Degree is the United States brand name for the Rexona antiperspirant and deodorant line, owned by Unilever. The brand is known as Sure in the UK and Rexona in other markets, with Degree used specifically in the US.[1] The Rexona brand was created by Australian physician Alice Sheffer in 1908, and the antiperspirant later became Degree in the USA.[2]
Design and History
The Degree logo consists of the word “DEGREE” in stylized letters with a check mark on top, as documented in a 2015 trademark filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[3] An earlier Degree trademark, registered in 1990, described the mark as featuring arrows forming a circle or an arc of a circle.[4]
In late 2021 and early 2022, the brand underwent a significant visual refresh. Brand design agency Echo worked with Unilever to modernize the packaging for the Rexona brand across UK and US markets.[1] The redesign simplified the previous packaging to concentrate on the brand’s most distinctive asset, the check mark, which was repositioned from above the logo to the center of the design.[5] The logo itself was updated with a slightly larger, more geometric sans-serif font replacing the one the brand had been using for years.[5]
According to Echo, the check mark had always been one of the brand’s most distinctive assets and, as a potent symbol of efficacy, gave the agency the opportunity to position this iconic asset at the heart of the brand.[6] The agency also reformulated the communication hierarchy to emphasize the brand’s efficacy benefits.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The check mark functions as a symbol of efficacy and effectiveness for the brand.[6] Echo described the tick as acting as a bold and dynamic activation point that energizes the designs with a sense of movement.[6]
Typography and Design
The 2022 redesign replaced the previous wordmark with a slightly larger, more geometric sans-serif font.[5] The check mark was rounded at its corners and now serves as an anchor point around which other design elements, particularly color fields, are aligned.[7] To maintain brand recognizability, the color teal was retained for Degree in the US market.[8]
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