Mace Rebrand

Reclaiming a Legacy: Rebranding Mace® for the Next Generation

CLIENT: Mace

INDUSTRY: Consumer

SERVICES: Research, Strategy, Design

Mace® became synonymous with the pepper spray category, but they saw more than a household name for their future. Mace saw an opportunity to revitalize a legacy brand and reclaim its leadership in personal protection. They had recognition, but lacked visual presence. The ask? Rethink the brand from the ground up and build a visual identity that could extend across every touchpoint, from packaging to product design.

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THE CHALLENGE

The Mace brand had history and name recognition, but was visually falling flat. At the digital shelf, it was getting lost. Our challenge was to create a bold new identity that would grab attention, reinforce credibility, and reposition Mace as the leader in personal safety.

OUR SOLUTION

We crafted a confident and comprehensive new identity for Mace, complete with a bold logo, tagline, color palette, typography system, and photography style. Every element was designed to work across both marketing materials and molded product surfaces. The result is a cohesive visual language with the strength to stand out in crowded digital and physical retail spaces.

THE OUTCOME

The refreshed identity is helping Mace reassert its role as the namesake brand of pepper spray. Landing in new retail places and making a resurgence on digital platforms, Mace is positioned to shake up the pepper spray market.

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Our Approach

We began with a deep dive into the brand’s history, target audiences, and competitive landscape, holding collaborative client workshops to align on what works, what doesn’t, and where the brand could go. Through user research, we uncovered real perceptions from consumers navigating the personal safety category. The insight was clear: Mace looked “generic,” “plain,” and didn’t match its reputation. That disconnect became our starting point for change.

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“We picked Priority Designs because they really got what Mace is all about and brought fresh, smart ideas to the table.”

Kevin Drain

Director of Brand Experience

Creative Direction: A New Way Forward

Mood boards explored different directions, from visual storytelling to emotional tone. We met with the Westinghouse team to align on a direction that balanced strength with accessibility, and confidence with calm.
We then translated strategy into a full brand identity. We intentionally avoid tired category tropes, steering away from aggression or hyper-femininity. The logo is bold and confident. The tagline—“We Are Mace, Since 1965”—reclaims the brand’s authority.

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A Fresh New Look

The new Mace identity features the “burst”, a visual metaphor that depicts the power of defending against a threat, whether by pepper spray, an alarm or other personal protection. The color palette introduces depth and energy, while typography and photography add polish and relatability.

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“Vicki and her team were incredible – their branding instincts and creative direction made the whole process easy and fun, and the result feels true to who we are.”

Kevin Drain

Director of Brand Experience

Strong Enough to Protect, Small Enough for Everyday

It was important that the brand felt strong, safe and empowering. But there was another factor at play: approachability and peace of mind. The full expression of the brand uses different elements including photography to strike a careful balance to achieve the brand’s tone.

People are a core focus of the visual branding with calm, even neutral expressions. Everyday walks paired with adventurous outdoor destinations helps show how with Mace, our users are ready wherever they go.

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Product Identity Application

With Priority Designs’ long history in product development, we design brands with the physical product in mind. Our industrial designers ensured the new identity could integrate seamlessly on real-world products, providing practical design guidance that bridges the worlds of branding and product design.

The brand’s color story embraces product color and allows the brand to flex and highlight the featured product color. In personal protection, discreteness is important. The brand identity and product color work together harmoniously to tell that story with a color-drenched aesthetic that lets the product shine.

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Tying it All Together: Brand Guidelines

We wrapped everything in a comprehensive brand guide, equipping Westinghouse’s internal and external teams with the tools to build consistent, on-brand assets moving forward.

Mace’s new brand identity is bold, confident, and refreshingly distinct. It reflects the strength of the product while remaining approachable and empowering for the people who carry it. This rebrand isn’t just a visual facelift, it’s a total strategic reset, positioning Mace to reclaim its role as the definitive brand in personal protection.

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“We picked Priority Designs because they really got what Mace is all about and brought fresh, smart ideas to the table. Vicki and her team were incredible – their branding instincts and creative direction made the whole process easy and fun, and the result feels true to who we are.”