator to begin laying out the packaging. The shape of the tubes themselves is hexagonal (honeycomb shape!) and sort of follows the shape that your hand makes around it.
The shape and the glossy strip around the package make it easier to hold on to when
you're weak from low blood sugar.
fun patterns
The tube itself is matte cardboard, and the glossy vs. matte gives it an added boost of contrast that makes it a bit more eye-catching. The sticker on top matches the flavour for cohesiveness, but also acts as a bit of a tamper-proof seal when on store shelves.
The whole thing is recyclable, so it's easy for kids to throw the package right into the recycling bin when it's empty.
tamper-proof sticker on top
