Walmart/Decor packages

For Neighborhood Market layouts and decor packages, see Walmart Neighborhood Market/Decor packages.

This article describes Walmart decor packages in depth. Use this article and corresponding pictures to see if your store has a decor package described here.

NOTE: Some stores may have one decor package, with minor elements of other decor packages. This is often the case in minor or partial remodels.

Project 79 (19??-19??)
This decor package was used in Walmart stores in the 1980s. Signage consisted of off-white rectangular signage in red text. Checklanes were red and had rounded light fixtures, with the top of them being beige with red stripes above the number. The walls were beige with blue and red stripes along the top. Additionally, apparel departments were laid with red carpet.

(19xx-199x)
This decor package was used in Walmart stores from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. Signage consisted of red flat rectangular signs using the Helvetica Black typeface in white text. Some departments, particularly in apparel used a script font with the signage.

Checklanes had cube-shaped light fixtures, but with the tops white instead of red, and the checkstands were pewter blue. Walls were changed to grey, but maintained the blue and red stripes along the top.

In 1993, the cube-shaped checklane lights were outphased in favor of box-like ones, in red.

Apparel in these stores had grey carpet instead of red carpet.

(199x-2002)
This decor package was used from the mid 1990s to about 2002. Major signage consisted of blue, sometimes teal or yellow rectangular signs with tiled dots and a red (sometimes fuchsia or pale blue) oval with white text in the Futura Extra Black typeface. A picture illustrating the department was placed on the left side of these signs.

Grocery aisles (in supercenters) had red triangular signs with the number in Futura Extra Black and the list of merchandise in each aisle in the Futura Book typeface.

General merchandise aisles still had aisle markers, but used rectangular ones without numbers and a miniature version of the large signs was outfitted in the center of the aisle markers.

Another major change is the interior wall color was changed from grey to white. Like the decor package before it, the registers had pewter blue checklanes with a red box-like fixture for the light,

Black Decor (2003-06)
In 2003, Walmart implemented a new decor package that used black signage with blue accents. The registers had their checkstand color and light fixture box changed to black.

A major change from previous decor packages is the bottom of major signage is rounded. A picture and illustation set in varying shades of blue are placed at the top while the bottom is black and the name of the department is set in a white semi-bold Stone Sans typeface.

Like the previous decor package, grocery aisles in Supercenters used triangular signs, this time in black and with the top rounded out for the number of the aisle. The number itself used a bold variant of Stone Sans typeface while the list of merchandise used a semibold variant.

Also carried over from the previous decor package is the rectangular aisle markers in general merchandise, however they were split into two halves - one with a pictogram of an item in the department and the other half with a list of items in the aisle, still in the Futura book typeface.

Another major change is the change of wall color from white to tan. Also the Pharmacy section also got dark blue decorative trim along the top and Pharmacy lettering in the semibold version of Stone Sans.

The flooring also changes in this era. While early stores with this decor package carried over red bordered-tile, starting in mid-2004, stores opened with this decor package had brown concrete flooring. Smaller "Hometown" Supercenters would use grey concrete flooring. In addition, apparel uses a laminate woodgrain type of flooring.

Futura (2006-07)
In late 2006, Walmart implemented a new decor package that used a mix of flat and cube-like signage, often with pictures on one side of the signs. The registers generally maintained their black checkstands, but had their light fixture boxes changed to a dark blue color.

The grocery section uses flat green signs with the name of the department set in a white Futura Book typeface.

Supercenter grocery aisle markers have been completely refreshed for this decor package; rather than using triangular signage, flat rectangular signage is used, with the number in a circle on one side and a list of items in the aisle on the other, both in the Futura Book typeface.

The general merchandise section used either flat or 4-piece "pylon" signage in dark blue or light blue in major departments while smaller departments used narrow "pendant" signs. The latter of which also replaced general merchandise aisle markers used in the previous 2 decor packages.

Underlying pharmacy signage was retained from the previous decor package.

Like the previous decor package, stores in this era had tan walls and brown concrete floors. Smaller Hometown Supercenters would still use grey concrete flooring.

Pre-Impact (2007-08)
From October 2007 through late 2008, Walmart implemented a decor package similar to the previous Futura design, but with all general merchandise signage in sky blue and grocery signage in green and set in the Myriad Pro typeface. A departure from previous decor packages, stores in this era had the sky blue register checkstands and dark blue light fixture boxes.

Like the previous decor package, this decor used a mix of flat and cube-shaped signage. However, the cube signs would don a watermarked spark.

Pharmacy signage was changed again, this time using the Myriad Pro typeface for the Pharmacy lettering while using the then-Walmart logo above the word "Pharmacy."

Early Pre-Impact variants had tan interior walls while later variants used a baby blue color in general merchandise and yellow for the interior walls.

Like the previous 2 decor packages, brown concrete floors were used in most builds with the exception of Hometown stores, which still used grey concrete flooring.

Project Impact (2008-16)
Coinciding with their changing brand image, Walmart released a new decor package officially titled Project Impact. This decor package saw four iterations throughout nearly eight years in use throughout its stores, listed below.


 * Version 1 (2008-09) - Primary department signage consists of 3 or 4 piece circular signage with picture crowns in the middle, while secondary departments consist of two-piece "pillow" signage with a cut-out spark. Tertiary department signage had pictures representing the merchandise in the department. The Deli and Bakery departments have canopies with the department name on them.
 * Version 2 (2009-11) - Same as Version 1, but with a solid yellow spark as opposed to blue sparks/cut-outs on primary and secondary signage respectively. Deli and bakery canopies now omit spark logos and secondary distinctions (such as "Rotisserie"). For unknown reasons, many 2009-10 implementations of the package have removed the picture crown within primary signage.
 * Version 3 (2011-13) - All department signage is flat, with tertiary department signage still using pictures representing the merchandise in the department. Also Deli and Bakery no longer use the canopies, rather secondary flat signage.
 * Version 4 (2013-16) - Same as Version 3, but all tertiary signage only has text representing the department.

The registers were updated from dark blue boxes to matching sky blue light fixture boxes. The typeface the numbers used also changed from Helvetica Condensed Bold (which had been used since the boxes were implemented in 1993) to Myriad Pro.

As with later versions of Pre-Impact, interior walls in the Grocery section are yellow and baby blue in general merchandise. Perimeter grocery signage was changed from green to orange in Project Impact.

Layout designs
While early, transitional Impact stores were built with brown concrete flooring, all later new-build stores with this decor featured grey concrete flooring regardless of store type.

As part of the Impact concept, Walmart relocated the pharmacy to center store, bordering upon grocery in order to prevent losses. However, as Version 3 was rolled out in late 2011, Walmart reverted the location of the Pharmacy and its corresponding HBC department to its traditional location on the front end (often abutting the general merchandise entrance).

From mid-2015, new stores co-located the Vision Center next to the Pharmacy. Circular signage was reintroduced specifically for this department, featuring "Health & Beauty" text on the outside with the inner portion featuring a collage of photos.

Black Decor 2.x (2015-)
In late 2015, Walmart overhauled their interior decor philosophy. Black Decor 2.0, named after black and white sign graphics resembling the previous Black Decor package, consists of wall and pendant signage similar to those seen in Futura and Pre-Impact, albeit wider. Walls were changed to white throughout the entire store. Registers remain the same as they did in Project Impact.

Primary flat signage is white with black text, and uses pictures and/or pictograms to represent the deprtment. Secondary signage is white on black and uses a pictogram to represent merchandise sold in the department. Tertiary pendant signage is also black on white on the top and uses a pictogram to represent the department while the bottom is black and uses white text.

Grey concrete floors are still a standard for new-built stores. Many older tiled stores remodeling to this decor have stripped the tile out in favor of polished concrete.

In version 2.0, a white spark was used on a blue backdrop, with orange, red, or green versions in grocery. For version 2.1, the "spark" wall signs were all changed to a yellow spark on a blue backdrop. Restroom signage was also changed from black to grey in this update.

In 2018, Walmart modified the package's typeface from Myriad (which had been used since 2007) to Bogle, a new internally-designed font. Pendant signs with this variant are fully white on black. Additionally, apparel now uses dark grey-brown laminate woodgrain flooring.

New yellow aisle markers designed for convenient mobile shopping, as well as a redesigned meat and seafood signage package were rolled out across Walmart's U.S. store network through 2018. Stores that have an earlier version of Project Impact use the Black aisle markers in Grocery as the flat yellow tops do not fit the pillow-shaped aisle markers.