Otis Design Lab Students Bring Gen Z Creativity to World of Hurt's Debut Bandage Collection
Students created the illustrations behind 74 original bandage designs for the first-aid brand launching today.
Otis Design Lab students are behind the bold, expressive designs of World of Hurt, a first-aid bandage brand built for the raw, chaotic, unfiltered reality of being a teenager, launching today on Amazon. Tapped to design the brand's debut collection, students from Otis's Illustration, Graphic Design, and Product Design programs created 74 original bandage designs along with six themed pouches, each built around its own identity and tagline, from Crybaby’s “Sticks Thru Drama” to Off-Grid’s “Sticks Thru Touching Grass.”
Created for teens and tweens, the original bandage designs are inspired by sport, style, stunts, and the general chaos of being a teenager. “When the World of Hurt team reached out to Design Lab, we were excited to help. Students brought their unique skills, design savvy, and creative thinking to the project,“ says Creative Director Emily Carlson, who leads Design Lab. “They met and surpassed the creative brief so well that we are now working on a second collaboration with the brand.”
Design Lab is the only design studio in Los Angeles that functions as a collaboration between students, staff, faculty, and external clients. Student designers work collaboratively on real-world design projects, such as developing brand identities, product design, and retail merchandise, working from concept to production. With the guidance of Otis College staff and faculty, students build valuable industry connections, providing them with access to opportunities as they transition into the workforce post-graduation.
World of Hurt was founded by Jeff Labovitz and John Reale in 2025. With extensive experience at top companies including Hasbro, Mattel, and SC Johnson, Labovitz and Reale discovered that personalized bandages for teens and tweens were an untapped market. In fact, 97% of parents surveyed shared that their teens would be more likely to wear a bandage that reflected their personal style, and several said they'd wear one even if they weren't hurt.
World of Hurt sees bandages as the beginning of a broader vision to modernize first aid for younger generations, with future expansions planned across adjacent categories tied to sports recovery, active lifestyles, and personal care.
“What we realized early on is that traditional first-aid brands force a choice between clinical beige or babyish,” says Labovitz. “But this generation doesn’t want products that feel childish. They want products that reflect personality, humor, emotion, and identity. World of Hurt is first aid with attitude, built to meet them where they are culturally.”
About Design Lab
Launched in 2020, recent clients have included World of Hurt, LAist, Japanese American National Museum, LACMA, The Huntington, and Fabletics.
More Information About Otis Design Lab
About World of Hurt
World of Hurt is a culture-driven first-aid brand creating expressive products for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Founded in 2025, World of Hurt is building a new generation of first-aid products designed to be visible, collectible, and actually worth showing off. Additional product drops, collaborations, and retail expansion are planned throughout 2026.
More Information About World of Hurt
Instagram & TikTok: @theworldofhurt
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