Varathane | Brand Identity Refresh
True Color. Varathane embraces the character of the next generation.
Varathane is the #1 selling wood finishing brand at Home Depot and a dominant force across the retail sector. With increasing competitive pressure from Behr and Minwax, the Rust-Oleum team made a deliberate decision: protect leadership not by reinventing the brand — but by strengthening its system.
The core brand equity was there, but outdated. The structure needed elevating and tightening for a digitally driven, design-aware consumer.
We partnered with Varathane to unify the brand from the inside out — refining its identity architecture, clarifying its visual language, and building a scalable system that aligned packaging, e-commerce, social, and trade into one disciplined, modern expression.
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Positioning
Branding
Tone of Voice
Copywriting
Brand Book
E-Commerce Direction
Social Media Direction
Branded Premiums
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Varathane didn’t have a brand equity problem—it had a system problem. As the #1 wood finishing brand at The Home Depot, its leadership was built on trust and performance, but its expression hadn’t kept pace with a more design-aware, digitally native consumer. The opportunity was to elevate and unify what already existed—bringing clarity, consistency, and modern relevance to every touchpoint without losing the grit and credibility that made the brand iconic.
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The brand showed up inconsistently across packaging, e-commerce, and retailer environments, creating friction in how consumers browsed and compared products online. Category competitors like Behr and Minwax were raising the bar with more cohesive and contemporary presentations. At the same time, Varathane needed to appeal to a new generation of DIYers while maintaining trust with its core audience—requiring a system that could balance aspiration with utility, and storytelling with clarity.
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We unified the brand from the inside out—refining its identity architecture, modernizing its visual language, and building a scalable system that seamlessly connects packaging, e-commerce, and brand content. This included a refreshed photographic approach rooted in real, lived-in environments, and a reimagined e-commerce tile strategy that simplifies decision-making while reinforcing premium positioning. The result is a cohesive, flexible system that elevates the brand across every touchpoint, strengthens its presence on the digital shelf, and positions Varathane for continued leadership in an increasingly competitive landscape.
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HiFi Creative Team
Allison Rosenwinkel - Creative Director
Paul Demyanovich - Creative Director
Creative Partners
Wade Hall - Styling & Photo Direction
Garrett Sweet - Photography
Timothy Burkhar - Procurement
Ash Cottrell - Project Manager
“Working with HiFi was collaborative, thoughtful, and genuinely enjoyable. They brought clarity and creativity to a complex challenge—and delivered a system we’re truly proud of.”
— Jenny Thavenet, Senior Director, Brand Marketing at Rust-Oleum
Building a Unified Identity System
To bring the strategy to life, we built a unified identity system rooted in Varathane’s Creative Rebel archetype. At its core is a simple belief: character defines both the maker and the material. The visual language was shaped to reflect that mindset, confident, honest, and intentionally a little “imperfect”.
Bold, condensed typography communicates strength and authority, while subtle serif accents reference the brand’s 1958 heritage. A disciplined black-and-off-white palette anchors the system with premium credibility, supported
by purposeful category color cues that guide navigation and add energy where needed. Graphic lockups and badge-style iconography reinforce craftsmanship and loyalty, creating distinctive visual assets that translate seamlessly from packaging to digital.
The tone of voice was refined to feel direct and passionate without being performative. It speaks to makers who see their projects as personal statements, not just tasks to complete. The result is a cohesive, modern system that channels grit and creativity into a brand expression built to endure, just like the finishes themselves.
“For the first time, Varathane feels like one brand everywhere it shows up—confident, cohesive, and unmistakably premium.”
— Courtney Porter, Creative Strategy Senior Manager at Rust-Oleum
Redefining the Brand’s Photographic Style
We stepped away from sterile studio shots and rebuilt the brand’s photography around real, refurbished pieces in aspirational, lived-in environments — the exact kinds of projects our consumers are already taking on. Pieces with history. An heirloom table brought back to life. A found mid-century modern chair with personality and patina. The focus shifted from product on white to transformation
in context — craftsmanship you can see, feel, and imagine in your own home.
To bring the vision to life, we brought in a photography team with deep roots in Chicago’s hospitality scene. Creatives who understand the value of capturing a moment and conveying a mood through texture, light, atmosphere, and styling. The result is imagery that feels elevated but lived-in, design-forward yet authentic.
“By moving into more aspirational, real-world imagery, we’ve modernized Varathane’s presence and strengthened our ability to stay competitive as consumer expectations continue to rise.”
— Jenny Thavenet, Senior Director, Brand Marketing at Rust-Oleum
Driving Online Sales Through Strategic E-commerce Product Tile Design
We restructured the e-commerce product tile strategy to simplify key benefit communication and reinforce brand equities at the critical moment of decision. By pairing
functional detail with aspirational storytelling and heritage cues, we created a digital experience that felt informative and inspiring. The updated tiles streamlined decision-making and drove measurable sales growth, demonstrating the power of cohesive brand expression within modern digital retail environments.
“The updated digital presence immediately set Varathane apart. In a crowded category, it now reads as the most premium and considered brand on the digital shelf.”
— Christine Witt, Strategic Communications Project Manager at Rust-Oleum
“This evolution positions Varathane for long-term relevance and growth with both new and existing customers.”
— Jenny Thavenet, Senior Director, Brand Marketing at Rust-Oleum
