There is a special brief that separates the truly strategic designers from the purely decorative ones. In this profile, the product is excellent, but the category is challenging. The first instinct might be to use a soft blue, clinical sans serif font, and the kind of reassuring language found on the incontinence pad box. Playing it safe not only feels tempting, but almost defensible.
That’s the brief that Leamington Spa-based branding agency Lark Design Studio got when portable toilet startup Luii came knocking. What they’ve done with it is worth unpacking, as this idea is useful for any creative delivering a project they’re not quite sure how to position.
Traps hidden in presentations
Luii makes a portable pocket toilet. It’s a truly clever piece of product design, developed by Tone, the team behind homewares brand Joseph Joseph, specifically aimed at those on long hikes, festival grounds, long highways or other places where facilities are lacking (shall we say). This is not a niche market. Basically everyone is like this.
But here’s the catch: When you start designing products related to moderation, the pull of healthcare aesthetics becomes almost irresistible.
blues. Reassuring copy. People wore practical outdoor clothing and looked calm and relieved. You know what this looks like. Even when it tries to say “lifestyle products,” it whispers “medical devices.”
The founders of Luii knew this, so they came to Lark looking for something more. More than just a logo. A complete visual and verbal identity positions it as a consumer brand. Because, as the press release admirably puts it: After all, everyone pees.
deformation
The smartest decision Lark made (and in retrospect, an obvious one, a sign of good design thinking) was to root the entire identity in the product itself. Specifically, the oval aperture is what makes the Luii’s shape so unique.
This ellipse becomes the anchor for everything: icons, illustrations, patterns. It runs so consistently throughout the identity that you’ll see Luii even without the wordmark.
It’s this kind of systems thinking that elevates a brand from a beautiful logo to an actual visual language; a product that is scalable, ownable, and constantly reinforces what makes the product unique.
It also does something quietly clever: it makes the brand’s identity about design rather than functionality. You will not be reminded what the product is for. It reminds you how beautifully made it is. This was a major repositioning achieved entirely through formal visual decisions.
Flush Color Introduction
Color is another major battleground. Lark’s solution—vibrant pops of purple, orange, and green, as well as subdued Flex options—challenges the industry in the best possible way. It takes the brand away from the blue ocean of medicine and firmly roots it in the consumer space.
Think big, think confidently, and think of color palettes you’d find in smart lifestyle products rather than hospital waiting rooms.
There’s more to this than it seems. Color is one of the fastest and most visceral signals a brand can send. Get it wrong and you’ll be fighting your identity every time someone sees the packaging. If done right, it does half of the localization work before a single word is read.
Words do the rest
Carefully crafted by copywriter Yarn, the language features are equally well-judged: relaxed, conversational, funny but not childish, matter-of-fact but not cool.
The tagline “Go Anywhere” does three things at once. It was a product promise, an invitation to adventure, and a quiet, informed nod to the entire business that needed to go. It has a double meaning without being vulgar.
For any copywriters reading this, it’s a reminder that the best lines aren’t just clever ones. They are accurate. In two words they sum up the entire reason for the brand’s existence.
Supporting cast members are equally considered. Illustrator Ryan Todd was commissioned to create witty pieces that lift abstinence taboos without trivializing them; no mean feat. Studio Lovely Jubley’s photography distinguishes between polished studio work that showcases product design credentials and looser, more evocative outdoor shots that place Luii in the wild.
Together, they tell a cohesive story about products that belong in your life, not your medicine cabinet.
Main points
The real lesson of the Luii project isn’t portable toilets. It’s about the courage to understand what a product actually is, rather than what its category says it should be… and design from there.
Luii is not a healthcare device. This is a lifestyle product for the curious, active person who wants to go anywhere without any worries. This insight changed everything: colors, fonts, photography, tone, everything. Sometimes the most important design decision you make is deciding not to be afraid of your brief.
