Brand identity · Packaging · Website

MK Lighter Rebrand

MK Lighter needed a more modern, competitive identity that could speak to both retail buyers and consumers. It also had to work across very different settings: packaging on a crowded shelf, a product catalog, a trade show booth, and the website. The previous packaging used busy backgrounds that competed with the lighters themselves.

Brand

MK Lighter

Year

2022 - 2024

Role

Designer · team collaboration

Scope

Identity · Packaging · Website

01 / The Challenge

Built to be seen.

MK Lighter needed a more modern and competitive brand presence across its broad product line. The system had to work for retail shoppers and wholesale buyers, from a small blister card to a catalog, trade show environment, and website.

As part of a three-person design team, I researched competitors and helped select the color and typography direction. We chose a warm, assertive orange to distinguish MK from the reds and pale yellows common in the category, then paired it with simpler product-led layouts.

My contributions · Market research, color and typography selection, collaborative brand guidelines, packaging design, pastel blister cards and inner box, website homepage and related design work. Identity and larger rollout were team efforts.

Before

After

02 / Brand System

A system with range.

Research into the category informed a warmer, bolder palette. The team translated the chosen orange, logo treatments, type hierarchy and graphic elements into guidelines that could be applied across formats. My contributions included competitor research, color and typography selection, and collaborative work on the guide.

03 / Packaging

Let the product lead.

A system with range.

The refreshed packaging used cleaner backgrounds to foreground the lighter colors and make key product features easier to find. Working with sales and marketing, the team emphasized refillability as a useful point of difference. The system extended across blister packs, inner boxes, trays and displays.

A tailored extension

Five colors. One cohesive family.

The successful 3BL Pastels line called for its own treatment. I designed five blister card colorways and an inner box, carrying the new system into softer hues while keeping the product immediately recognizable. Each package pairs one featured color with a second assorted lighter.

04 / Digital extenstion

The same energy, on screen.

The website brought the refreshed identity to a wider product story. I worked on homepage layouts and visual treatments with the design team, using large product imagery and straightforward navigation to connect the brand to its product lines.

05 / Lighter Illustrations

Adding personality.

I created original illustrations for MK Lighter’s product designs, exploring themes from botanicals and celestial imagery to colorful characters. Each design had to tell a small story while staying clear and appealing on the lighter’s narrow surface. I illustrated this work before generative AI tools became part of the design process.

06 / Applications

A brand built for bigger shelves.

The rebrand gave MK Lighter the cohesive, competitive presentation it needed to grow beyond individual products. The new system carried across more than 30 packages and supported the brand’s presence landing retailers including Walmart, H-E-B, Daiso, Hobby Lobby, Autozone, and Bass Pro Shops.

Credits

Made with talented people.

This project was made in collaboration with the in-house MK Lighter team.

Creative direction

Farzad Golpeyagani, Amy Yung

Design

Carissa Salazar, Yang Zhou

Photography

MK Lighter Team

MK Lighter Rebrand

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