S’well Bottle - Brett Traylor

At the time, just a startup, the now $100 million brand looked to us for a name and brand identity. Our solution, “S’well” was inspired by the idea of a gathering force and a positive focus on water. To make it more distinctive, we added a twist. An apostrophe-shaped water droplet that created a conjunction to stand in for the organization’s core beliefs: “Sip well. Serve well. Sleep well.”

Working with S’well’s founder early on in her start-up process was key to its successful naming and branding. All these years — and millions of bottles later — the work has not only endured but has helped define a category.

Brett Traylor, Executive Creative Director, Bst.

Before the current explosion of colors and patterns, there was the first—a blue bottle with a silver cap and the phrase “Healthy, helpful, happy,” which we had the privilege of designing.