London Agency Free The Birds Designs The Ultimate COVID Killer With Cert.

If there’s one product we’re going to see a lot more of in the coming years, it’s disinfectants. With the promise of killing 99.9% of all germs, minus that smidgen of bacteria that always seems to get away from us, consumers are feeling the overwhelming need to cover everything in hospital-grade cleaners so they can keep safe from COVID-19.

However, with all of these cleaning products entering the marketplace, copious amounts of plastic packaging have entered our waste streams, and, if there’s one thing we know about plastic, it’s that most folks don’t recycle it.

Hydrachem, a brand known for the sanitation products they sell to hospitals, has launched Cert., a DTC home cleaner that’s both refillable and recyclable, giving consumers a combination disinfectant and detergent that they say can kill SARS-CoV-2-virus in 60 seconds—the same virus that causes COVID-19. Folks who purchase the brand will get tablets that they dissolve into a reusable spray bottle—add water, shake up, and, voila, you’re disinfecting your house in no time at all. 

The visual identity and packaging come courtesy of London design studio Free the Birds, a gig they finished up in a mere three weeks. The branding pits the word mark against a sea of particles, creating a clear line of certainty between the logo and the invading pathogens that seek to breach that wall. Blue dominates the overall branding, likely a clear nod to Pantone’s 2020 color of the year as it is commonly associated with a sense of calm and dependability, as well as the medical-grade hygienic warmth of a pair of new scrubs.

The starter kit comes with two tubes of tablets and the reusable spray bottle in a box that reads, “clean is not enough” on the outside. When you open the kit, you’re greeted with that same ironclad circle, surrounded by germy invaders, with copy reading “let’s protect.” In other words, if you weren’t scared already, the packaging does double duty.

“We see Cert. as a real breakthrough for cleaning and hygiene,” said Hydrachem managing director, Robin Rough. “We’ve manufactured for the NHS for many years. Now, everyone can destroy COVID-19 at home or at work.”