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Package Design for WD-40 Specialist Line Lands Smoothly

New packaging from the brand that helped send rockets into space relies on color cues to help consumers find the product on shelf and enhance its professional positioning.

Every element for the WD-40 Specialist line is new—from typefaces, to icons, to a refined WD-40 brand logo. But color became the critical component of the redesign.
Every element for the WD-40 Specialist line is new—from typefaces, to icons, to a refined WD-40 brand logo. But color became the critical component of the redesign.

Almost everyone has a can of WD-40 Multi-Use Product on a shelf or in their garage, but few may know the brand traces its origins back almost 70 years. In 1953, the Rocket Chemical Company set its sight on a challenging mission: helping rockets get into space. After 39 tries, scientists created the now iconic WD-40 Multi-Use Product, which would first be used to displace water and propel the Atlas missile into orbit. 

WD-40 Specialist BEFORE (l.) the redesign and AFTER the redesign.WD-40 Specialist BEFORE (l.) the redesign and AFTER the redesign.And, while the WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a category-leading heritage brand, research indicated that the WD-40 Specialist line of professional-grade lubricants, penetrants, greases, cleaners, degreasers, and rust-management solutions launched in 2011 had an opportunity to be identified on shelf faster by end users. So to develop new packaging, clearly differentiate it from the base brand, and simplify messaging, WD-40 turned to New York-based branding agency JAM (Johnson And McGreevy, Inc.).


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After a global study of WD-40 Company’s portfolio of products, the JAM team chose to leverage the visual equity of the base brand and ensure that consumers could quickly navigate the shelf.

“We identified two types of buyers: the tradesperson/professional, who knows what they want and shop by variant color, and the prosumer, who needs more information and cues. What did they have in common? All buyers located where to go in the store by the familiar blue and yellow of WD-40 Multi-Use Product,” says JAM founder Nick McGreevy.

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