Few brands in the modern consumer world enjoy the kind of ubiquity and emotional attachment that Kleenex has built over the past century. From hospital rooms to classrooms, from cold winter nights to moments of raw emotion, the brand has been a constant companion in people’s lives. As Kleenex approached its 100th anniversary, it faced a unique challenge: how to evolve while preserving the deep-rooted emotional connection it holds with generations of users.
Unlike many products that fade from memory after a few decades, Kleenex has not only endured but has become a cultural shorthand. The brand name is often used interchangeably with the product category itself. This phenomenon speaks to the company’s success, but it also creates pressure. How does a brand that is so deeply embedded in public consciousness introduce change without losing its identity?
The Rationale Behind the Brand Refresh
Turning 100 is more than a milestone; it is a rare achievement in consumer history. For Kleenex, the anniversary represented an opportunity to not just celebrate the past but also signal readiness for the future. The decision to refresh the brand was not driven by a crisis or declining relevance, but by a recognition that the marketplace and its consumers were evolving rapidly. It was about staying ahead of the curve rather than catching up to it.
Kleenex is a product closely tied to personal experience. It’s about care, comfort, and hygiene, but also about moments—happy and sad, ordinary and extraordinary. These emotional associations remain powerful, but the brand needed to ensure that its visual and verbal identity matched contemporary expectations. Consumers today are more visually literate, more digitally engaged, and more value-conscious than ever before. A brand refresh offered a chance to connect with this new consumer mindset.
Selecting Turner Duckworth as Creative Partner
To help usher in this new era, Kleenex partnered with Turner Duckworth, an internationally acclaimed design agency with a portfolio that includes some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Known for their ability to craft visually arresting yet emotionally resonant brand identities, Turner Duckworth was selected for their deep understanding of heritage brands and their forward-thinking design philosophy.
The agency’s role extended beyond aesthetics. They were tasked with helping Kleenex rethink how it expresses its values, communicates its promise, and visually presents itself in every context—from a tissue box on a store shelf to a product listing on an e-commerce site. Turner Duckworth brought a strategic and holistic approach, treating the project not merely as a redesign but as a brand transformation tied to long-term business goals.
Understanding the Emotional Core of Kleenex
The first step in the rebranding journey was introspective. It required going back to the essence of what Kleenex represents. Through extensive workshops, stakeholder interviews, and consumer research, the team unearthed the emotional DNA of the brand. Words like comfort, care, simplicity, and familiarity surfaced repeatedly in conversations with users.
These insights pointed toward a fundamental truth: Kleenex is not just a product—it is a symbol of emotional support. Whether someone is wiping away tears, dealing with a cold, or simply seeking comfort, the product plays a role in deeply personal moments. This emotional weight had to be honored and translated into the updated brand identity.
The challenge was in expressing these associations in a way that felt modern without becoming sentimental. The new identity had to walk a fine line—respecting the legacy while embracing change, staying familiar yet looking forward.
Research-Driven Redesign
The brand refresh did not begin with visual exploration but with rigorous research. This included analyzing historical brand materials, conducting visual audits, and studying competitive landscapes. Kleenex wanted to understand what aspects of its current identity were still working and which were not resonating as strongly with newer audiences.
One key discovery was that while the logo was universally recognized, it had lost some visual clarity in digital contexts. The typography, color palette, and packaging were also due for simplification and cohesion. The research pointed to the need for a more flexible, clean, and emotionally intuitive design system.
Insights also emerged about generational shifts in brand perception. Younger consumers admired the brand’s legacy but did not find its design language particularly inspiring or relatable. The opportunity, therefore, was to maintain brand recognition while injecting new life and relevance into its visual identity.
Emotional Simplicity as a Design Principle
From the outset, Turner Duckworth and Kleenex agreed on a guiding design principle: emotional simplicity. This concept influenced every aspect of the redesign. It meant stripping away unnecessary complexity while emphasizing warmth, humanity, and connection. It was not about making things minimal for the sake of trend, but about refining the brand to its most essential emotional truth.
In this framework, every decision had to support the experience of comfort. Colors had to feel soft and welcoming. Typography needed to convey clarity and calm. The wordmark had to be both iconic and inviting. Even the tissue box—often treated as disposable packaging—was reimagined as a meaningful brand touchpoint.
This principle also helped align internal teams. Whether someone was working on a website redesign, a point-of-sale display, or a social media campaign, they had a clear emotional compass to guide their work.
Navigating the Challenges of Change
Refreshing a brand as iconic as Kleenex comes with significant risks. Any major change can alienate long-time customers or be perceived as unnecessary tampering. Internally, there was robust debate over how much to retain and how much to evolve.
The team navigated these concerns by involving stakeholders early and often. Prototypes, mock-ups, and mood boards were shared in collaborative sessions. Consumers were invited to give feedback through testing panels and online surveys. This iterative approach helped the team refine the identity with confidence, knowing it was being built on both strategic thinking and real-world reactions.
Ultimately, the team understood that the brand refresh had to be evolutionary, not revolutionary. It was not about reinventing Kleenex but about rediscovering it in a way that resonated with today’s consumer landscape.
Defining the Future Role of the Brand
Beyond visuals, the brand refresh also prompted important conversations about purpose. In an age where consumers expect transparency and value alignment from the companies they support, Kleenex had an opportunity to articulate not just what it makes, but why it matters.
Discussions around sustainability, mental health, and community well-being began influencing brand messaging. The company explored how its products could be positioned as tools for care, not just hygiene. This broader perspective helped deepen the relevance of the brand and gave the new identity greater narrative power.
The refreshed brand identity, therefore, is not just a design update. It’s a signal of a renewed commitment to the human experience. It recognizes that people don’t just buy products—they buy into ideas, emotions, and shared values.
Setting the Stage for a Centennial Celebration
The timing of the brand refresh added further weight to the initiative. Celebrating 100 years offered a rare chance to tell the brand’s story in a reflective and forward-thinking manner. It allowed Kleenex to frame the redesign as part of a broader narrative of longevity, adaptability, and resilience.
Anniversary campaigns were planned in tandem with the rollout of the new identity. These efforts helped contextualize the changes and invited consumers to celebrate the journey with the brand. Historical milestones, archived packaging, and consumer memories were all incorporated into the centennial storytelling.
At the same time, the refresh ensured that Kleenex would not only be seen as a heritage brand but as one still full of vitality and vision. It wasn’t just a nod to the past—it was a firm step into the future.
Design Execution
With strategic insights clarified and emotional principles defined, the next phase focused on design execution. Typography, color systems, packaging design, iconography, and digital templates would all be addressed in detail. Every element had to express the emotional clarity and simplicity that had become the brand’s new foundation.
In the second article of this series, we will examine how Turner Duckworth brought this strategy to life visually. From the updated wordmark to refreshed packaging, the design execution demonstrates how thoughtful identity design can bridge the gap between legacy and modernity.
Let us now explore the visual evolution that helped Kleenex transition from a trusted brand of the past century to a brand prepared to serve future generations.
Design as a Reflection of Purpose
With the strategic foundation laid and emotional territory clearly defined, the next step in Kleenex’s centennial journey was the execution of a modern visual identity. Turner Duckworth approached this phase with a clear intention: to ensure that every element of the design not only looked contemporary but also reflected the brand’s commitment to comfort, care, and clarity.
A brand refresh at this scale is never just about appearances. It is about reinforcing meaning. Every design choice made in the updated Kleenex identity was rooted in the emotional experiences people associate with the brand. As such, the creative process began with one critical question: how can design enhance the emotional comfort that Kleenex already delivers?
Evolving the Wordmark
The most visible and symbolic change was the evolution of the Kleenex wordmark. As a brand name that appears on nearly every product it sells, the wordmark plays a critical role in shaping perception. Turner Duckworth retained the iconic handwritten-style script but refined it for modern usage.
The updated version is more open and legible, with smoother strokes and consistent proportions. These changes were subtle but significant. They allowed the wordmark to maintain its recognizability while improving performance in digital and mobile environments. It now scales more effectively on small screens, holds its form in different lighting conditions, and reads more clearly at a glance.
The design team ensured that the emotional feel of the wordmark remained intact. The script style still conveys a sense of warmth and personal touch—an essential aspect of the brand’s character. However, the new execution feels more confident and balanced, which helps project a brand that is both trustworthy and future-ready.
The Power of Color
Color has always been a major part of the Kleenex brand. For many consumers, the blue box or logo is instantly recognizable. In the updated identity, blue remains central but has been refined to a more modern and balanced tone. It’s neither too clinical nor overly playful. It sits in a space that communicates cleanliness, calm, and dependability.
To complement the revised core color, Turner Duckworth developed a broader supporting palette. The expanded range includes soft pastels and warm neutrals that reflect the emotional spectrum of the brand, from soothing care to everyday practicality. These hues are applied strategically across packaging and marketing materials, providing visual flexibility while maintaining consistency.
Each color in the new palette serves a function. For example, calming green and soft coral tones are used to differentiate product variants, while neutral backgrounds ensure legibility. The visual tone has moved away from harsh contrasts toward a more welcoming and harmonious feel.
Typography that Speaks Comfort
Beyond the wordmark, Kleenex’s visual language required a supporting typeface that could convey the same warmth and clarity. The chosen typography system features a rounded sans-serif font that is easy to read, visually soft, and versatile across formats. It performs well in both digital and print environments, making it ideal for use across the brand’s touchpoints.
The typeface pairs emotional approachability with functional precision. On packaging, it ensures product descriptions are accessible and user-friendly. In brand communications, it supports a conversational tone that aligns with Kleenex’s caring identity.
This typographic system plays a critical role in achieving visual cohesion. It helps ensure that every message, whether it appears on a tissue box, website, or social ad, feels like it belongs to the same thoughtful, empathetic brand.
Reimagining the Tissue Box
Perhaps no object is more synonymous with the Kleenex brand than the tissue box. As a product and a household fixture, it represents one of the most important brand touchpoints. For this reason, the redesign of the packaging was approached with deep care and attention to detail.
The new packaging system emphasizes simplicity and emotional clarity. Box designs now feature cleaner lines, consistent layouts, and strategic use of white space. The visual clutter of previous designs has been replaced with minimal, intentional elements that make the product feel premium, modern, and calming.
Labels and information are easier to read, and visual hierarchy has been improved to ensure the most important details are visible at a glance. The refreshed layout also allows for clearer communication about the product’s benefits and sustainability attributes—an increasingly important factor for today’s consumers.
The tactile experience of the box was also considered. Materials and finishes were selected to enhance the perception of softness and quality, reinforcing the promise that Kleenex is not just functional but also comforting to use.
Visual Storytelling Across Packaging Lines
One of the goals of the brand refresh was to make product lines easier to navigate while reinforcing the master brand. Turner Duckworth developed a system of visual cues that allows different product types—such as ultra-soft tissues, soothing lotion-infused varieties, and eco-friendly options—to maintain individuality while still clearly belonging to the same family.
Each sub-line features a distinct accent color and illustrative element, yet all adhere to the same visual architecture. This balance of variety and unity helps consumers find the right product for their needs without confusion.
Illustrations were used sparingly but effectively, providing subtle references to product benefits without overwhelming the design. For example, a gentle wave motif suggests softness, while a simple leaf illustration cues natural ingredients. These elements serve as both functional signposts and storytelling tools.
Designing for Digital Environments
A key requirement of the new identity was that it be optimized for digital-first environments. As more consumers interact with brands through mobile devices, e-commerce platforms, and social media, visual assets must perform under different constraints than traditional media.
Turner Duckworth developed scalable design elements and templates specifically for digital use. The new logo, for instance, was tested at various screen sizes and display formats to ensure maximum clarity. Likewise, product photography was standardized for use across platforms, allowing for consistent presentation on everything from Amazon listings to social media ads.
Color contrast and legibility were also optimized to meet accessibility standards, ensuring the brand remains inclusive and user-friendly. These digital adaptations do not dilute the brand’s emotional impact; instead, they ensure that the updated identity resonates in the fast-paced and crowded digital landscape.
Motion and Interaction
The refreshed brand system was also designed to be motion-capable. Subtle animations and transitions help bring the identity to life in digital applications. For instance, the tissue box illustration can gently unfold on a website, or the wordmark can animate with a soft draw-in effect in a video ad.
These movements are never gratuitous; they are crafted to reinforce the brand’s emotional tone. Smooth, fluid motion cues reinforce softness and comfort, while understated transitions reflect the brand’s humble, empathetic personality.
Interactive elements on the brand website were redesigned to be intuitive and visually harmonious with the rest of the system. The result is a digital experience that feels cohesive, comforting, and consistent with what people already know and trust about Kleenex.
Sustainability as a Visual Message
As environmental concerns grow in importance for consumers, Kleenex also needed to reflect its sustainability commitments in the updated identity. Turner Duckworth worked closely with the brand to ensure that eco-friendly messaging was woven into the visual language, not tacked on as an afterthought.
New icons and callouts were introduced to communicate features like recyclable materials, responsible sourcing, and reduced packaging waste. These indicators are presented in a way that aligns with the rest of the brand—clean, trustworthy, and sincere.
Packaging materials themselves were reevaluated for both form and function. Where possible, recycled or recyclable materials were introduced, and excessive plastic was eliminated. These changes are not just operational; they are visible to the consumer and contribute to a more responsible brand image.
Building an Adaptable System
One of the most important achievements of the rebrand is the creation of a flexible identity system. The updated visual language is modular, allowing for adaptations across regions, product categories, and cultural contexts without losing consistency.
Turner Duckworth developed comprehensive brand guidelines to support this adaptability. These include usage rules, typographic hierarchy, color codes, iconography templates, and photography direction. The system empowers local teams to execute campaigns and packaging with creativity while staying aligned to the master brand.
This adaptability ensures that the refreshed Kleenex identity is not a static artifact but a living, evolving system that can support the brand’s next 100 years.
A Harmonious Blend of Familiarity and Freshness
The new Kleenex identity is not a radical departure from its past. Instead, it is a thoughtful evolution that refines and rearticulates what has always been true about the brand. By focusing on emotional simplicity, clarity, and warmth, the visual design reinforces the core promise of comfort that has defined Kleenex for generations.
This visual evolution marks a turning point in the brand’s journey. It demonstrates that legacy and innovation can coexist, and that design, when executed with care and insight, —can deepen relationships between a brand and its consumers.
In Part 3, we will explore how this refreshed identity has been rolled out globally and the strategies used to bring the centennial celebration to life across diverse markets and media.
From Concept to Consumer Experience
With the refreshed visual identity complete and tested across various use cases, Kleenex turned its attention to the next challenge: launching the new look and feel across global markets. A redesign of this magnitude can succeed only if it is implemented with consistency, sensitivity, and strategic precision. The transition needed to reflect the same emotional care that defines the Kleenex brand itself.
Launching a new identity is not only about introducing new logos or packaging. It is about managing perception, ensuring cohesion, and activating interest across consumer segments. In preparing for its centennial celebration, Kleenex worked across its internal departments, global affiliates, and retail partners to create a harmonized rollout strategy that would both inform and excite.
The goal was to ensure that the identity refresh reached every consumer in a way that felt smooth, meaningful, and purposeful—never jarring or disorienting.
Coordinating Across Global Markets
Kleenex is a globally recognized brand with presence in markets across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. Each region has its own cultural context, retail environment, and consumer preferences. This made the rollout process particularly complex. What resonates visually in one country might not translate effectively in another.
Turner Duckworth’s design system was built to accommodate this diversity. The modularity of the refreshed brand elements made it possible to tailor applications for local markets while maintaining the master brand’s integrity. Colors could be slightly adjusted for cultural appropriateness, copy could be localized without compromising tone, and packaging structures could adapt to meet regional regulations.
To support these efforts, detailed brand guidelines and digital toolkits were shared with all teams. These resources included templates, usage instructions, and example executions. Local brand managers were also provided with training to ensure that the essence of the refresh—emotional simplicity and clarity—was preserved in all market-level adaptations.
Launching With Purpose and Emotion
The centennial celebration offered a powerful narrative platform for introducing the refreshed brand. Kleenex did not frame the change as merely a design update but as part of a broader celebration of its legacy and ongoing commitment to care. Campaigns were crafted around storytelling, emotion, and shared experience.
The messaging strategy was deeply rooted in the brand’s heritage. It invited consumers to reflect on the role Kleenex has played in their lives during moments of joy, sadness, sickness, and support. These stories were shared across digital, print, and broadcast channels, with the updated design providing a visual anchor for the campaign’s emotional tone.
At the same time, the centennial served as a rallying point for media and public relations. Press releases, feature stories, and interviews highlighted both the brand’s history and its future-facing identity. Industry events and retail showcases included design exhibitions, limited-edition products, and behind-the-scenes looks at the rebranding process.
Refreshing Retail Presence
In retail environments, where visual competition is fierce, the new packaging became the frontline expression of the brand refresh. As products with the new design began appearing on shelves, consumers encountered a familiar yet noticeably updated presentation.
The packaging refresh brought immediate benefits. The simplified layouts, improved color palettes, and refined typography made it easier for consumers to locate their preferred product variant. Shelf visibility improved, and product segmentation became more intuitive. Retailers reported increased shopper engagement with the displays, driven in part by curiosity about the updated look.
Retail activation kits were created for key accounts, including display signage, promotional materials, and shelf talkers that introduced the new design and highlighted the brand’s 100-year milestone. In many stores, dedicated endcap displays celebrated the centennial with special packaging and nostalgic messaging.
Digital Activation Across Platforms
A core component of the global rollout was a comprehensive digital activation campaign. With consumer attention increasingly fragmented across mobile apps, social platforms, and e-commerce websites, the refreshed identity needed to be deployed consistently and compellingly in the digital space.
Kleenex launched an updated brand website that showcased the new design system and told the story behind the centennial refresh. Content included timeline features, interactive design comparisons, and user-submitted stories about the brand’s role in everyday life.
On social media, a hashtag campaign invited consumers to share their “Kleenex moments,” accompanied by imagery and packaging that reflected the updated identity. The campaign received strong engagement and helped reintroduce the brand to younger audiences who may not have engaged with it in more traditional retail contexts.
E-commerce channels were also optimized. Product listings were updated with new photography, redesigned icons, and revised product descriptions that reflected the new tone of voice. These changes contributed to improved navigation and conversion rates, especially on platforms like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
Centennial Editions and Brand Collectibles
To further mark the occasion, Kleenex launched a series of limited-edition centennial packs. These designs featured visual callbacks to key eras in the brand’s history, subtly blending heritage elements with the updated identity. Retro color schemes, classic patterns, and archival advertising inspired the graphics, which still adhered to the principles of the new design system.
These packs were positioned as collectibles and were supported by online storytelling. Each design was linked to a specific decade and accompanied by anecdotes about product innovation, consumer stories, or social milestones. This content strategy turned the simple act of buying tissues into a shared moment of reflection and connection.
The centennial editions served not only as a way to commemorate the past but also as a soft introduction to the new identity. They reminded consumers of the brand’s long-standing presence while gently easing them into its modernized look and feel.
Community and Social Impact Initiatives
Beyond aesthetics and messaging, the centennial was also seen as a moment to reinforce the brand’s values. Kleenex launched a series of community-focused initiatives to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to care and well-being.
In partnership with schools, hospitals, and caregiving organizations, Kleenex distributed millions of tissues as part of “Comfort Kits” designed to support people during vulnerable moments. These efforts were closely aligned with the brand’s emotional territory and were presented through campaigns that used the updated identity to communicate authenticity and empathy.
Other initiatives focused on mental health, personal hygiene education, and crisis response. These efforts were documented and shared through short films, user stories, and interviews, building brand credibility and reinforcing the idea that the new Kleenex is not only a product but a partner in moments that matter.
Internal Alignment and Brand Training
Successful rollout depended not only on consumer-facing efforts but also on internal alignment. Employees across the organization, from marketing to operations, were introduced to the updated brand through a comprehensive onboarding program.
This initiative included workshops, design immersion sessions, and training on using the new brand assets in everyday workflows. By cultivating internal champions for the brand refresh, Kleenex ensured that the new identity would be supported and reinforced in every aspect of the business, from advertising to customer service.
Employees were also encouraged to participate in the centennial celebration. Internal events, employee recognition programs, and behind-the-scenes content helped build pride in the new identity and encouraged personal connection to the brand’s values and future.
Monitoring and Measuring Impact
As the updated identity was introduced globally, Kleenex invested in tracking its performance. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to measure the rollout’s impact on brand perception, consumer sentiment, and sales.
Early data indicated that the refreshed design was achieving its goals. Brand recognition remained high, while consumers reported a stronger sense of emotional connection and perceived modernity. Sales of limited-edition packs exceeded expectations, and online engagement increased across key social platforms.
Surveys showed that consumers found the new packaging easier to understand and more visually appealing. Retailers provided positive feedback on how the new look helped distinguish Kleenex from private-label competitors and contributed to stronger shelf appeal.
Setting a New Standard for Brand Stewardship
The success of the Kleenex identity rollout demonstrates how a well-executed rebrand can strengthen emotional relevance, improve business outcomes, and create renewed cultural momentum—even for a product as familiar as a facial tissue. It proves that legacy brands don’t need to choose between history and progress—they can embrace both through thoughtful, strategic design.
More than just a refresh, the project serves as a case study in brand stewardship. It shows how design, when connected to purpose and aligned across teams, can reinvigorate even the most established consumer brands.
In Part 4 of this series, we will look to the future, exploring how Kleenex plans to build on its refreshed identity in the years ahead, with innovations in sustainability, digital engagement, and brand storytelling.
Beyond the Centennial: Defining the Next Chapter
Marking 100 years is a milestone few brands achieve. For Kleenex, reaching this point was an opportunity to celebrate its legacy, but the centennial was never the finish line. Instead, it was a starting point for a renewed brand trajectory, one guided by purpose, consumer connection, and long-term relevance.
Following the successful global rollout of its new identity developed by Turner Duckworth, the brand now stands at a critical moment of momentum. The redesigned visual system has strengthened recognition and emotional resonance, and the centennial campaigns have reengaged both loyal consumers and new audiences. With this strong foundation in place, Kleenex is poised to move forward with clarity and confidence.
The focus now shifts to the future—how the brand will evolve its products, expand its impact, and remain relevant in a fast-changing cultural and commercial landscape.
Innovation Through Insight
One of the defining principles for Kleenex moving forward is innovation driven by consumer insight. While the brand is known for comfort and familiarity, it also recognizes the need to meet emerging needs, habits, and preferences. As lifestyles shift and the definition of wellness broadens, Kleenex plans to expand its product offerings to address a wider spectrum of use occasions.
Insights gathered during the rebranding process have already begun to shape future innovation. Consumers increasingly expect more from everyday products—more transparency, more sustainability, more emotional value. Tissues are no longer viewed solely as hygiene items; they are part of daily rituals of self-care, recovery, parenting, and expression.
Kleenex is now developing new product lines that build on this insight. These include tissues infused with natural extracts, biodegradable formats, compact designs for mobile lifestyles, and hybrid products that blur the lines between skincare and hygiene. Each innovation is an opportunity to reinforce the brand’s emotional and functional promise.
The Role of Sustainability in Brand Growth
Another major priority for Kleenex’s future is environmental sustainability. Consumers across all demographics—but especially younger generations—are making purchasing decisions based on a product’s impact on the planet. For a brand with scale, the stakes are higher, but so is the potential to lead by example.
The refreshed brand identity provides a visual framework for communicating sustainability more clearly and consistently. Moving forward, this will be matched by deeper operational commitments: more responsibly sourced fibers, packaging with a lower carbon footprint, and increased transparency around environmental performance.
Kleenex is also exploring partnerships with environmental organizations and circular economy innovators. The goal is not only to improve the lifecycle of individual products but to contribute meaningfully to systemic change in the personal care and household goods industry.
As sustainability becomes a core pillar of the brand’s identity, consumers can expect to see it reflected in everything from advertising campaigns to on-pack labeling, digital content, and community engagement initiatives.
A New Era of Digital Engagement
Kleenex’s updated identity has already proven effective in digital-first environments. But the brand sees this space as more than just a channel—it is a vital part of building deeper relationships with consumers.
Looking ahead, Kleenex is investing in a more interactive digital ecosystem. Plans include the development of a new mobile experience designed around daily emotional wellness, allowing users to engage with the brand in personalized, meaningful ways. Whether it’s offering tips for soothing cold symptoms, supporting a child’s first day at school, or helping manage seasonal allergies, Kleenex aims to be present in life’s everyday emotional moments.
Social content will also evolve to reflect this shift. Rather than focus solely on product promotion, the brand will continue to share real stories, supportive messages, and content designed to encourage small acts of care, both self-directed and toward others.
Through AI personalization, direct-to-consumer offerings, and emotionally resonant storytelling, the digital strategy will bring the new Kleenex identity to life in ways that are immersive, adaptive, and authentic.
Empowering Everyday Emotional Support
One of the core insights from the rebranding process is that Kleenex occupies a unique emotional space in people’s lives. It is there in moments of vulnerability, intimacy, and support. This gives the brand a responsibility—but also a profound opportunity—to help normalize and validate emotions.
As part of its future strategy, Kleenex plans to more explicitly position itself as a tool for emotional care. This includes expanding partnerships with schools, hospitals, mental health organizations, and community groups to develop programs and resources around emotional literacy.
New campaigns will explore the ways people give and receive support in everyday life. By showcasing these interactions, Kleenex hopes to inspire empathy and connection while reinforcing its role as a companion through both simple and significant moments.
This shift will not change the product’s core function, but it will expand the brand’s narrative territory—from physical relief to emotional presence.
Sustaining Brand Coherence Across Innovation
One of the challenges for heritage brands undergoing modern evolution is maintaining coherence across new expressions. As Kleenex begins to roll out new products, campaigns, and experiences, it will rely on the flexible identity system built by Turner Duckworth to maintain visual and tonal consistency.
Each new initiative—whether a product launch or a social campaign—will use the refreshed typography, color palette, layout principles, and voice that now define the brand. This consistency builds trust and recognition while allowing creative expression to remain fresh and relevant.
A centralized brand team, along with regional partners, will continue to steward this system, using the global brand guidelines as a foundation. This ensures that, no matter the market or medium, consumers encounter a unified brand experience that reinforces their emotional connection.
Building Cultural Relevance
Remaining culturally relevant is an ongoing process that extends far beyond a centennial celebration. Kleenex understands that to remain meaningful, it must continuously listen to the world around it and respond in ways that feel timely and sincere.
Future brand activations will increasingly be shaped by trends in health, family life, gender identity, and emotional wellness. Kleenex plans to explore new stories, collaborations, and content formats that reflect a broader spectrum of experiences and voices.
This may include partnerships with artists, creators, and storytellers who can help the brand engage audiences through art, film, literature, and other forms of expression. The goal is to spark conversation—not just about tissues, but about care, connection, and the quiet power of everyday kindness.
Global Expansion With Local Insight
With the refreshed identity system, Kleenex is better positioned than ever to grow its presence in emerging markets. The modular brand toolkit allows for localized adaptation without sacrificing brand cohesion, opening the door to more efficient expansion strategies.
In newer markets, Kleenex can now introduce itself with a brand identity that feels modern, human, and emotionally resonant. Local insight teams will play a key role in ensuring that marketing and product strategies reflect cultural nuances and consumer expectations.
The centennial milestone serves as a credibility builder in these regions—a proof point of longevity, quality, and global trust. Combined with a refreshed look and message, it allows the brand to enter new spaces with the authority of heritage and the energy of reinvention.
A Brand Designed to Endure
The centennial brand refresh was not about chasing trends. It was about designing a system that could endure—visually, emotionally, and strategically. Turner Duckworth’s work has provided Kleenex with a brand identity that honors its history while equipping it to navigate future shifts in culture, business, and consumer behavior.
The identity is designed to scale across products, markets, and generations. It is both a reflection of what Kleenex has always been and a blueprint for what it aims to become.
By focusing on emotional clarity, functional excellence, and cultural resonance, the brand has positioned itself not just for another year, but for another century of relevance.
The Comfort of Continuity and the Courage to Change
Kleenex’s brand refresh is more than a centennial celebration—it is a case study in how established brands can evolve with purpose. Through design, strategy, and storytelling, the brand has reignited consumer connection while laying the groundwork for long-term growth.
It has done so not by abandoning its identity, but by rediscovering it. The visual changes reflect deeper truths: Kleenex is a brand about care, support, and presence. These values are timeless, but how they are expressed must evolve.
As it enters its second century, Kleenex is not simply holding onto its past. It is using it as a springboard —into a future where empathy, design, and innovation continue to meet in the smallest, softest moments of everyday life.
Final Thoughts
Kleenex's centennial rebrand is a masterclass in how legacy brands can evolve while remaining true to their core purpose. As it marked 100 years of existence, Kleenex took the opportunity not only to reflect on its past but to lay a deliberate and strategic foundation for its future. This transformation was not cosmetic—it was deeply intentional.
The collaboration with Turner Duckworth resulted in more than a modernized logo or refined packaging. It produced a fully realized brand system built around emotional resonance, functional clarity, and long-term adaptability. Every element, from typography and color to tone of voice and layout, was designed to communicate the brand’s essence: presence, comfort, and care in everyday life.
The success of the global rollout, the centennial campaigns, and the limited-edition packaging demonstrated how a carefully executed identity refresh can drive relevance, deepen connection, and fuel commercial momentum. Kleenex didn’t rely on nostalgia alone; it used its centennial to renew purpose, reinforce values, and build a contemporary brand experience across every channel.
Looking ahead, the brand’s focus on sustainability, digital engagement, product innovation, and emotional storytelling positions it not just to keep pace with the evolving world but to lead. It is moving confidently into the future with a clear sense of who it is and why it matters.
This is the power of thoughtful brand design: when rooted in authenticity and executed with precision, it does more than modernize—it transforms. Kleenex, now equipped with a refreshed identity and a reinvigorated purpose, has everything it needs not just to remain a household name but to deepen its cultural relevance for the next 100 years.