Luii
When I talk about what I do, I like to say I’ve written pretty much everything about everything for everyone. It’s an exaggeration, of course (I haven’t written for, say, Barack Obama or Pepsi), but the point is that I’ve written for a lot of clients and covered a lot of topics, from concrete to conception to compound interest.
And now: continence. Because for the brand story, voice and website copywriting of Luii – a more sustainable handheld toilet – I spent about two years writing on-and-off about wee.
‘Everybody pees. But if there’s nowhere to go, or you can’t make it in time, what happens then? We designed our easy-to-use anywhere products to end the fuss of finding a loo and make leaky travel toilets a thing of the past. Because going for a wee should always be simple, safe and stress free — no matter who or where you are.’
Excerpt from homepage
Luii’s first product, Luii Go, is a take-anywhere travel toilet. It’s super compact, easy to use and actually, really sustainably manufactured and recyclable. It’s life-changing for those with continence issues, who need to pee unexpectedly, urgently or very frequently. And for everyone else, whether at a music festival or trapped in traffic, it’s a huge relief.
Co-founder Keith Binding had settled on the brand name, but everything else was up for grabs. So while Keith at Lark Design made a start on the visual direction (delightfully, I was able to begin every shared meeting with “Hi, Keiths!”), I plunged into the core brand messaging. When I came up with the playful, easy-to-grasp strapline – which captures not just the function of Luii, but the flexibility and freedom it represents – I leapt from my seat and punched the air.
Inwardly. Outwardly, I had no discernible reaction, but trust me when I say I was really smug about it.
‘Luii. Go anywhere.’
Strapline
‘Phew! That’s Luii in a nutshell. We’re making it safe and easy for anybody to have a wee anywhere they go – so nobody is ever left red-faced, cross-legged or caught short. And with more ultra-reliable products in the pipeline, our story’s only just beginning.’
Opening of ‘Our Story’ page
Strapline banked, I moved into brand voice exploration. Keith B’s direction was clear: these are lifestyle products, not medical devices, so the voice shouldn’t feel clinical. In-depth customer research and focus groups told him our target audiences had a sense of humour. To that end, I suggested accessible language structured with direct and snackably short sentences. I opted for comfortingly conversational ‘pee’ and ‘wee’ rather than ‘urine’, added a smattering of alliteration, and wove in playful phrases of relief, like ‘That’s better’ and ‘Phew!’. But while the tone is light, there are never any euphemisms. It tackles toileting with shame-busting matter-of-factness; it’s ‘going for a wee’, for example, rather than ‘relieving yourself’ or ‘going to the bathroom’. The resulting voice is as simple and reassuring as the product itself.
‘In a world of single-use travel toilets and throwaway absorbent products, we’re striving for circularity with Luii. In circular design, everything that goes into a product can be reused, recycled or composted, so nothing is thrown away. In short, in the design of every Luii product we’re aiming to use fewer resources and – eventually – create no waste at all.’
Excerpt from ‘Sustainability’ page
Having explored the voice through various lengths of brand story and key messaging, including product descriptions, I next applied it to the new website. I fleshed out the product pages, delved into Luii’s valuable mission and – crucially – articulated its approach to sustainability.
Sustainability is a key differentiator for Luii, so I had to cut through the widespread greenwashing and show that this brand really walks the walk. There are three keys: specificity, education and honesty. I worked with Keith B to include stats and numbers and explain exactly what the brand is doing to avoid any eyebrow-raising ambiguity. We unpack the most important terms so no one is left confused. Most importantly, we also include what the brand is not yet doing and why.
Because you can trust someone who isn’t afraid to own their vulnerabilities or shortcomings. And Luii has nothing to hide.