Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner

Associate Creative Director

Using Minwax’s Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner before you stain is a crucial step that eliminates blotchiness and assures even color. Updating oil- and water-based Pre-Stain to reflect the early 2020 Minwax label evolution allowed us to share that story on shelves in familiar, yet exciting ways. There was equity in the red used for the oil-based Pre-Stain, so we brought that into the new label. For water-based Pre-Stain, however, we would need to update the label background color to blue to complement its counterparts. To tie both oil- and water-based labels to the larger line, I developed a new Minwax logo-shaped enclosure — with text saying “For Oil-Based Stains,” for instance — branded in the color of the Wood Finish it supports. Using a uniquely-split unconditioned/conditioned swatch enabled both cans to stand out next to their stain counterparts, while paying subtle tribute to the swatch shape on the previous oil-based Pre-Stain label. 

Creative Director: Stefan Woerle
Words: Teda Jenkins
Product: Ashley Leskanic
Brand: Minwax
Channel: Multiple

Click each image to enlarge

Minwax OIl-Based Pre-Stain side-by-side with Minwax Wood Finish

Minwax Water-Based Pre-Stain side-by-side with Minwax Wood Finish Color Stain