Rebranding for B2B Custom Pigment Dispersion Company
Sudha Udupa
Overview
A customized-pigment dispersion manufacturer sought to reposition itself for a rapidly evolving market—where sustainability is no longer optional, but expected.
The objective was to transform the brand from a functional supplier into a future-facing, sustainability-led partner, while retaining credibility in performance-driven industrial applications.
About Excel Corporation
Established in 1996, Excel Color Corporation now manufactures 500+ custom pigment dispersions for coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, foams, aggregates, castings, and composites. For years, Excel Color Corporation has been satisfying thousands of customers through our Excel-lent quality and service, all possible because of highly experienced workforce. The company now provides these same dispersions in user friendly, custom packaging- all from its centrally located, Chicago area facility.
Brand Values:
— Expeditious Response
— Eco conscious
— Agile
Samples of Old Identity
Challenges
The company had simply outgrown the previous Identity:
They now offered 500+ color choices. To communicate it efficiently without pouring down as many colors.
Needed a eco-conscious branding without green-washing.
Scalable design system that can be handled by small team.
Overcome limited emotional differentiation across competitors.
Dispersion / Gamut of Color / Eco-friendly wrapped into one concept
Addressing the Elephant in the Room
We explored range of concepts and unanimously settled on elephant, as it clearly communicated Brand values at different layers
Rational Layer:
Precision, consistency, process efficiency
Emotional Layer:
Eco friendly, warm and joyful, dynamic
Stylescape - Exploring the different Art Direction
Brand Identity System
Visual Language
Fluid pigment-inspired motion to symbolize transformation
Brand elements that can be reused, both for the purpose of easy maintenance and build Brand equity.
Brand language that communicates wide range of products.
Color palette that helps them to communicate wide range of products
Brand Style guide that outlines the assets and execution samples for future reference
Execution
Brand identity refresh (color, typography, visual system)
Stationary Design
Labels and Shipping Documents
Line card and other application examples
Stationary Design that is consistent without being boring
Labels and Shipping Documents in Google documents for easy handling
Mockup to Catch all the edge cases
Sharing New Identity with the world
Be loud and clear with the message
Impact
Elevated the brand from commodity supplier → strategic partner
Created clear differentiation in a technically saturated market
Enabled consistent communication across sales, marketing, and leadership
What the marketing team had to say about the whole experience
"We had a great experience working with Sudha Udupa at Excel Color Corporation. She quickly understood our brand and turned our ideas into clean, compelling designs, all while delivering high-quality work on schedule. Her attention to detail, creativity, and openness to feedback made the entire process smooth and enjoyable. Communication was always clear and timely, and the final designs exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend Sudha to any organization looking for a reliable and talented Designer."
Visualizing the Brand in the future
Expand on 'Elipaint' , that can be used as Brand mascot, used for communication across media including AI partner / Chatbot
Update the website that owns and flaunts its Brand assets and become unapologetically 'Excel Color Corporation'
Double down on existing Brand elements to build long term equity.
Thank you for making it this far. Always open for new exciting opportunities.
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Posted Mar 24, 2026
A customized pigment dispersion manufacturer sought to reposition and rebrand itself for a rapidly evolving market, without loosing the feel of established firm
