AQUA LILY PAD
Brand Development
Photography Direction
Brand Positioning
Website Recreation
Trade Shows
Packaging
Monthly Projects
Store Walks
AQUA LILY PAD
A TRANSFORMATION FROM A PRODUCT TO A BRAND TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING
MAKING AN IMPACT
Disjointed packaging, inconsistent branding, and inefficient vendor operations halted growth across retail, dealer, and e-comm channels after the covid surge. Aqua Lily Pad (ALP) was losing money year over year. This is how design was able to make an instant impact and help pull them out of the negative.
January-February 2025
Click to see all of the projects I oversaw for the first two months of the 2025 calendar year. Please note that some aspects of my position cannot be shared. To discuss the work further, please reach out and ask. I am more than happy to discuss any and all work with the proper NDA signed.
AQUA LILY PAD AS A BRAND
Worldwide Foam had a great product, but they didn’t have a brand.
Multiple versions of an Aqua Lily Pad logo were being used across different products, with inconsistent colors and no clear visual direction. Marketing felt scattered, and from the outside, it was easy to see why they were struggling to stand out in a growing category.
I started by identifying the areas where I could make immediate impact. The first priority was the logo. I modernized the logo by simplifying the old logo dramatically.
WE NEEDED A LOOK
Aqua Lily Pad’s photography lacked focus. With multiple photographers producing inconsistent styles, the brand was sending mixed signals to its audience. It made it hard to establish a clear identity and even harder to build trust.
I led the search for a new photography partner who could help us define a consistent visual direction. We found that in Sunshyne Pix. After a successful trial shoot, it was clear Sarah was the right fit. Her work brings edge, warmth, and clarity to the brand. She captures the experience in a way that puts the viewer right in the moment. Her photography feels natural, modern, and easy to connect with.
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BRAND BOOK - RESEARCH BASED, BRAND POSITIONING
Over the years, Aqua Lily Pad became synonymous with one core product. To evolve beyond that identity, we launched a full-scale brand redevelopment initiative, rebuilding Aqua Lily Pad from the ground up.
This transformation was made possible through strategic collaboration with:
Charlie Politi of Aqua Lily Pad
Marianne McBean of SoulBrand Inc.
Graham Matthews of Vivid Connections.
WEBSITE - RECREATION
As part of our larger rebrand, I helped lead the full recreation of the Aqua Lily Pad website. We moved from an outdated, broken WordPress setup to a fully redesigned Shopify experience that gave us the flexibility we needed.
The old theme made even small updates difficult and held us back visually. Now, we can build faster, update easier, and fully control how our products show up online.
This transformation was made possible through strategic collaboration with:
Li-Yang Huang of Aqua Lily Pad | Worldwide Foam
J2 Marketing of South Bend, IN.
We combined the Aqua Lily Pad and Wateraft brands into one unified storefront, giving customers a better experience and simplifying our own operations. Bundles, product cross-sells, and updates are easier to manage with everything under one roof.
I handled the front-end design and built the initial site myself, then partnered with J2 Marketing to create custom-coded sections tailored to our brand. This was the final piece in modernizing our full visual system and bringing the brand into a new chapter.
TRADE SHOWS AND EVENTS
I joined ALP in April of 2023 and in June of that year I was at the Outdoor Retailer Show working the ALP booth. Being a CD in that environment is so critical to business development. I documented every companies booths and set-ups and spoke to so many creative professionals. Navigating that environment just felt natural...after all, it's just meeting new people with goals similar to mine.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
Shows Exhibited/Attended:
2023 Outdoor Retailer | Salt Lake City, Utah
2023 Surf Expo | Orlando, Florida
2024 Big Gear Show | Denver, Colorado
2024 Foam Expo | Niles, Michigan
2025 Chicago Boat Show | Chicago, Illinois
2025 Licensing Expo | Las Vegas, Nevada
2025 Outdoor Retailer | Salt Lake City, Utah
2025 Aquapalooza | Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
New Branding, New Trade Show booth design
I was able to source and construct a bright fun playful environment for the Big Gear Show in Denver. The set-up used at that show is now our go-to.
Owning the Packaging Process
One of my key roles at Aqua Lily Pad is leading all packaging efforts. With support from Stacey McKee, we’ve created retail-ready packaging that not only stands out on shelf but also improves warehouse efficiency and streamlines how we operate. The packaging system works across retailers and channels without getting in the way of fulfillment or logistics.
It wasn’t always this way. ALP has come a long way in just two years. When I started, I jumped in right away, creating design-focused decks to help the team understand the fundamentals of large-scale retail packaging.
I introduced the concept of a modular Visual Design Language and showed how it could be applied consistently across product lines, retailers, and formats.
This is me with the Costco-exclusive 3ALP featuring Duracore Technology, shot in-store in Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 2025.
Beyond design, I make sure we’re getting the best value from our packaging vendors. I source locally when possible, working with trusted manufacturers across the Midwest. I visit their facilities, meet their teams, and build partnerships that can handle scale. We move tens of thousands of units each season, so every detail matters, from price to performance to how it shows up on shelf.
I have visited and toured:
Pratt Industries in Valparaiso, IN.
Welch Packaging in Elkhart IN.
French Paper Company in Niles MI.
See the work | coming soon
de@danielellrich.com
317.847.1108
Michigan USA
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© 2025 by Daniel Ellrich - Made with LOVE