hum by Colgate
With hum by Colgate, Colgate set out to enter the electric oral care space.
The challenge was twofold: Create a brand that felt innovative yet friendly, while still benefiting from the trust and authority of Colgate. The system needed to bridge healthcare, consumer electronics, and everyday oral care– without feeling clinical or intimidating.
Just as importantly, the brand had to scale across products, services, and touchpoints, from packaging and devices to apps and retail environments.
Creative Challenge
hum by Colgate was designed as a cohesive brand ecosystem, balancing science, simplicity, and human warmth across every interaction.
At the core of the system is a logo designed around movement and behavior. The “m” visually mimics the brushing motion and the form of teeth – creating a modern, ownable visual language. This idea became a sensory expression of the sound and feeling of brushing, inspiring the tagline “sounds like smiles.”
The logo extends beyond a static mark. When the packaging is pulled up, the “m” activates and repeats. The repetition echoes the familiar hummm people make while brushing, reinforcing the brand name through interaction and ritual.
From devices to packaging and digital interfaces, the identity was built as a system that flexes across form factors. Motion, pattern, and hierarchy work together to maintain consistency – whether on shelf, in-hand, or on screen.
Solution
Packaging Design
Visual Identity
Logo Design
Brand World Design
Digital App Design
Branded Unboxing Experience
DTC
Sustainable Packaging
POS Design
In collaboration with Pearlfisher
Level up your brushing routine with the hum by Colgate app!
Designed to work seamlessly with their smart electric toothbrushes, the hum app personalizes your oral hygiene experience. Using Bluetooth connectivity, the app tracks your brushing habits, highlighting areas that might need extra attention. Earn points for good brushing technique and unlock rewards, making brushing fun and motivating, especially for kids. With the hum app, you can achieve a cleaner, healthier smile while enjoying a more engaging brushing experience.
What are some ways to design a branded unboxing experience?
By considering details like having branded tape that showed the up and down brushing motion that grows out of the hum by Colgate logo, of course! The flood of brand red on the interior of the box makes for a simple way to bring surprise to the unboxing experience.
The hum by Colgate toothbrush was a big hit.
It started as a DTC idea that went straight into launching at Target. From there, the product portfolio expanded to encompass mouthwash. In naming the mouthwash, we took the concept of bringing to life "the sound of smiles" and applied it to the name.
What better name but SWISH, that signals the sound of mouthwash? The visual language was continued by having the graphics continue around the base of the bottles which were sustainably made out of recyclable aluminum.
The hum by Colgate toothbrush family grew as well.
How can we get the whole family enjoying the sound of clean?
Design special brushes that appeal to tweens and kids. For the product below, we had the idea of making the product and packaging interactive by including a sheet of fun stickers. This would encourage our young consumers to personalize and embellish their toothbrush in a way that was uniquely them!
