Echo incorporates “bokeh” graphic effect into Kleenex visual identity

Echo has redesigned Kleenex’s product portfolio with a new identity and packaging that looks to celebrate its wordmark by setting it against soft “bokeh” graphic effects.

The project is a continuation of the studio’s long-standing relationship with Kleenex’s parent brand Kimberly-Clark. Echo was tasked with establishing “a premium look and feel”, simplifying the Kleenex portfolio and refreshing the identity to “appeal to a whole new generation of shoppers”, according to a Kleenex spokeswoman.

The new brand concept centres around the idea of “A Family of Individuals”, says Echo creative director Nigel Ritchie, making its product portfolio both “united” and “individually strong”.

Kleenex’s US team made subtle updates to the wordmark in 2020, switching from a dark blue to a lighter hue and removing the registered trademark sign. Ritchie say Echo then worked to incorporate it “consistently” across the identity as “a powerful, distinct” asset.

Using a “bokeh” graphic effect – which is where some elements are intentionally blurred – Echo integrated “layers of natural light” into the visuals, says Ritchie. The effect appears across the whole packaging range and aims to convey “softness”, he adds.

Echo designed a new suite of icons “depicted and lit” to work in harmony with the softness of the bokeh effect, Ritchie explains. Their purpose is to illustrate the benefit of each Kleenex offering, such as the hypoallergenic properties of an allergy comfort product to the soothing effect of aloe vera balsam tissues.

Seeking to “simplify” Kleenex’s use of colour, Ritchie says the studio devised a new “warm and vibrant” palette. He adds that the application of light and shadows through “subtle gradients” in the background colours aims to add “depth and perspective” to the bokeh effect.