CLR | We Know Clean
For over 50 years, CLR has solved the toughest cleaning problems, but had lost market share to competitors delivering impactful and meaningful statements at retail. Jelmar sought to reinvigorate their iconic CLR brand to reach a new generation of consumers without jeopardizing equity that had been earned over 50 years.
CLR provides highly effective cleaning product solutions for all areas of the home including bathroom, kitchen, garage, laundry and much more. Most of the CLR products are certified for the EPA’s Safer Choice program that helps consumers identify products that are better for human health and the environment.
- Client:
Jelmar LLC - Brand:
CLR (Calcium, Lime, Rust) - Product:
Cleaning chemical products for the home and on the job - Market:
Nearly everywhere - food & drug, home improvement, mass retail, hardware, discount stores - Services:
Market & Competitive Analysis; Brand Positioning; Package Design; Logo Redesign; Consumer Insights, Concept Validation Testing and Brand Guidelines
CHALLENGE: The CLR brand is recognized by an aging demographic for the flagship product that demolishes calcium, lime and rust. CLR’s awareness among today’s consumer is extremely low compared to established competitors such as Clorox, Lysol, and Mr. Clean. The CLR brand and packaging strategies were in need of repositioning and redesign for the modern marketplace.
SOLUTION: Collaborating with leadership at Jelmar, Array conducted a full brand audit that included consumer insights research to gain a deep understanding of the end user’s needs and awareness of the CLR brand. As part of the repositioning and redesign process, Array also conducted concept validation testing that provided valuable insights that were delivered in the new brand and message hierarchy strategy for the new packaging system.
- Branding
The CLR logo had become overly simplified and disconnected from the brand’s heritage. Array’s logo redesign has a reimagined representation of yellow, green, and orange legacy elements found on historically significant packaging. The new logo also possesses a sense of motion and action needed to compete within today’s cleaning category. The end result is a logo that is unique, bold and communicates a collection of “BRANDS” within the CLR portfolio of products. Not just a logo, it’s a brand strategy that will deliver for generations to come!

For generations CLR Brands have been the leader in trusted cleaning solutions for the toughest jobs. Starting as a revolutionary calcium, lime and rust remover, CLR is now the choice for powerful cleaning results throughout the home. CLR is dedicated to responsibly made formulations that are safer for your family and the planet with performance that saves time and tackles the worst messes with ease.
Trust CLR Brands for every cleaning job, because we know clean.
- Brand
- Positioning
During the discovery phase of the project, Array recognized that the CLR brand was in need or repositioning beyond the original calcium, lime and rust removing product. The CLR brand had expanded the product offering to tackle nearly any tough cleaning job. Array crafted a new brand position that acknowledges the legacy product while communicating cleaning solutions for the entire home that are a safer choice for the family. WE KNOW CLEAN!

- Package Design
A direct result of the consumer insights research and concept validation testing findings, Array designed packaging that has a unified family look under the CLR Brands badge. The new packaging follows a strategic message hierarchy that quickly communicates key information such as primary brand, sub brand, intended cleaning use, and a single unique feature/benefit. And for the first time, CLR had a color system that identified products of the same cleaning category such as bath or kitchen!

Another discovery from the research was that there is significant equity in heritage packaging that utilized horizontal bands of color representing calcium, lime and rust. Array designed a modern interpretation of the heritage package with the recognizable color bands. While maintaining a family look for CLR Brands, the heritage package redesign draws from equity earned over generations.
The new package design combines the new branding, with powerful energy, and a message hierarchy developed from validation testing insights.

- Validation Testing
Array collaborated with Design Research in Lawrenceville, NJ, to test and validated logo and packaging concepts with 500 end-users. Utilizing online research methods, the preferred logo design was identified and various elements of the packaging were tested for communicating intended use, message hierarchy and overall visual appeal. The result is a brand strategy and packaging system that delivers at retail.
- Brand Guidelines
Array developed a comprehensive guide for CLR Brands that captures design information for logo usage, color palette, fonts, banners, and vital visual elements. The guidelines ensure consistent brand use into the future. Elements documented included: standards for logo usage, approved color palettes, slogans, photographic styles and packaging templates.
- Packaging Production
Array worked alongside packaging vendors to develop CLR packaging templates that ensured consistency across 27 items. Array also worked closely with the Jelmar Team to seek and receive regulatory approvals for placement and accuracy of critical product information that is required by law. With CLR products the details and consistency really matter!
