“We’re using softer color palettes, with lots of pinks,” Murphy told XBiz. “We want our packages to stand out on shelves more so than in the past, and to make it so that women feel comfortable buying our products.”
The new logo features a futuristic font against a bulls-eye background using primarily sherbet-themed colors such as lemon, lime, raspberry, strawberry and orange. The “i” in WhipSmart is designed to look like an adult toy.
In an effort to appeal to people of all sexual orientations, the packaging also features what Murphy described as “couples symbols” that represent boy/girl, boy/boy and girl/girl pairings. In addition, packaging for its flagship Pleasure Swing will now carry the open-minded catch phrase, “Swing Any Way You Like!”
Although WhipSmart has gained a reputation for BSDM-oriented products such as whips, restraints and paddles, Murphy stressed that the items are manufactured from soft materials that produce erotic sensations rather than pain.
“It’s a romantic sort of BSDM; it’s meant to be fun,” he told XBiz, adding that the company will unveil several new products in keeping with its couples-friendly, playful BSDM theme in coming months.
“All the new products that we’re coming out with in the upcoming months convinced us that we needed something that better represents our product line, a more up-to-date look that would grab a customer’s eye and stand out from everything else on the shelves,” Murphy said.”
WhipSmart toys are available at retail stores nationwide and from websites such as WickedStore.com as well as the company’s own website, WhipSmart.com, which also is currently undergoing a complete redesign to reflect the company’s new emphasis on mainstream appeal.
“Instead of the old standard ‘pic-and-a-price’ format, we’re going to have 3D Flash animations of the boxes, which open up when you click on them to lay out everything inside, in all the available colors,” Murphy said. “The images will really jump off the screen.”
WhipSmart plans to relaunch the site next month.