Messaging, brand identity and packaging design for a private label brand

Universal is a private label brand with over a thousand office supply and specialty private label products that cover the entire office. It’s sold nationwide, through distributors and resellers as a value option to fit budget needs against traditional office product brands. The brand had become tired and needed a new look to compete against larger brands in the marketplace. 

We started by reviewing the brand portfolio and past marketing campaigns to understand the breadth of products and how the brand had been positioned. Many private label products were being upgraded in quality to better compete in the marketplace. The brand needed an attitude that would stand out against the competition and be memorable. 

The first step was to back the brand with a personality that could “speak for itself.” Products became “characters” with questions posed directly to the users. This attitude carried across many products, and served as a definitive break from the past…so users could see they weren’t using the same old brand. The tagline, solidified the tone the brand needed, “Every office has a universal need.”

Packaging was redesigned for maximum color coverage to also break from the white boxes of the past. The products stood out visually from other brands, especially with simple imagery against solid red backgrounds. We designed the specs for the boxes and labels for multiple sizes and configurations. 

Ads, theaters and an introduction movie introduced the brand to dealers, and gave them an immediate sense of the change to the new brand.