Redesign Reverses Course to Reflect Modern Women

Midol®, the venerable OTC menstrual relief brand from Bayer, underwent a striking packaging redesign, reversing course on existing iconography, typography, and messaging.

Midol Before After[1]

That’s because what defines femininity today is very different from what it was over a century ago when Midol was launched, according to Bayer’s Martha Seidner, Design Manager, and Karen O’Boyle, Packaging Services Senior Group Lead. 

“Those softer colors, gentle sweeping graphics and script lettering treatments [from the incumbent design] feel anachronistic today,” Seidner says. “To bring Midol’s story and purpose to life, the visual brand language reflects and resonates with today’s strong women. This starts with our shelf presence and package design, the critical touchpoint, as it’s the only one our consumer is guaranteed to engage with. Like today’s modern, confident women, our new look and feel is more relatable, optimistic, confident. Women are bolder and more empowered and so is our design, typography and graphic elements--everything that makes up our visual brand language.”

The new font treatments feel powerful, yet still speak in an approachable voice. The complete visual expression for Midol reflects an “M-powered” approach that the company’s design partner, GoDutch, supported with a look, tone, and feel that celebrates women. This started with package design, typography, colors, graphic elements, and a tone of voice that extends to every consumer touchpoint. 

Color serves multiple purposes on the new Midol packs. First, it clearly and simply distinguishes the product variants, which include complete, caffeine-free, and long-lasting. Each variety employs a color that links to a specific product offering. Also, the use of strong, contrasting colors combined with bold shapes and the block letter “M” creates a powerful shelf presence and obvious Midol brand block. These purposeful contrasts mirror the diversity of today’s modern woman, according to Seidner. The simple geometries are brought to life with bright colors, breaking through a cluttered shelf set. Midol pink, green, and purple strongly contrast against a yellow background, dynamically dividing packs and support a simple shape language that’s highly disruptive and easy-to-navigate. 

The placement of the messaging also shifted from slightly offset or justify left on the incumbent design, into a very top-down, centered format that’s balanced from right to left. 

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