Northwood: Multi-Brand Creative Partnership Transforming Hygiene Brands Across the UK & Europe

Northwood approached Clear, seeking a strategic creative partner to help unify and modernise their growing hygiene brand portfolio.

The brief extended across multiple sub-brands, from established names like Raphael, North Shore, and Whisper to emerging or developing identities like Hush and Leonardo. Each required a unique tone, yet all needed to feel part of one cohesive visual system under the Northwood Hygiene umbrella.

Key Issues

• Outdated packaging designs with inconsistent styling across ranges
• Need for a clear brand hierarchy under the Northwood Hygiene umbrella
• Limited visual differentiation between product tiers
• Desire for a more collaborative creative process to involve internal teams

Objective 

To establish a connected visual language and design system across all Northwood Hygiene brands,  beginning with the Whisper rebrand and expanding into other product families through strategic packaging, brand refinement, creative collaboration.

Branding & Concept Development

We began with a brand workshop to uncover the essence of Whisper — its market position, customer value, and visual tone within the wider Northwood Hygiene portfolio.

From there, our creative team developed four distinct concept routes, exploring typography, colour, and packaging hierarchy. Each concept was visualised through detailed mockups, enabling the Northwood team to evaluate how each approach would perform across product ranges and formats.

Key steps

• Four initial creative directions visualised
• Packaging mockups created to demonstrate real-world impact
• Before-and-after comparisons showing evolution across product tiers
• Final logo refinement and complete artwork preparation

The result was a premium, modern brand identity that aligned visually with Northwood’s sustainability and innovation ethos, setting the creative foundation for subsequent work across the wider hygiene brand family.

Packaging Design & Application

Building on the success of Whisper, Clear applied the same design principles across additional Northwood Hygiene brands — including Hush, Rhino, and Leonardo.

Each brand required its own personality and visual differentiation, yet all needed to sit comfortably within the overarching Northwood system. The packaging framework was designed for scalability, clarity, and consistent brand storytelling.

Key Features

• Master brand logo refinement and alignment across four product families
• Typography and colour palette systems tailored per brand
• Realistic product mockups to test and refine designs pre-production

This modular design system now underpins all packaging within the Hygiene division improving efficiency, brand recognition, and quality control across markets

Internal Communications & Marketing

Beyond packaging, Clear continues to support Northwood’s internal and trade communications, ensuring that every touchpoint reflects the same attention to design and brand consistency.

• Brochures and trade advertisements
• Internal launch materials and sales enablement assets
• Annual report design and layout support
• Internal brand guidelines and design templates

This ongoing creative collaboration has strengthened visual alignment and communication across Northwood’s UK and European teams, while ensuring that each brand under the hygiene umbrella feels cohesive, premium, and instantly recognisable.