Behr Paint

Brands & Brawn’s Role

Brands & Brawn developed a comprehensive design and layout system for Behr’s printed How-To Guides that aligned with the brand’s packaging, color hierarchy, and in-store presence. This included:

• A modular grid and layout system that could scale across multiple guide formats
• Typography and iconography that mirrored the clarity and authority of Behr’s paint and stain cans
• Color-coding logic tied directly to Behr’s color families, finishes, and product categories
• Clear visual pathways that helped users quickly identify tools, steps, surfaces, and finish types

Beyond layout, Brands & Brawn also led conceptual development for a paint and finishes labeling system, exploring how color names, finish descriptors, and use-case information could be visually organized across packaging, swatches, and educational materials. The intent was to reduce friction for consumers navigating complex choices while reinforcing consistency at shelf.

Design Challenge

At the time, Behr’s how-to content was rich in information but lacked a consistent visual language that connected printed educational materials, color trend storytelling, swatch collections, and paint and stain can labeling.

The opportunity was to transform instructional content into a merchandising extension of the product itself, making it easier for consumers to move from inspiration to instruction to purchase, often within the same retail visit.

Printed How-To Guide System

The printed How-To Guides were designed to support the full lifecycle of a painting project while remaining visually cohesive with Behr’s retail footprint.

Interior How-To Guides

Brands & Brawn designed guides covering:

• Product selection and finish differentiation
• Surface preparation, repairs, and cleaning
• Application techniques such as cutting-in, rolling, and painter’s tape usage
• Color decision support, including specialty applications like front door color selection

Each guide was structured to feel intuitive, durable, and trustworthy, designed to be picked up in-store, referenced mid-project, and visually associated with Behr’s packaging throughout the process.

Exterior How-To Guides

Exterior guides followed the same system, adapted for:

• House body, trim, fascia, doors, and garage doors
• Environmental considerations such as exposure, durability, and finish performance

The consistency across interior and exterior guides helped establish a recognizable Behr instructional language, regardless of project type.

Integration with Digital and Retail Ecosystem

While Brands & Brawn’s primary focus was the printed system and conceptual labeling framework, the work was designed to extend naturally into digital environments. The visual logic developed for print informed how Behr’s instructional content appeared across Behr-owned channels and The Home Depot platforms.

This included alignment with:

• Online How-To Guides
• Video thumbnails and instructional overlays
• In-store signage and adjacent merchandising

The result was an ecosystem where consumers encountered the same visual cues, including colors, finishes, language, and structure, whether they were holding a printed guide, browsing online, or standing in the paint aisle.

Strategic Impact

By treating educational content as a brand and merchandising asset, Brands & Brawn helped Behr:

• Strengthen brand recognition at shelf and online
• Simplify complex paint and finish decisions for consumers
• Create continuity between packaging, swatches, and instruction
• Elevate how-to content from utility to brand experience

The printed How-To Guides became more than instructional tools. They became a physical expression of Behr’s design system and a bridge between inspiration, education, and purchase.