Work|Colgate

Show
Teeth.

Colgate | Third Year | Art Direction | Brand Repositioning

A Gen Z brand repositioning that turns courage into an everyday act — daring a filtered generation to stop hiding and show teeth.

ClientColgate

YearThird Year

TypeBrand Repositioning

RoleArt Direction

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(01)Project Overview

The Project

Show Teeth is a brand repositioning that drags Colgate out of the clinical aisle and into Gen Z culture. Colgate is trusted but seen as functional and broad — a household staple speaking to everyone aged 0 to 65. This campaign narrows the focus to 18–30, amplifying the courage behind every look and reframing oral care as an act of self-expression. Led by a raw, expressive visual language of spray paint, red-and-blue brand color, and unfiltered black-and-white portraits, it spans OOH, print, packaging, social, experiential, and a Spotify collaboration.

The Challenge

Colgate is perceived as clinical, dependable, and broad — a brand that targets different audiences across different platforms without a cohesive voice, which confuses people and erodes the trust it works to build. Competitors are innovating while Colgate plays it safe. The challenge: stay relevant to Gen Z without falling behind, and without being cringe. None of the brand's core values — inclusive, courageous, and caring — are 'safe,' so the work had to live up to them.

The Insight

Gen Z doesn't want to be told to smile — that's BS. They want to be seen. Social media anxiety and the fear of judgment literally stop them from smiling: over half hide their smile in everyday situations and 34% hide their teeth in photos. You've been told to fix it, filter it, or hide it. This time, don't. Courage is expression, courage is confidence, and courage is doing — so the brand stops saying 'make more smiles' and starts daring people to show teeth.

(02)Concept Boards

The Direction

Where the visual language was set — mood, tone, and the creative territory the campaign would live in.

Show Teeth concept board hero — the full campaign world across posters, packaging, and activations — The repositioning at a glance — 'Amplifying the courage behind every look.' A more expressive visual direction built for individuality, confidence, and a younger audience.

Two 'Show Teeth' posters on a textured blue ground — unfiltered black-and-white portraits framed by red type — The new visual language — unfiltered black-and-white portraits, gritty blue grounds, and bold red 'SHOW / TEETH' lockups replace the old clinical, polished look.

(03)Research & Exploration

The Groundwork

Research, references, and early exploration that shaped the strategic thinking before any design began.

New Colgate packaging — oversized red and blue 'COLGATE' typography wrapping a retro 'Dental Cream with Gardol' carton — New packaging — a confident, oversized typographic system in the red-and-blue palette that nods to Colgate's heritage while feeling distinctly Gen Z.

Show Teeth poster grid — six raw black-and-white portraits of people baring their teeth, framed by red Colgate type — Audience shift — moving from a broad 0–65 family audience to 18–30, driven by confidence and first impressions. The casting is real, expressive, and unretouched.

(04)Process Work

The Process

Sketches, iterations, and the working decisions that moved the idea forward.

Colgate Smile Collection in-mall activation — a Dental Health Hub and Tooth Gem Bar with the Show Teeth gallery wall — Experiential — an in-mall 'Smile Collection' takeover with a Dental Health Hub and a Tooth Gem Bar, rolling out on National Smile Day (May 31) across malls from the Oculus to the Mall of America.

Show Teeth out-of-home — a street-side transit poster and a building-scale billboard takeover — OOH — the campaign scales from street-level transit posters to building-side billboards, putting raw, courageous smiles into the everyday city.

(05)Development

The Build

Refining concepts into polished, production-ready directions.

Spotify × Colgate — a 'Tooth Tunes' collab that turns brushing into a personalized, music-driven ritual, reviving early-2000s nostalgia for Gen Z's love of throwbacks and playlist culture.