Designers and brands apply medicinal features to athletics gear
Implications - Elite athletic performance carries with it a veil of invincibility that illnesses upset. Conversely, people who need to take medication on a regular basis aren't interested in being seen as weak. To satisfy both sides of this divide, brands have designed fitness accessories that accommodate medications, and medications that incorporate the patterns of fitness branding. By recognizing their consumers' vulnerabilities and re-framing those as strengths, these brands are able to re-shift the narrative and empower their customers.
Workshop Question - What could your brand do to make your consumers feel better about their vulnerabilities?
Trend Themes
1. Athledicine - Athletic gear that caters to individuals with medical needs, blurring the lines between athletics and medicinal design.
2. Integrated Pill Storage - Products that incorporate pill storage with commonly-used items such as water bottles to make carrying medication convenient and discreet.
3. Premium Medical Equipment - Designs that offer superior quality and durability to traditional medical equipment in order to break longstanding assumptions about what medical equipment should look like and what materials it should be made from.
Industry Implications
1. Sports and Fitness - Incorporating medicinal design elements into athletic goods presents an opportunity to appeal to both athletes and individuals with medical needs.
2. Health and Wellness - Combining medical needs with everyday items such as water bottles presents a new opportunity for health and wellness product designs.
3. Medical Equipment - Designing aesthetically pleasing and premium-grade medical equipment offers an opportunity for brands to stand out in a traditionally clinical market.
