You may be emailing your deck to the intended audience, or presenting it in person, so you need to ensure that each slide contains key information about your brand.

Everything from your brand mission statement to the core values of your business should be included, as this is no time to leave out any of the critical details!

In this post we will be exploring exactly how to create a branding deck from start to finish, including choosing your software, creating the slide content, and targeting the document to the intended target audience.

We have even thrown in a free template that provides an outline of what to include, to help you get started!

So, let’s begin with a simple definition for a branding deck.

What Is a Branding Deck?

A branding deck is an essential marketing tool to highlight your brand’s key points.

It usually consists of a series of slides and can be accompanied by an audio track or a live speaker to help promote what you have to offer.

The content can then be used for presentations, training, and onboarding, as it tells your audience everything they need to know about the company.

You can tweak the content depending on the intended audience (for example during training, existing employees will not need to hear your brand story, but new employees who you’re onboarding, definitely will.)

However, we’ll be covering more of the audience later in the blog, so stay with us!

Ultimately a branding deck should answer questions such as:

• Why you exist
• Who you are
• What you do
• Why do you do it

One of the main benefits of this document is that because it’s visual, there is the opportunity to include imagery, videos, links, and infographics as well as text.

It’s a lot more than just a standard powerpoint presentation, which let’s be honest, can be very drab.

Instead think of this like your brand storybook, with smaller sections of text to explain who you are, and visual examples to illustrate them.

Now we’ve covered the definition, let’s move onto creating your own branding deck.

How to Create a Branding Deck

As we’ve outlined above, a branding deck is a visual representation of your brand, and the goal of using one is to showcase the most important and relevant aspects of why your brand exists.

Therefore, it’s good practice to think of your branding deck as a way to provide a company overview to new employees, investors, and potential clients.

As such, it’s important not to miss anything out as it may get lost under the radar and the audience you are presenting to may be clueless about the core values of your brand.

For example, if you own or work for an FMCG business grounded in sustainability that works with fair trade partners, this is a vital pillar within your company so your audience needs to know this.

So, with that in mind, we have put together a guide on how to create a killer branding deck, and did we mention that we’ve thrown in a free template?!

Target Audience

Before you start creating your branding deck you should have a good idea of the audience you are targeting.

Your company’s target audience is a vital piece of information and it’s important for both you and your team to be clear on exactly which group you need to steer the content towards.

For example, when presenting a branding deck, it is usually to an audience from one of 3 groups:

• Clients
• New employees or existing team members
• Stakeholders and investors

Therefore, it’s essential to ask yourself who your branding deck should be targeting, as although you can’t change your company branding, values, or offering, you can change the way the information is presented.

Also as we’ve touched on above, not all of the information is going to be relevant to every audience.

For example when pitching to new clients, you might include a slide that reads ‘about us’ and shows different members of the team. However when training existing employees, you might leave this slide out as the information isn’t relevant to them and isn’t going to aid with their training.

Considering what the audience actually needs to get out of your branding deck and what you want them to learn from it, is crucial to including the right content.

It can be a good idea to consider the following:

Are you looking to increase your client base? If so, tailor the content to really show off who you are and what you do, and why this will benefit clients in particular.

Are you looking to inform new employees about your company? If this is the case, try steering the content towards the workplace culture as well as hammering home the essential information on the company brand and how they will become part of this.

Are you interested in getting investors or stakeholders on board? Try directing the language of each slide towards successes, strengths, and weaknesses and how they can help your company go from strength to strength if they get involved.

As you can see, it’s important that your branding deck is adapted for individual audiences based on how you want them to act after reading the information.

Once you have identified your target audience, it’s time to choose your software as this affects how your branding deck will be presented.

Choose Your Software

The software you choose to use for your branding deck all depends on how you will be presenting your company to your audience.

As we have covered above, you will usually be sending your branding deck, or presenting the slides to one of three audiences: new employees, investors and stakeholders, and potential clients.

Therefore, whether you are holding a presentation for your audience or sending the slides over to a client, it’s important to ensure the software you use works for everyone.

Firstly, take into consideration the devices and platforms you work with, for example, if you use Windows systems and tend to work on Microsoft Office 365, it makes sense to use PowerPoint for your deck slides.

However, if you use Apple devices and work with Adobe software, then make sure to use these when creating your branding deck.

There are a variety of software platforms you can use including:

• PowerPoint
• Keynote
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• InDesign
• Canva

With this in mind, remember to make sure your branding deck is converted into a format that works universally such as a downloadable PDF.

This ensures that none of the work you have put into your deck, such as design, imagery, links and of course the content, is lost in transit, and the intended audience can access the file.

If you wanted to be extra safe it would be useful to provide a hard copy of your branding deck if possible. This way you can be certain that even if your digital file doesn’t open, your audience will have a backup.

It’s important to note that if you have created a branding deck before for projects, or if you have rebranded and have an existing branding deck, you can use this template to build your own.

However, it may be a start-from-scratch job, which we would recommend regardless!

After all, this blog is about building your branding deck so it’s better to start fresh as it will be much easier to present what your brand looks like now and include all up-to-date information!

Once you have decided on the software you are going to use to create your branding deck, the next step is crucial…

Decide On The Design

Although a branding deck doesn’t necessarily involve the elements that make up your brand identity (they should be left for your brand guidelines document) this doesn’t mean your slides should be plain and simple.

They still need to represent your brand so make sure it is visually appealing.

With your design try and show who you are by including details that are specific to your brand identity such as:

• Your brand colours
• Visuals and Infographics
• Illustrations
• Brand imagery

If you want everything to tie together nicely and provide a real insight into your brand, being on brand is essential.

Otherwise you leave room for inconsistencies which will confuse your audience altogether!

Remember this asset is one of the first glimpses of your brand that your audience will see, so you need to make sure it’s right.

Not only will a sloppy design cause your final branding deck to look rushed and careless, this may then lead your audience to believe that time management and quality of work are consistent issues in your organisation overall.

Not a great takeaway for new clients or investors!

So, if there was ever a time to go overboard making sure that your branding is clear and your designs are neat and eye-catching, it’s when you’re designing your branding deck.

However, although your design must stand out, you need to ensure that it doesn’t distract from the actual content in the branding deck.

Instead, strike up a nice balance between the slide design and incorporating enough informative content about who you are!

Brand Story

Now you have settled on the software and added in some design elements to each slide, it’s now time to focus on the content, starting with your brand story.

This is arguably the most crucial section (hence why we’d advise you to make this one of your first slides!)

Your brand story is a great place to start as it allows you to start by telling your audience who you are and how your company was established.

This includes how the business was founded, how the initial vision began, and the purpose of your company today.

For example, if you’re a CPG company on the hunt for investors, you need to outline why your brand is important in the vast market to highlight why your company is worth investing into in the long run.

This may be because of what you do in terms of your actual product or service that makes your brand unique in comparison to competitors, or perhaps the longevity of your brand can help to solidify that you’re reliable and consistent.

On the other hand, if you’re a recruitment company providing a branding deck for new employees, your brand story will be different. In this case, it’s vital to focus on the service your company provides, how you are different to other recruiting firms, and how each new employee will become part of your ongoing brand story.

If you’re in doubt about what your brand story slides should include, remember these four key points:

• When did your brand begin
• What do you do
• Why is your brand important
• What makes your brand different

By keeping these in mind you can’t go far wrong, and these points will help the rest of the content to flow.

Brand Values

This brings us onto the brand values section of your branding deck, which should contain everything your business holds closest to its core.

These values are essentially the set of beliefs that you have built your business around, so you should already have this list on hand if you’re already an established organisation.

If you’re just starting out or have undergone a company rebrand you will need to decide on your values or tweak them according to what is important to your company.

For example, you may prioritise inclusion and diversity, sustainable production, and supporting teams and communities, and therefore, these values must be outlined in your branding deck as they make up the core of your business.

Whether you are providing an induction to new employees, pitching your brand to investors, or looking to gain client interest, you want everyone to know what your values are and how they are key pillars that ensure your entire team are working with the same vision and beliefs in mind.

Brand Mission Statement

Next up we are moving on to your brand mission statement and this ties in nicely with your values and brand story.

Brand mission statements aren’t only necessary for big organisations, they are essential for all businesses that exist in order to simply communicate what you do and why you do it.

With this slide, it’s vital to keep it simple by incorporating all of your brand values into one simple sentence or phrase.

This is another part of your branding that you should have already created but if you’re starting out fresh we will provide you with an example!

Let’s use the example of LinkedIn’s mission statement:

“To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful”

In the space of 12 words, and one sentence, the company have managed to communicate:

1. What they do (they connect the world’s professionals)

And

2. Why they do it (to make them more productive and successful)

Thinking of your mission statement like this can help you to nail down exactly what you do and why you do it. It is a good idea to break it down like this for your audience on your specific branding deck slide, so it’s easy to understand your purpose and vision.

Similarly to your brand story, your mission statement is crucial if you want your audience to get on board with the vision you have for your company.

A single sentence could help to outline your future goals as well as your promise to customers and clients in your target audience, so this is an important slide to include in your branding deck!

If you need slightly more detailed guidance on how to create a brand mission statement, we have a dedicated blog on the canny website on Launching Your Brand Mission in 3 Easy Steps, so be sure to check it out!

Brand Positioning

Brand positioning helps your audience understand where you sit in the market compared to other brands.

You need to consider whether you’re a budget, mid-range, or high-end product/ service as this will affect how you promote your offering and your price point.

For example in the FMCG sector, Aldi would be considered a budget brand whereas Waitrose would be considered high end. This information is crucial as it determines your entire sales and marketing strategy.

If you’ve decided on a budget brand, then the materials you use, the advertising you choose, and the way you speak to customers will be very different from a high-end, luxury brand.

That’s because you’re occupying a different space in the market and your target audience doesn’t have the budget to be splashing out on more expensive things.

As such, all of your marketing and advertising efforts need to be aligned with your brand positioning and the price of your product/ service needs to suit.

It’s important your audience understand this from the get-go as it will give them a better insight into where your company fits in comparison to your competitors.

Problem and Solution

Defining the problem that exists for your audience and the solution your company provides, helps your audience better understand your product/ service and where it fits in the market.

This is important for any audience whether it’s investors, new clients, or employees as it helps them understand why people buy your product/ service and why there is a need for it.

For example, Uber was created to help people get to places quickly and safely via a taxi app.

They wanted to take the stress and hassle out of people ringing up several places for a taxi and never really knowing when it was going to arrive.

Instead with Uber, travellers can easily see when their taxi is coming as well as who the driver is and their customer rating.

This helps people feel more safe and is also much more convenient as they can keep track of different rides.

Uber clearly defined a problem in the market and sought to serve the solution.

They now operate all over the world and are used by millions of people each day.

This level of clarity is essential when it comes to pitching to investors or employees, as it helps them make that connection between your product and how you serve your customers.

Your Product Line or List of Services

Finally, your branding deck wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of your list of products or services.

This is where you can get technical and specific about each of your product categories and services and include as much information as you can to ensure all audiences understand your offering.

After all, what you offer is at the centre of your brand and without it, you may not even be around at all!

It’s essential to explain the details (even if you know them like the back of your hand!) as potential clients or investors may never have heard of your company and need to know the ins and outs.

If your audience is going to buy into, invest in, or join your company, then they need to know the quality of your product or service.

For example, here at Canny, we offer 3 core services:

• Branding
• Website design and development
• Content

Each of our services can be explained in a lot of detail later down the line if we are engaging in a kick-off call with a client or providing an induction for a new employee, but for a branding deck they can be summarised in a few paragraphs or even a few sentences.

This is where being concise and clear is super important, as you need to provide enough detail so that your target audience knows what they can expect, but not so much that they feel overwhelmed with information before they’ve even agreed on a deal or accepted a position!

For this slide, it can be useful to display service or product information in a table or chart with product photography, or a few lines about each service you provide.

This helps to keep things visual and not too content-heavy, making the slide easy to follow and the information easier to retain!

The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Killer Branding Deck (With a Free Template)

Creating a killer branding deck doesn’t have to be difficult, however, that doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple aspects to consider and include.

From choosing your software right through to outlining your brand mission and values, hopefully this post has shed light on how to create a branding deck for your intended audience!

Whilst creating your own branding deck is certainly possible, it may result in a lot of your time being dedicated to this project that may be needed elsewhere. Therefore, it can be useful to hire a creative agency to do the work for you!

From branding decks, to brand guidelines, here at Canny we have worked with several brands to help them create the right visual document for them to send or present to their target audience.

If you feel your organisation could benefit from some help creating a branding deck to fit your company branding, or if need help with creating the content for particular slides, such as your brand mission and values, get in touch with our team!

Therefore, in order to reach their target audience, CPG brands have to be more and more specific with their offering, goals, and what customers can expect from them exactly.

It may be the products that have already been released but a new brand decides to offer efficiency that exceeds others on the market when it comes to delivery, shipping, and even customer service.

However, it may be that a CPG brand comes up with an entirely new brand concept altogether such as lab-grown meat (a sneak preview of our first example) and therefore must break into the market and secure the audiences attention.

The Branding Brief Template

The Branding Brief Template is a free template that will help you get the brief for your branding project right. W...

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We already have an ultimate guide on the Canny blog that will help you become more familiar with consumer goods branding, so be sure to check that out too!

However, in this post, we will be diving into specific examples of the CPG brands that have hit the nail on the head when it comes to packaging, branding, messaging, and market research.

We have included new start-ups from 2022 that are growing in popularity by the day, alongside some of the CPG giants that have ruled the market for decades.

So, let’s get going!

Credit to Meatable

Meatable: Lab-Grown Meat

Although there has been a definite shift to more of the population eating more consciously, there is still a large appetite for meat.

Therefore, Meatable saw this as an opportunity in 2022 and began creating lab-grown meat with stem cell technology in order to feed this appetite without harming the planet, or the animals and people living on it.

The company aren’t grounded in plant-based beliefs but instead wanted to fill a gap in the market by creating meat without the need for industrial farming, as they believe all meat is a fundamental part of the human diet.

Meatable is slightly different to plant-based and vegetarian brands such as Beyond Meat, Quorn, and Vivera, as they are looking to provide the best of both worlds:

Real meat that doesn’t have a negative impact upon animals and therefore doesn’t contribute towards climate change, helping to save the planet for future generations.

This idea has been supported by several venture capital firms and this has resulted in a whopping $60 million in funding for Meatable.

As a result, this makes this CPG brand one of the best-backed and supported startups of 2022!

We are not surprised either as this is a great example of a brand really looking into the future and providing exactly what the market is looking for.

As the market becomes more focused on saving the planet and therefore eating less meat, Meatable is making it possible to eat meat and look after the environment at the same time.

Credit to Eating Fine on a Dime

Smart Sweets

Onto a business in the snack section of CPG now, with Smart Sweets that provide low-sugar versions of all of our favourite childhood sweets.

From gummy bears, to “sweet fish” (we will let you do the guessing on which brand this takes inspiration from) to caramels, this CPG brand has managed to take what are usually considered unhealthy snacks, and convert them into plant-based versions with less than 5g of sugar.

The company started out in 2016 when founder Tara Bosch set out to create healthier versions of the worlds favourite candies, and once she had her recipes she found success on Dragons Den Canada, landing herself a partnership with Whole Foods.

This provided a perfect springboard for this CPG brand to grow as this supermarket chain focuses on healthy eating, gut health and living a plant-based lifestyle (the perfect partner for Smart Sweets and their mission and values.)

As a result of this pairing, Smart Sweets have expanded nationally by over 20,000 stores and 2020 was the year the company hit $100 million in sales, making it one of the fastest-growing CPG brands in the US.

As the market for sweets and candy is ever-growing it’s important for any new CPG brand to break into a new section of the audience by providing something unseen and unique.

This brand essentially offers a guilt-free, healthier option for those with a sweet tooth, helping to combat the effects excess sugar can have on the human body.

Surreal

Surreal’s rise to the top of the cereal industry has been nothing short of astounding.

Initially they found themselves up against American based counterpart Magic Spoon. But through their unique take on social media and other advertising campaigns (they’re truly hilarious!), they’ve managed to carve out a space for themselves.

Let’s not beat around the bush either, their brand marketing team is working overtime, and they’re absolutely smashing it.

They’ve positioned themselves as a great tasting, yet healthy, protein packed snack, and it’s working a treat.

They more than doubled their following between early 2022 and early 2023. They’re even managing to grow their LinkedIn company page, which is insane for a B2C CPG brand functioning on a B2B platform.

You love to see it!

Credit to The Kraft Heinz Company

The Kraft Heinz Company

Next up we have one of the leaders in CPG branding, as The Kraft Heinz Company own some of the biggest and most successful brands in the world.

With brands such as Capri-Sun, Philadelphia, and Jell-O part of the branding family, along with all of the Kraft and Heinz products, this makes this CPG brand in particular highly popular and recognisable.

The company own brands in countries all over the globe from France to Indonesia, and these brands have been, and still are, household staples for billions of people.

You’re not telling me you don’t have a Heinz ketchup bottle or Kraft Mac n Cheese box somewhere in your pantry or kitchen cupboard?!

The mission statement for this brand is “Let’s make life delicious”, which is simple, clear, and certainly effective as the overarching Kraft Heinz company owns thousands of products that are tried, tested and approved by millions.

Whether thats the addition of Heinz beans to your toast on a Saturday afternoon, some hearty mac n cheese on a rainy Wednesday evening, or Lunchables that are an easy win for your kids packed lunch.

This CPG brand have a product for just about every occasion and as well as making life delicious, they are a brand to rely on, with ready meals, condiments, beverages, and sweet and savoury snacks, you can’t go far wrong!

With a huge established CPG brand like The Kraft Heinz company, consistency and reliability are two key pillars that contribute to success. Therefore, by taking family favourite products under their wing and ensuring the taste and customer satisfaction remains top quality, the company are one of the best in the business!

Credit to Byrdie

Beautycounter

There is a growing market for clean, non-toxic beauty products as more consumers wish to take better care of their skin, and do so through products that are safe as well as effective.

Hence why Beautycounter has been successful since its establishment back in 2013.

This CPG brand is a direct to consumer (D2C) skincare and cosmetics company with a range of products stretching from skincare, to makeup, to bath and body care.

What makes this company stand out from competitors is the focus on their mission statement “beauty should be good for you”, as the brand wish to move towards a world where all beauty products are clean and safe to use.

Rather than testing on animals to improve efficiency and get products onto shelves, or including ingredients that aren’t suitable for human skin, Beautycounter do the complete opposite.

According to US law there are 1,500 products that are deemed “legal but questionable”, and other CPG cosmetic brands will use them when creating new products. However, Beautycounter distinguish themselves by leaving every single one of these ingredients out of their products.

Essentially, if ingredients aren’t confirmed as totally safe to use on the skin, this CPG brand don’t want anything to do with them!

The aim for Beautycounter is to give the industry a makeover and try to encourage the brands that aren’t adhering to the regulations to do so when it comes to safety in skincare.

Although, many cosmetic CPG brands outline that they avoid certain chemicals in their products, it’s not often the entire brand is hinged on this.

Bigger CPG brands such as L’Oreal and and M.A.C have recognisable taglines, “Because you’re worth it” and “All ages. All races. All sexes” and are founded on diversity, inclusivity and self-worth.

Beautycounter is a complete contrast as they are contributing to better skincare products and practices, which is fresh and stands out in the current market.

Credit to Being Online

Procter and Gamble

Procter and Gamble, or more commonly known as P&G, is one of the top 3 CPG companies in the world.

This CPG brand is US based and owns brands that fall in the category of hygiene, beauty, skincare, haircare, and medical products.

CPG doesn’t just extend to snacks and beverages but anything used up by customers on a regular basis.

Similarly to The Kraft Heinz Company, P&G own several brands that are trusted in billions of households, but on a different scale, as consumers expect something different from health and hygeine products.

For example, customers know what they’re signing up for when they put a chocolate bar or a bottle of wine in their shopping cart, they know to expect that the products are necessarily “healthy” but they aren’t claiming to be.

The chances are that particular consumer is looking for a friday night treat, not a product that is promising to keep them protected, safe, and clean!

However, when placing a box of Pampers nappies or Always disposable menstrual products in the basket, the expectation becomes slightly different. As although these items are still consumer packaged goods, if they promise to provide comfort for your child, or ensure your skin won’t become irritated, the brand needs to meet the standards they have set.

Procter and Gamble are an example of a brand who have succeeded in setting expectations for consumers and meeting them, and in turn have become “the people behind the brands you trust.”

Credit to Medium

BarkBox

Moving onto a CPG brand for pets now, with BarkBox, a subscription company that provides monthly boxes of goodies for your furry friends.

Each box contains 2 toys, 2 treats, and 1 chew and depending on which products your dog enjoys most, the BarkBox team can customise each package for you.

This means over 100,000 product variations go out to millions of dogs each month.

Personalisation is a key part of this CPG brand, and the company have ensured that every aspect of your pets personality is taken into consideration.

In order to signup for a BarkBox subscription users must go through a quiz answering questions about their dog such as the name, gender, size, and birthday, in order to better tailor each subscription to each individual customer.

The company have built up their customer base by going the extra mile and prioritising the individuality of each and every dog and now deliver to over 6 million dogs worldwide.

Monthly pet subscriptions certainly aren’t a new concept, however this CPG brand in particular have thought of everything. It’s clear that the attention to detail is what is urging customers to return to BarkBox to treat their dogs each month!

Credit to The Grocer

GoPuff

GoPuff is an American consumer goods and delivery service and works on a similar basis to the likes of UberEats and Deliveroo.

There are a wide range of products stocked on GoPuff similar to online supermarket stores, with sections including:

• Alcohol
• Healthcare
• Fresh fruit and veg
• Hot food
• Dairy products
• Electricals
• Toiletries
• Frozen food

Just think of any grocery store aisle name and the chances are GoPuff will have a dedicated section on their website and app!

However, what differentiates this brand from other CPG delivery service providers is the timescales in which consumers can receive their deliveries.

GoPuff promise to deliver to your door “in minutes” and have placed this at the centre of their overall branding, meaning no delivery time should ever reach 1 hour.

Although other CPG brands in this category promise delivery within 24 hours, or sometimes the same day, GoPuff have tapped into a niche market here by going on step further.

Along with cutting delivery fees, and setting the bar high for delivery times, GoPuff have additionally cut out the middle man (supermarkets) as they stock all of the products they sell in-house and bring them straight to you.

This CPG brand have taken the idea of efficiency and convenience and rolled it into one service that presents real competition for leading supermarkets all over the world.

Credit to CNET

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is an easy concept for a CPG brand, and quickly became the leading meal delivery box in the UK, and highly popular across Europe, Australia, the US, and Asia.

Essneitally the company send you pre-poritoned ingredients and a recipe card to make a meal in around or under 30 minutes.

Not only is the key takeaway from HelloFresh that you can save time and money, there is equally zero waste involved (and thats for all of the meal kits!)

This is what sets this brand apart from other meal kit delivery services as you are able to cook exactly what you need with no leftovers, decreasing the amount of packaging and food waste going into landfill.

Not only this but HelloFresh go one step further, and much like GoPuff, deliver their food boxes right to your doorstep, cutting out (or cutting down) the time you spend in grocery stores, as well as in the kitchen!

What’s interesting about this CPG brand in particular is it owes a lot of its popularity to influencer marketing, as YouTubers and influencers have worked with the brand for years promoting the service.

Influencers use their platform of choice to show themselves using the meal kits and cooking a range of dishes and then accompany these short clips or full videos with discount codes to drive people to the HelloFresh website.

As a result, followers become consumers and part of the HelloFresh community, and once signed up, the subscription service quickly becomes a regular feature in their weekly routine!

Credit to Refinery29

Function of Beauty

There seems to be a running theme when it comes to more modern CPG brands, as personalisation and customisation of products is at the core of so many companies.

Function of Beauty isn’t any different, as it is another brand that customises each and every product to the individual consumer.

The brand was established just 7 years ago in 2016, and quickly became popular as customers could go onto the website and take a quiz, answering questions about their hair to get products that were perfectly suited to their hair type.

The brand asks consumers to take a 2 minute quiz consisting of questions on:

• Hair type
• Hair structure
• Scalp moisture
• Colouring and hair treatment
• Hair goals
• Styling products and tools
• Styling goals

Then users can go on to name the bottle and choose the scent and strength of the scent.

If that isn’t tailored to each individual then I don’t know what is!

Then it’s as simple as typing in your email, receiving results and purchasing a product that you have essentially created for yourself.

Function of Beauty have taken on the name “the original custom haircare”, and boy have they lived up to it!

Their success has allowed them to expand into customisable skincare, and this again helps the brand continue to cater to the needs of each consumer.

As we mentioned above, this is a great example of a company tapping into a specific niche, as although the market for hair care products is vast, it can be difficult to provide everything for all hair types with one singular product.

But clearly for Function of Beauty the challenge was all too easy!

Credit to CNBC

Liquid Death

Onto our final successful CPG branding example now: Liquid Death.

A canned water brand that focuses heavily on reducing the amount of plastic we use in order to lessen the population’s impact on the environment.

Hence why their niche is “water in a can”, in order to avoid the use of plastic altogether.

This is yet another CPG branding example (similar to Meatable and HelloFresh) that puts sustainability at the core of their offering, which seems to be the trend when it comes to emerging CPG brands.

Each can is designed in a punk style with a skull’s head and at first glance, looks more like an energy drink or a beer rather than mountain water!

Despite the specific style of branding the company have gone for, they have no problem appealing to a wide audience due to the unique product and sarcastic tone of voice they use in campaigns and messaging.

The company are partnered with The Deep and use the hashtag #deathtoplastic to hammer home the core objective of their business.

Equally, Liquid Death has managed to build up relationships with celebrities such as Chase Crawford, Joe Manganiello, and Martha Stewart to further promote their brand and the values behind it in just 5 years of existence!

However, this CPG brand is the only example we’ve discussed in this post that has expanded to create products outside of the consumer packaged goods category by creating a watch in collaboration with Nixon, and their own line of plush cuddly toys.

However take this with a pinch of salt, as although the toys are made with recycled plastic, “Trashy the turtle” and “Wastey the whale” are designed to represent the impact plastic can have on ocean life.

Each plushie has either been killed due to plastic consumption or as a result of plastic becoming tangled around their neck or limbs (so we wouldn’t recommend this as a gift for the young ones in your life!)

Although slightly harrowing, this is both an effective use of recycled plastic, and a brilliant marketing technique to get people talking about the brand and of course, purchasing the canned water.

These CPG Brands Will Take Over the World (You Won’t Believe Their Success)

There we have it, a list of the CPG brands we think will take over the world, or are already halfway there!

We have included some older more established brands to showcase that reputation and longevity can lead to ongoing success in the consumer packaged goods industry. However, the focus has been upon younger brands started within the last 5-10 years (some even coming to fruition in 2022!) to show how innovation is key if you are going to find a gap in such a saturated market.

If anything this post has taught us (and hopefully you) that safe and sustainable products are growing in popularity whether that’s non-toxic skincare, or environmentally friendly meat.

Here at Canny we have worked with various CPG brands to create packaging and branding that stands out against competitors. McKinna Plant Labs, who created a brand of totally vegan dog food, is an example that comes to mind, as we helped to push them into the market gap and promote their product to the right audience.

If you have an idea for a CPG brand, or have an existing product that needs a refresh or a rebrand, get in touch with our team today!

Put simply, Homa are a gaming technology company that gives creators and game developers the tools and data to turn their video game ideas into a reality.

To attract more developers to their gaming lab the brand worked closely with Ragged Edge, who designed a brand new identity for the company, helping them to identify with each and every user and creator.

So, let’s get into the details of todays rebrand!

Credit to Underconsideration

The Logo

The new logo was a more obvious choice compared to the last, as there is now more of an emphasis on the pixelation of each letter used (not only in the logo but across the brand too!)

Each letter is perfectly squared off, creating a neat logo shape that provides a better tie-in to the fact that the company is centred around video games.

As the brand name has only 4 letters, each of these letters can be stacked on top of one another creating a larger square as shown in the image above.

This fits nicely above the tagline “game the system” and is equally better suited to fit onto branding elements such as the SDK SD card and the smartphone loading screen.

This concise and tidied-up logo provides a contrast to the wider gaming landscape imagery that is more chaotic and everchanging when animated.

Equally, this new logo does a much better job of outlining Homa as the video game expert, rather than a video game company.

Credit to Underconsideration

The Gaming Landscapes

Moving onto the more creative element of this rebrand now with the gaming landscapes created in collaboration with Visual Citizens.

These were in fact the first images that caught our eye when researching this rebranding project due to the brilliant colour palette that is unusual for the world of gaming, making it all the more appealing.

The designers used neutral tones for the landscapes, not forgetting to tie in the main pastel and neon pinks, creating a warm sunset-like palette with beiges, oranges, pinks, and purples.

There are also small introductions of green and blue in some of the landscapes which help to break the imagery up and also provide a more realistic touch as for example the grass and foliage in some landscapes are green.

Not only this, but each landscape design provides a range of different textures meaning they almost look like real rural environments but with a twist.

Each of the landscape images we came across are fashioned to look like the countryside but perhaps on another planet. There is a nice mixture of grass, water, and rocky surfaces but often the colours are mixed up to create scenes that look real at first glance, but upon further inspection look like something from outer space or a new and unseen gaming world.

These gaming landscapes do a great job at breaking through the predictable pixelated look of others out there, and each one really comes to life when animated.

Credit to Underconsideration

Animation

One thing this rebrand would suffer without is the use of animation.

It’s only right that this new identitY included moving features across the board, as Homa are a gaming lab supporting creators and developers.

Let’s begin with the gaming landscapes as each one is blended together through animation.

Each element for example a lake, or a boulder changes as a laser-type line flashes across the screen. It reminds us of a photocopier or a printer flash that zips across each section of the landscape image and it does a great job of transporting you to another world.

In addition to this, the logo is animated in all of its forms and this is a stronger nod to the pixelated video game style of animation. For the stacked logo, each letter flickers through the Homa alphabet of letters and symbols before landing on H, O, M, and A to spell out the brand name.

This then remains static as the background shows a very blurred-out video of different games being played by users.

For the regular logo, the animation is fairly similar with each letter flickering through from left to right on the pastel pink background and this style of animation is also used for the icons created for this rebrand.

These animations help to elevate the design choices made by Ragged Edge, Visual Citizens and Homa, and help to identify the company as the go-to gaming specialist.

Taking the Game Up a Level: The Homa Rebrand Explored

That’s a wrap on this week’s rebrand!

This new identity seems to hit all of the right futuristic notes and avoids positioning Homa as a company selling video games and instead puts the emphasis on knowledge, data, and a platform for creation.

The gaming landscapes and animations are by far the best aspects of this rebrand, as they bring a sense of other-worldness that the previous identity failed to do.

Equally, the sunset colour palette used for the landscapes, and the use of pink as the pillar colour, helps to set Homa apart from other gaming platforms, creators, and studios avoiding the primary colours we see all too often!

This new look strikes up a great balance between including traditional pixelated animations and icons and creating an exciting and unique platform for creators and developers to let their imagination take over.

Of course, this is just our take on the Homa rebrand, but we would love to know what you think! Let us know what you liked and what you think they could have done more effectively via the social links below.

This company produces alternative protein sources made from nutrient-rich mushroom roots, free from pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and animals!

Available online as a direct-to-consumer brand, the company have been slowly rolling out over the past year with an entirely new brand concept inspired by a 70’s colour palette and expressive typestyles.

The company worked together with Koto Studio to create branding that was bright, vibrant, cheery and engaging, in an ever-growing section of the CPG market.

So, let’s get started by looking at the brand-new logo!

Credit to Underconsideration

Logo Redesign

First up we have the redesigned logo which (in our opinion) is a much better look for this brand in particular.

Instead of a logo designed to look like a label, that is reminiscent of an old make of jam or marmalade, the updated typeface helps to bring Meati back to the modern day!

This typeface was none other than ‘Gooper’ which is rounded, softer, friendly and more inviting overall.

This matches up far better with the core values of the company and the new direction they are taking by focusing on positivity and radiating good energy.

Equally, this logo is better linked to the fact that each product is made from the mushroom root, as the roundness of each letter is much like the roundness of the cap of a mushroom.

For both the consumer products and the parent company the logos are slightly different, as for the consumer packaging and marketing the word “eat” is added above the brand name.

Although marked as unneeded by other designers and critics, we think the addition of the word eat above actually creates a nice slope effect to the brand logo. The transitions from the smaller “eat” to the larger “eat” looks quite nice and the different proportions add a little something extra to the consumer logo design.

The word we would use to describe both logo versions is welcoming, as for some reason the lack of capitalisation blended with the rounded lettering makes the brand feel far more inviting compared to the previous design.

Credit to Koto Studio

Icon, Animations, and Colour Palette

Next, we have the icon, animations, and colour palette which are arguably the best part of this rebrand overall.

The icon, or should we say Mo, is an animated cartoon character that represents Mycelium which is the protein taken from the mushroom root and used by Meati to create their products.

The purpose of this icon is to radiate positivity and happiness, two key drivers of the new direction for the Meati brand, and it’s certainly nice that the mascot isn’t just totally random.

Instead, Mo is an extension of the brand and helps to bring the branding to life. There are a few differentiations of the character as Mo is shown in both yellow and orange which adds depth to the mascot, and it helps that either way he doesn’t lose his personality!

When the icon is used in unison with the logo, Mo helps to bring the logo to life. Although the logo alone is solid and inviting, the incorporation of the icon only enhances the personality of the brand.

Equally, the animation of Mo has been executed brilliantly, as his facial expressions change and his entire being moves to reflect his different emotions from cheery, to “bummer”.

Equally, when Mo appears on the screen he appears to grow like funghi would as his roots or what could be considered ‘arms’, flow outwards to create his animated being.

Finally, an element that ties the entire branding together is the colouring used, as Koto decided to use a 70’s style colour palette focusing mainly around yellow and orange. However, additionally in order to amp this up further the agency went with earthy supporting shades of browns, beiges and greens.

Credit to Underconsideration

Product Photography

The colour palette shines through even more in the product photography and the style of each image is an obvious nod to the 70’s overall.

The aim for each product image was to reflect the feeling of sharing good food with loved ones, and the result is very effective. The agency used a diverse range of models for images and created various scenarios from people eating the Meati products to chopping up the plant-based steak or cutlet.

As we mentioned above the colour palette chosen for this rebrand is represented boldly within the product images, including models in brightly coloured clothing, tiled backgrounds in earthy colours, and vibrant tableware.

This imagery is where we really see the 70’s inspiration make a more obvious statement, and we have to say we like it!

Choose to Feel Good: The Meati Rebrand Explored

So, that’s our take on the Meati rebrand!

From the charming new icon that could be considered a brand mascot in his own right, to the overall 70’s design direction, there is a lot about this rebrand that we really love!

As the creating bold and engaging new branding that breaks into the market.

But again, that’s just our opinion, let us know what you liked, and even what you didn’t about this rebrand via the social links below!

If you’re a company working in the CPG sector, established or just starting up, it’s important to consider whether your branding is resonating with your audience, or getting lost in the sea of other product options.

So, in order to stand out your CPG branding must be on the mark, from the packaging design all the way through to the core values of your brand.

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In order to keep things clear from the get-go, CPG stands for consumer packaged goods, often used interchangeably with FMCG (but we will get into that below!)

This can be anything from toilet paper, to Coca-Cola, hence why we stated that CPG companies must create branding that will make customers desire the products no matter how mundane!

In this post we are going to explore CPG branding in all its glory, taking you through how to create a successful CPG brand strategy and providing some examples of companies that got it spot on!

But first let’s detail the difference between CPG and FMCG…

CPG and FMCG: What’s the Difference?

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) may seem one and the same, and in most cases each acronym can be used interchangeably.

This is because both CPG and FMCG are considered to be goods that require routine replacement and are often consumed and used daily.

For example, products such as:

• Food
• Beverages
• Cosmetics
• Cleaning products

These products are sold quickly, at a relatively low cost, and are often considered to make up the bulk of everyday household items.

The only slight difference between CPG and FMCG is that the products in the latter group are sold just slightly faster than those in the CPG category.

For example, if you head to your local grocery store to pick up your weekly essentials these would be in the category of FMCG.

However, if you were at the store and decided to pick up something from the cosmetics aisle such as a face mask or mascara, this would fall into the CPG category.

The distinction between the two is that in your weekly shop it’s unlikely that you’d be picking up a new face mask or mascara every time, whereas something like potato chips would likely end up in your cart everytime!

Despite CPG moving at a slower rate compared to FMCG, this doesn’t mean branding can fall behind as ultimately all products need to stand out in this oversaturated sector.

CPG Branding

Branding is what makes customers choose one product over another.

This applies for the branding of CPG products too.

However, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that branding is limited to packaging, colouring, and logo design.

Yes all of these elements are important as it is often the design that catches the eye of consumers, however without strong messaging and a good foundation of brand values it may be difficult to get customers to stay with you for the long run.

If your CPG product doesn’t showcase your offering as well as your brand story, customers may consider you for a one time purchase, then their loyalty may tail off as they don’t know what you stand for.

But more on that later!

So, it’s essential to combine both attractive design elements, with your brand mission and values in order for your CPG branding to be a success.

In the CPG sector a lot of products aren’t all bells and whistles and it can be hard to sell the likes of toilet paper, or disinfectant spray as these household items are used for an everyday purpose, not created to be adored by consumers.

That’s why packaging design is important, but branding it where it all begins.

Now we have covered what CPG branding is, it’s time to get stuck into how to create a CPG brand strategy!

How to Create a Winning CPG Brand Strategy

In order to build a brand that succeeds in the overwhelming CPG marketplace, it all starts with creating a solid brand strategy.

This involves getting down to the nitty gritty of what makes your brand unique, and why consumers should be choosing your product over competitors in the marketplace.

Creating a CPG brand strategy is no easy task, as it means getting to grips with everything there is to know about your brand and product.

By the end of the process you will have a solid and clear understanding on areas such as:

• Audience
• Competitors
• Brand identity
• Brand positioning
• Brand messaging
• Brand values
• Brand mission
• Brand guidelines
• Brand story
• Brand touchpoints
• Tone of voice

So, with that being said we are going to walk through the 5 stages of creating a corporate brand strategy, outlining the specific must-knows for CPG branding, so this can act as your ultimate guide.

Who

The foundation of your brand strategy starts with who you are targeting, and who you are up against in the industry.

Customer Personas

Understanding your customer is important for the branding of any product or service, but when it comes to CPG products things become slightly more complicated.

There will be a need for you to appeal to more than just consumers, but to wholesalers too.

If you wish for your products to be lining the shelves of the leading supermarkets you need to appeal to wholesalers first to get you there.

The list of criteria is slightly different for both audiences, so let’s start with wholesalers.

Let’s say you have a new brand of toilet paper, you need to differentiate it from competitors just enough to give wholesalers a reason to stock your product.

Do you have a price point that hasn’t yet been beaten?

Do you have enough stock to fulfil the needs of retailers and customers?

Can you convince customers that they need your products over competitor toilet roll brands?

If your answer is yes to all of these questions, then you’ll be well on your way to making deals with wholesalers,

However, if you are still building up your reputation, or the amount of stock you have, you may need to pause the process.

It can be difficult to be certain about price, customer demand, and availability, particularly if you’re a new start-up business. Therefore, we’d recommend starting by building up your customer base by selling directly to consumers and increasing sales first.

Competitor Research

Conducting analysis on your competitors within the CPG industry is key if you want to stand out in a market.

Ultimately there will be hundreds, if not thousands of brands selling a similar product to you so you need to know what they’re doing.

Let’s stick with the toilet paper example.

As we know there are thousands of toilet paper brands out there, some with cute mascots such as the Cushelle koala, or the Andrex puppy, some with a difficult to beat price, and some with quality that is yet to be rivalled.

At this point you will probably ask yourself “where does our toilet paper fit within the wider landscape?”

This is a question of positioning, a section which we will get onto soon, but it’s important to remember that you can learn so much from what others are doing well, and not so well.

It may be that one brand of toilet roll has good value for money, but the quality could be improved, or their identity is clouded and it’s unclear what the brand is promising to consumers.

At this stage, it’s worth researching your competitors and making a list of what they’re doing well, what elements of their branding you can take inspiration from, and what isn;t working so well for them .

Once you have this list you will have a better idea of your potential position in the market.

Conducting competitor research will give you insight into what is missing in the CPG sector, and help you to determine whether your brand can be the one to fill the gap and meet consumer needs!

What

Once you have made it clear who you are targeting, in the case of CPG branding we have outlined that it’s more often than not wholesalers, retailers, and consumers, it’s time to get into the meat of your brand.

This is the story behind your brand, what you do and why.

Brand Story

A brand story is how you tell consumers why they should buy your product.

Not just because they need it, or because they want it, but because your brand offers something more than others in the industry.

Let’s look at Kelloggs for a moment.

Founded back in 1895, the cereal company started from one type of cereal, Cornflakes, and ballooned into a breakfast empire. It was family founded and continues to be a family favourite across the world all because of its humble beginnings.

Consumers like to be told a story, and reminded of this and the memories associated with a brand every time they buy. Hence why Kelloggs are still so successful today, as it is a brand people know, love, and trust, and with a brand story so strong, it’s as if that brand was only founded yesterday!

Brand Values

Similarly to a brand story, brand values are equally important for CPG branding.

With a lot of the industry being made up from food, beverages, and cosmetics, it’s important to consumers that brands value what goes into products, as well as the effect the products may have elsewhere.

For example, why is it that nine times out of ten, people choose Ben and Jerrys when they head down the frozen aisle, over the supermarket’s own brand of ice cream?

Yes the great taste and the unique flavours, but beyond that the company have always been clear and honest about who they are.

They value human rights, social and economic justice and are committed to making a positive impact on the environment.

This isn’t just written on their “Values” page on the website and forgotten about, but it is shown across their marketing and branding too, as they company comment on current affairs, and create petitions to send to the government to make positive change.

This is an example of a brand whose values are at the core of their branding, as just as they want to create a product that has limited effects on health and the environment, they have created a community for consumers to join them and battle worldwide issues.

Why

Now it’s time to really strip things back and think about why your CPG brand exists in the first place.

This comes down to two main elements: what is the purpose of your product, what do you want your product to achieve and why?

Brand Mission

When considering what your brand mission is, it’s useful to keep things super simple and answer these two questions:

• What do we do
• Why do we do it

These two answers will form the basis of your brand mission statement that will likely become the focus of your packaging (which comes later down the line).

So, let’s say you own a face wash brand, your mission statement could be something along the lines of:

“We provide a quality face cleanser, to keep your skin looking clearer and healthier”

This makes it clear exactly what you are providing to consumers, and what you are guaranteeing your product can do for their skin.

Creating a mission statement helps to keep all CPG branding elements aligned, as both your company, staff, wholesalers, and consumers know who you are, and what you will always provide as a brand.

Where

Onto the long-awaited brand positioning now, and this will help to outline where your brand will sit in the CPG market.

Brand Positioning

As we mentioned earlier, your competitor’s research will help with this step, as you may already have answers to some of the questions you’ll need to ask yourself.

It can be difficult to determine exactly where you plan for your brand to sit among competitors, let alone where you expect your brand to be in the next year or two, so start by asking yourself:

• Who are our biggest industry competitors currently?
• Who is our cheapest competitor and who is our most expensive competitor?
• How are we different from other brands in this market?
• Where does our brand sit between these competitors?

Often in the CPG sector brands are offering a highly similar product inside but with very different packaging and messaging on the outside. This is what determines brand positioning.

It’s the outside appearance of the product that places it within its rankings, along with price, availability, and reliability.

In short, think about the Walmart Great Value chocolate bars, compared to Hershey’s chocolate bars.

Now we aren’t about to rip apart the branding of Walmarts chocolate bars but it’s clear that Hersheys have spent years and years solidifying their position in the world of chocolate.

They have luxury style packaging, a logo with a wordmark that has remained the same for decades, and built up a loyal customer base who would choose a Hershey’s bar over many other brands, any day of the week .

Like we said, this does not discredit the taste, packaging, or overall branding of the Walmart Great Value candy bars, but Hersheys will most likely be chosen first if the option is there.

This is how Hersheys, and many other huge CPG brands can charge more for their products as they have established their position in the market, and know that customers will pay more for their product rather than stray from the brands they love and believe in.

How

We are onto the final step, and that is how you are going to get your product onto shelves, online, and in front of your target audience.

At this stage you should have established who you are, what you stand for, your purpose and your audience, so the only thing left to do is create a packaging and a marketing plan to match.

But first, let’s start with your brand identity.

Brand Identity

This is the moment in which you need to pin down exactly what makes your brand unique.

To create your brand identity, it’s important to include aspects such as:

• Your logo design
• The font and typeface you will use
• Your colour palette
• Any photography and imagery
• Your print material designs
• Your social media appearance
• Your packaging design

Although all components of your brand identity are important, packaging is particularly important for CPG brands.

When consumers are busying around the grocery store looking to get the items they need in their basket they will be faced with an array of different brands offering the next best option for them.

Whether it’s toothpaste, toilet roll, chocolate, or potato chips, there are a variety of options already available on the shelves so your CPG packaging must stand out.

If you miss the mark on colouring, or your mascot is looking a bit too creepy, this could result in a decrease in sales and your brand positioning will plummet.

If you’re offering an affordable option of a product and that is at the core of your values and mission statement be sure to include it,but don’t then scrimp on design of your packaging.

This will put consumers off as it will be obvious they have gone for the cheap option as your packaging is dull, you have a rather generic logo, and your entire brand is about saving money.

Consumers want to feel drawn to packaging design.

Think about how it feels shopping for coffee, do you go for the plain red tin that says “Instant Coffee”, or do you browse through the glass jars that show the product inside and use rich browns and golds to accentuate the taste of the product.

If you said the red tin, we don’t believe you.

Being a consumer is an experience and when overwhelmed with so many choices for all products in the CPG market, customers want to be faced with an option that jumps out to them and sells itself with its appearance.

Brand Touchpoints

The grocery store shelves aren’t the only place your audience will come into contact with your product, as if you have a website, social media channels or other marketing and advertising materials this may be the first time they see your brand.

Each time a consumer comes into contact with your brand, you need to ensure they have a positive experience. It’s not enough just having one touchpoint that succeeds and others that don’t retain your customers’ attention.

After all, consumers might see your advert on a billboard on their morning commute, then visit your website, and then go into a store to see your product for themselves.

That’s more than one occasion where a consumer is coming into contact with your CPG branding, so make sure they work together, and ensure your audience are moving towards making a purchase!

Brand Messaging

As much as packaging design is a vital part of how you are going to attract your audience to your product, your brand messaging is what will evoke emotion and push them to become a customer.

This can be best presented in the form of an advertisement or mission statement that connects with an entire audience at the same time.

Linking advertisements back to your mission statement is a great way to solidify your brand messaging and we see hundreds of brands do this time and time again.

Be sure to consider what emotion you want to strike up in your audience:

• Are you looking to make them laugh with your cheeky brand mascot?
• Are you looking to make them trust you by pledging your commitment to the future of the environment?
• Are you looking to surprise them with your low prices and value for money?

Whatever it is, be sure to match this to what you are saying.

Don’t claim the lowest prices if your product actually costs more, and don’t promise something you can’t fulfil.

This way your audience knows what to expect from you and knows what they can rely on you to deliver.

Tone of Voice

Going hand in hand with brand messaging is your brand tone of voice.

This is how you choose to word what you want to say to your audience.

If you’re launching a children’s cereal, the last thing on your mind is being sarcastic or serious as children won’t understand and it doesn’t put across the right message.

Instead you need to come across fun, friendly to appeal to young ones, and reliable and safety conscious for parents. This way your voice appeals to both audiences and both children and parents know what they’re getting: a tasty cereal with health in mind.

The Best CPG Branding Examples

Now it’s time to move onto examples of CPG brands that are ultimately the best in the business.

They have cracked all elements of their brand strategy, so much so that they are household names and we can almost guarantee that you have a product from one of these huge CPG organisations lying around your kitchen or bathroom.

So, let’s kick things off with Nestlé!

1. Nestlé

Nestlé owns a variety of sub brands in the CPG industry, including Nestlé Toll House Cafe, KitKat, Nespresso, Purina, San Pellegrino, and Stouffer’s to name but a few.

There is a reason why we recognise Nestlé products as we browse the aisles and surf the web, and that is because of their heavy focus on brand identity, packaging design, and most of all brand positioning.

The CPG giant adopts a position in the market that is attractive to a large audience by producing products that are affordable, safe, high-quality, and nutritious. This makes the majority of their products suitable and accessible to an exceptionally large global market.

Equally the mission statement for Nestlé is short, sharp and allows consumers and wholesalers to see exactly why the CPG brands do what they do. The statement reads:

“Our purpose is clear. To unlock the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone today, and for generations to come.”

Nestlé is a great example of a CPG brand that is clear about its brand strategy throughout all elements of branding, and prioritises the needs and desires of consumers.

2. PepsiCo

Owner of companies such as Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Quaker, and Gamesa, PepsiCo are a leading CPG company.

Their brand mission is loud and clear as it is to: “Create more smiles with every sip and every bite” which aligns perfectly with the CPG products that they sell.

Not only this but similarly, their values are split into 5 key sections: consumers, customers, communities, the planet, and shareholders, showcasing that the organisation is prepared to do their bit for every single group within their audience, not just selling products to consumers.

One value that stands out within the PepsiCo brand strategy is the love for people, as all of their strategies form branding, to marketing, to design are human centric and this is something that connects well with audiences.

Consumers want to be sure that the company they’re buying from values their workforce, and this is clearly showcased through the carefully thought out brand touchpoints for each and every product.

PepsiCo are a huge CPG organisation that connects talented professionals allowing them to create product packaging designs relevant to their audience that ultimately showcase the diverse and exciting culture of the company.

Hence why PepsiCo products are so popular, and so successful!

3. L’Oréal

Known as a world leader in Beauty, L’Oréal are very much still a CPG brand dedicated to the mission of providing the best cosmetics in terms of quality, efficacy and safety.

Despite L’oréal products being sold in high street drugstore chains such as Boots, Superdrug, Ulta, and Nordstrom, the L’Oréal Groupe own a considerable amount of high-end luxury brands, as well as other drugstore brands that are more accessible.

The group is split into 4 categories: L’Oréal Luxe, Consumer products, Active cosmetics, and Professional products.

So, it may even be said that the cosmetic CPG brand appeals to all audiences possible, providing brands such as YSl, Kiehls, and Prada as well as, CeraVe, Garnier, and Kérastase.

This blend of products appeals to a wide audience and each has a sleek and unique brand identity that all seem to fit neatly under the L’Oréal Groupe umbrella.

Equally, this CPG brand is clean and clear when it comes to brand values and ethics which is just as important for audiences when it comes to beauty, skin and haircare products. L’Oréal have a strong board and leadership figures that are committed to ethics and sustainability.

Your Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to CPG Branding (with examples)

So, there we have it, your ultimate step-by-step guide to CPG branding.

We have covered the vital steps to get you from product production, to creating the right brand strategy for your business, to getting your product onto shelves!

As we said above, it all starts with brand strategy as without it you will have nothing to base your offering around and your target audience won’t know why they should come to you over industry competitors.

In such a large global industry where new products are created and enter the sector with new messaging and bigger and better offerings, it can be difficult to know where to begin, let alone how to solidify your strategy.

At Canny we are branding experts, with the right knowledge on how to create the right identity for you and your product that aligns with your company values and goals. We have worked with many CPG brands, OPI Frutta is one that spring to mind, helping them to create great branding and packaging to match!

If you need a little bit of support or guidance in the branding department or need to hire an agency to take the pressure off, get in touch with the team here at Canny today!

Regardless of which term you use, this comprehensive analysis enables you to evaluates the effectiveness and success of different strategies so that you can make better informed decisions.

Whilst this might sound simple, many brands struggle to analyse their performance which can lead to a whole lot of guessing. Not only is this risky, but also very costly as you could spend a lot of money on something that just isn’t working.

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There’s a few reasons why companies struggle to create a brand performance report, one of which involves not knowing which key performance indicators (KPIs) to track.

There’s also so many different metrics related to branding that it can be difficult knowing where to start. For instance, do you need a brand equity report or a brand awareness report?

It all depends on what you’re trying to measure and what your business quantities as ‘successful’.

In this post we’ll be looking at brand performance reports in full, covering the various ways to effectively analyse your brand performance. We’ll also be providing a brand report example to give you an idea of how to compile your own.

And if that’s not enough, we’ll be answering some of your most burning questions such as ‘What’s included in a branding report?’ and, ‘what are the differences between a brand audit and a brand report?’.

Let’s get started.

What Is a Branding Report?

A branding report is an evaluation of any branding strategies and methods implemented. By using key metrics, company’s can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the brand.

The goal of a brand report is to make improvements where necessary and to identify what works.

“Brand is a long term sustainable competitive advantage that any business can create that is really hard to unseat. Whereas somebody else can copy your feature, someone else can copy your sales model. These other things are all short term, whereas brand is a long term, durable, sustainable competitive advantage.”
– Brad McGinity, CRO of 15Five

Keep in mind that branding isn’t limited to just a name and a logo. It covers every touchpoint – from brand identity all the way through to web presence.

That being said, not every brand report needs to be as comprehensive as it sounds. You might choose to hone in on one particular area, such as social media marketing and analyse your performance on specific platforms to then compare with others.

Why Is a Brand Performance Report Important?

As we’ve discussed, a brand report helps you understand the strengths and weakness of your brand efforts so you know what areas to improve.

The same way you would compile a marketing report to analyse your marketing activities, a branding report is essential for understanding the brand’s current state.

Other reasons why a brand performance report is important are:

A brand report is important for several reasons:

Performance evaluation

A brand report provides a comprehensive assessment of a brand’s performance, allowing stakeholders to gauge the effectiveness of their branding strategies and initiatives.

Insight into consumer perception

A brand report includes analysis of consumer perception and feedback, providing valuable insights into how the brand is perceived in the market. Understanding consumer attitudes and preferences helps refine brand messaging, positioning, and customer experience.

Competitive Analysis

Companies can include a competitive analysis which allows them to compare the brand’s performance and market position against its competitors. This helps identify competitive advantages, market gaps, and potential threats, informing strategies for differentiation and market positioning.

Strategic direction

By evaluating key metrics, market trends, and consumer insights, a brand performance report guides the formulation of strategic decisions and plans. It helps define future goals, objectives, and initiatives to enhance brand equity, expand market reach, and drive growth.

Communication and alignment

A brand report serves as a tool for communication and alignment among stakeholders. It provides an verview of the brand’s identity, positioning, and performance, facilitating a shared understanding across teams.

How Often Should I Conduct a Brand Report?

How often you conduct a brand performance report depends on various factors.

These include the brand’s size, industry, competitive landscape, and the pace of market changes.

However, as a general rule, it is recommended to conduct a brand report at least once a year as this allows for a comprehensive evaluation of the brand’s performance over a significant period.

As well as the annual brand report, it can be useful to compile smaller reports throughout the year to focus on specific areas of interest. For example, if you’ve just launched a recent branding initiative or campaign then it can be beneficial to conduct a branding report to measure the impact.

The exact frequency should be determined based on the circumstances of the brand and its industry. If the brand operates in a highly competitive market, more frequent brand reports may be necessary. On the flip side, brands in less dynamic industries may choose less frequent brand reports, such as every two years.

Ultimately, the key is to strike a good balance between carrying out regular insights into brand performance and allowing sufficient time to evaluate the impact of branding strategies.

Measuring Brand Performance Effectively

Time to get down to the nitty gritty. It’s time we talk about measuring brand performance effectively in your branding report.

This is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of branding strategies, understanding customer perception, and driving strategic decision-making.

You might think that branding is next to impossible to measure; after all, how can you really quantify certain aspects of branding?

You measure performance through specific metrics, these include:

• Brand Awareness
• Brand Equity
• Brand Sentiment/Perception
• Brand Consideration
• Brand Loyalty

All of the above are key KPIs that will help you evaluate your brand effectively, and help you structure your reports.

Let’s begin by breaking down the importance of measuring brand awareness.

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is what you might call ‘a cornerstone metric.’ It tells you how recognisable your branding is currently. Knowing your current positioning is incredibly important, as it underpins every decision moving forwards.

To measure brand awareness you need to be using the right tools and metrics. Choosing the right KPIs will allow you to measure this effectively, these include top-of-mind awareness, unaided awareness and aided awareness.

• Top-of-Mind Brand Awareness: Is your brand the first people think of when they think of a certain product or service (i.e. coffee = Starbucks)?
• Unaided Brand Awareness: Will your target audience name your brand without a prompt (i.e. tech company = Samsung)?
• Aided Brand Awareness: Does your target audience know your brand at all when asked direct questions?

Aided brand awareness would involve questions like:

‘Have you heard of Nike?’

These questions will give you a pretty good idea of where you’re at. The goal of every brand should be a top-of-mind option. If you’ve hit that peak then it might be worth focusing on brand consideration and usage.

How to Measure Brand Awareness

To measure brand awareness, businesses can use surveys, brand recall tests, social media reach, and website analytics. Tracking metrics such as brand mentions, search volume, social media followers, and website traffic can all provide valuable insights into the reach and visibility of the brand.

Brand Equity

Brand equity represents the intangible value associated with a brand, including consumer perceptions, brand loyalty, and brand associations.

Including this in your brand report is important because it provides a measure of your brand’s strength and influence in the market.

It reflects consumer trust, preference, and loyalty, allowing you to assess your competitive advantage. By tracking brand equity over time, you can identify areas for improvement and more informed decisions.

An example of a B2B brand with a lot of brand equity is Adobe. It’s well known for offering a wide range of software products and services for creative professionals and businesses with products like Adobe Creative Cloud and Acrobat.

Ultimately, Adobe has built a strong brand equity based on creativity and innovation making the brand highly regarded in the design, marketing, and content creation industry.

How to Measure Brand Equity

To measure brand equity, businesses can employ various approaches such as brand equity surveys, customer loyalty metrics (repeat purchase rate, customer retention), and brand perception studies. These methods help measure the emotional connection and loyalty consumers have towards the brand.

Analysing Brand Sentiment and Brand Knowledge

Brand sentiment is how people feel about your brand and the emotions they feel when they interact with it.

Brand knowledge refers to how familiar people are with your values, products, messaging, and positioning.

Brands that excel in this department will always have the upper hand as customers will have formed a deep connection with the brand. In fact they’ll often think of you even when you’re not directly marketing to them.

For example, they might see a colour or hear a certain phrase and automatically make that connection.

How to Measure Brand Sentiment and Brand Knowledge

SurveyMonkey is the first brand sentiment/brand knowledge tool that comes to mind. The email marketing tool allows you to be direct in your questioning, distributing surveys direct to the source. Surveys and online focus groups are still just as viable in the digital age, if not more.

Another option is a platform known as Awario, which tracks every time your brand is mentioned across the web – everywhere from Reddit to blogs. One of the best things about the platform is it highlights potential influencers.

Brand Consideration

Brand consideration measures how often consumers think about a brand when deciding what to buy in a particular product category.

Including brand consideration in a brand report is important because it provides valuable insights into a brand’s competitive position, purchase intent and brand perception.

By understanding how often consumers consider a brand and the factors that influence their consideration, businesses can develop effective competitive strategies and identify opportunities for brand growth.

How to Measure Brand Consideration

Business can use surveys, questionnaires, and consumer polls to directly ask respondents about the brands they typically consider when making purchases. They could also conduct focus groups or interviews to delve deeper into consumers’ thought processes and understand the factors influencing their brand consideration.

Additionally, monitoring online discussions, social media mentions, and online search behavioUr related to brands within the product category can provide valuable insights into brand consideration levels.

Brand Loyalty

Retaining business from your target audience has a lot to do with brand loyalty, which does determine how good or how bad your brand is doing.

A loyal base will do most of the selling for you, either buying themselves or encouraging others to buy your products by word of mouth, as mentioned.

How to Measure Brand Loyalty

To measure brand loyalty, you should be looking at the following metrics:

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Repurchase Ratio
• Loyal Customer Rate
• Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Customer reviews and social media mentions are also quality signs that your brand is establishing loyalty in the areas that matter. Remember, a loyal customer is one that will choose you over a competitor every time.

Do keep in mind that there are factors that can negatively affect brand loyalty and brand usage. A poorly built website, for example, will undermine sales and even damage the image of the brand despite other areas being strong.

Bounce rate will give you an idea of how your website is performing, including which pages work better than others. Heat maps are also very helpful as they outline the areas of your site people interact with most.

How this Applies to Brand Performance

Brand performance has a lot to do with your overall branding goals. How well you generate sales, increase awareness, grow brand equity and increase engagement will determine how you’re performing.

Sales volume and frequency is one of the most common brand goals. In this instance your brand is running at optimal levels when your audience is buying your products, using them, and recommending them to others.

If your goal is to increase brand awareness, then looking at the number of engagements on social media platforms will help determine performance. Just remember to check the quality of these engagements as negative comments could mean you aren’t performing as well as you’d hope, and aren’t getting the message across properly.

Not every brand goal is the same, and we get that. That being said, the tools and KPIs mentioned will apply to a range of goals in some way or another.

We can’t stress the importance of Google Analytics enough for gathering key data and metrics. And let’s not forget about SurveyMonkey in the gathering of qualitative data to run alongside anything quantitative.

Once you have everything you need, it’s time to wrap it all up in a branding report!

What To Include In a Branding Report

You’ve done the research and you’ve effectively analysed your brand’s performance in line with your goals and objectives.

Now comes the fun part!

In order for your branding report to be the best version of itself it can be it needs to be focused, presenting relevant information in line with whatever you’re reporting on.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you should include in a branding report:

• What Worked
• What Didn’t
• Statistics
• Recommendations

Brand Reports are numbers-focussed so it’s important that you include percentages to highlight performance.

Try to also include takeaways or context to the statistics if you can as this will help those reading the brand report understand it better.

Brand Report Example

Now that we’ve explored what makes up your brand performance report, it’s time to look at a brand report example.

We’ve based this on a false, tech company to give you an idea of how to compile your own brand report and the level of detail to include.

Executive Summary:

The brand report for Tech X Solutions provides a comprehensive analysis of the brand’s performance, market position, and key metrics. The report highlights the brand’s strengths, areas for improvement, and strategic recommendations for enhancing brand impact and growth.

Brand Overview:

Tech X Solutions is a leading technology company specialising in innovative software solutions for businesses in various industries. The brand has a strong reputation for its cutting-edge products, exceptional customer service, and commitment to technological advancements. Tech X Solutions’ brand values revolve around reliability, expertise, and driving digital transformation for its clients.

Key Metrics:

Brand Awareness: Tech X Solutions has achieved a significant level of recognition in the target market. Surveys and market research data indicate that the brand enjoys high levels of aided (80%) and unaided (60%) brand recall. Furthermore, website analytics show consistent organic search traffic, with a year-over-year increase of 25%, and increasing brand mentions on social media platforms, with a 40% rise in brand-related discussions.

Brand Perception and Image: The brand perception of Tech X Solutions is positive and aligned with its desired positioning. Customer feedback, focus groups, and sentiment analysis indicate that the brand is perceived as innovative (85%), trustworthy (90%), and reliable (88%). Customers appreciate the brand’s user-friendly products (92%), excellent customer support (95%), and continuous efforts in delivering cutting-edge solutions.

Brand Consideration: Through market research surveys and competitor analysis, Tech X Solutions has a strong brand consideration among target customers. Consumers consistently include Tech X Solutions as one of their top options when considering technology solutions within the industry. Factors such as product quality, reputation, and customer satisfaction contribute to the brand’s high consideration levels, with a 70% consideration rate among the target audience.

Brand Loyalty: Tech X Solutions enjoys a significant level of brand loyalty among its existing customer base. Customer retention rates stand at 85%, indicating a strong affinity for the brand. Repeat purchase behavioUr further reinforces brand loyalty, with 70% of customers making multiple purchases from Tech X Solutions. The brand’s focus on building long-term relationships, personaliSed customer experiences, and ongoing support contributes to fostering brand loyalty.

Recommendations:

Based on the findings of the brand report, several recommendations are proposed to further enhance Tech X Solutions’ brand performance. These recommendations include strengthening marketing efforts to increase brand awareness, aiming for a 10% growth in aided brand recall within the next year, leveraging customer testimonials and case studies to build credibility, investing in ongoing customer relationship management to further increase brand loyalty by 10%, and exploring partnerships and collaborations to expand the brand’s reach and market presence, targeting a 15% increase in market share over the next two years.

The Difference Between a Brand Report and a Brand Audit

Anyone that is familiar with a brand audit (we have a post on it for anyone not in the know) might be unsure how this differs from a brand report.

Whilst both are tools used in brand management, they each serve a unique purpose.

A brand report typically provides an overview of a company’s brand identity and performance, focusing on key metrics such as brand awareness, market positioning, and customer sentiment.

It often includes quantitative data gathered from market research, customer surveys, and competitive analysis. This report aims to give stakeholders a snapshot of the brand’s current state and may offer recommendations for improvement.

On the other hand, a brand audit is a more in-depth analysis of a brand’s internal and external components. It delves into the brand’s history, values, messaging, visual identity, and overall consistency.

A brand audit also scrutinises the brand’s alignment with its target audience, market trends, and competitors, aiming to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This process involves a qualitative assessment and provides a deeper understanding of the brand’s essence and its potential for growth.

While a brand report summarises data and suggests strategies, a brand audit offers a holistic perspective on the brand’s health and guides long-term brand development efforts. Essentially, the former is a snapshot, while the latter is a diagnostic tool for brand enhancement.

Still not sure how to discern one from the other? Not to worry, our next two points should help make the difference.

Brand Audits Can Be Handled Externally

Both are weighted the same in terms of importance, only not every marketer/marketing manager will be asked to pull together a brand audit. Sometimes, an external party steps in to gather the relevant data for you.

Why they do this comes down to how unbiased marketing folk can be when evaluating their own performance. Brand reports, on the other hand, are typically handled internally and shared internally to heads of department and even some of the higher-ups.

That’s another one of the differences:

Brand audits apply to specific departments, whereas a brand report can be shared throughout the company.

Brand Reports Are More Common

Ask any marketing manager or gun-ho marketer which they do more – a brand report or a brand audit – and they’ll almost always say the former.

Reporting is a lot more common than you think given the number of strategies that revolve around brand these days.

Circle Research found that 77% of marketers feel branding is a crucial factor in future growth. It’s an eye-opening statistic, one that explains perfectly why things like personalised billboards, social media campaigns, and email marketing are all promoting brand.

And with every effort, comes a branding report that follows. Otherwise, how would you know to do the same method again? You’d just be spending money without any regard for growth if you never reported on it.

The Branding Report: How to Analyse Your Brand Performance

We’ve covered a lot in this post, enough for you to form reports of your own based on your own experiences in the branding department. Just remember to focus on the KPIs that align with your goals, as this is how you monitor performance effectively.

More and more businesses are understanding the power that branding has over long term goals. It’s why creating effective branding-based reports are so important to ensure that all strengths are capitalised on and all weaknesses have solutions.

Branding reports and brand audits, both are paramount in understanding your current positioning, plus room for growth in your respective market.

Staying on top of branding will also ensure that you’re constantly ahead of your competitors, as you’re constantly adapting to engage your target audience. Branding that stagnates will almost always have a negative impact on the business as a whole.

Branding Report FAQs

What is a branding report?

A branding report measures the brand as a whole or any relevant brand strategies/methods, highlighting strengths and weaknesses as shown through data/metrics and any relevant factors.

How do you write a brand analysis report?

First, start by identifying what you want to analyse within the report. Then begin pulling together relevant information to include within your brand report. From there, simply outline your findings, but try to be concise with how you present your findings. Don’t overthink it.

Which are the best brand KPIs to monitor?

The best brand KPIs to track brand performance include brand sentiment, brand perception, brand consideration, brand value and brand loyalty. Which you choose to evaluate will depend on your goal/objectives.

In recent weeks we’ve looked at an orange soda company in Tuborg Squash, and just last week, a high-end fashion brand splitting its name in two.

But this week we’re flying in a completely different direction — ‘flying’ being the appropriate word.

Enter HomeAid West Lothian, a voluntary organising known for recycling old furniture and supporting members of the local community who face social and economic exclusion.

They provide essential furniture and white good requirements for people who were once home homeless and now looking to furnish their homes.

In short, its an organisation offering an important service to those in need.

The organisation now has a new brand identity, one that communicates the helpful nature of its work a lot better.

Let’s review the new logo in full.

Credit to DO

A Red Pigeon Full of Personality

Easily the best part of this rebrand is the pigeon.

This helpful little guy/gal is a lot more effective compared to the little house that featured in the old branding.

Speaking of the old branding, the differences here are night and day. The old branding looked like it was done in Microsoft Paint, where this pigeon approach is a lot more refined, not to mention, charming.

It’s an incredibly minimalistic design (just look at its legs) but it works in carrying the message, the message being:

Pigeons build homes using sticks, in a similar way to how HomeAid takes furniture and helps others pad out their homes.

The concept is playful and interpersonal in the best way, which explains why it looks so good on mock-ups, tote bags and delivery vans.

A Bold New Typeface to Follow

The sketch-like pigeon works really well as a direct contrast to the bolder typeface found in the updated version.

It goes without saying, but the new typeface is a lot better in contrast to the old one. It’s a lot cleaner, it isn’t as spaced out, and it’s a lot more emotive.

Whoever came up with the idea of putting the sticks in the word ‘Aid’ deserves a big pat on the back too.

Doing this highlights the word and plays into the overall brand concept of HomeAid helping people in need.

Credit to DO

Signage that Carries the Message Further

HomeAid have wasted little time in getting the new message out there. The new signage looks really good both inside and outside of HomeAid’s West Lothian location.

Outside is where it really shines. The choice of putting the pigeon on one wall and all the important information on the other is a great touch, one that really grabs your attention.

The white walls help the red really pop from off the wall. Needless to say, it’s a 10/10 from us on the signage front.

Cooofee and the letterhead

The pigeon concept works well on signage and whatnot, but how does it fare on other marketing materials such as letterheads?

Really well, as expected, although the choice of including the red pigeon on a coffee cup with the words ‘Cooofee’ on it is an odd one. Still, we appreciate the attention to detail shown by the design agency who put this all together.

Credit to DO

Twig Graphics for a Personal Touch

The pigeon works so well because it has various twigs (or sticks depending on what you like to call them) accompanying it no matter where it’s featured.

These twigs, again, are rather minimalistic, which kind of works in establishing a connection between the bird and its home.

Also, the pigeon is always shown with a twig in its mouth or looking directly at where the twigs are. Little details like this go a long way in communicating the appropriate message.

On the various signage, the twigs are used to display important information. On the outside picture featured above, the HomeAid website and telephone number are listed.

This works on so many levels, and doesn’t feel too out of place what with them appearing at an angle.

The message is clear, despite the free-flying approach.

A Message Now Carried By Pigeon: The HomeAid Rebrand Explored

The differences between the old logo — one that looks like it was made in the early 2000s — and the updated look, are night and day.

Concept-wise, the red pigeon was implemented perfectly, making for a much more memorable brand.

It’s always great to see charities and organisations go through the rebranding process and come out the other side better off.

Now HomeAid has a strong branding foundation to build on top of, one that could lead to increased interest, therefore helping them extend their reach and help more people find the furniture they need.

The old HomeAid branding is a classic case of ‘branding stuck in the past.’ This new approach is bound to make a big difference socially.

Props to DO, an Edinburgh-based studio that worked on this one.

In an ever changing society, more and more audiences are delving into health and fitness. The sportswear and fitness industry is being redefined by our need for convenience and more acceptable price points.

This is without even touching on social and environmental issues.

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Having the right balance between visual identity, story, and brand strategy can be key to creating or relaunching a successful sportswear or fitness brand.

This list will give you some examples of sportswear and fitness brands that have adapted to these changes in the industry.

Blow the whistle.

Branding by Darrin Crescenzi Studio

Reebok

Starting with something simple. Reebok is a sportswear and fitness brand that has, as silly as this may sound, looked back to move forward. I loved Reebok as a kid, and as I have grown older Reebok have transitioned from a more specific sports brand, to a more general fitness brand. The newer brand includes a triangle mark and changed typography that seems to have lost the recognisable aspects of Reebok.

So they decided to revert back to an older logo of the 90’s with a bit of tidying up. Bringing back the nostalgia of what I used to love about Reebok, along with coinciding with a huge influx of retro fashion and sportswear.

Presumably the design brief of their most recent rebrand (they seem to have had quite a few!), was to make them cool again.

Reebok haven’t just brought an old logo back from the dead though. The world has changed dramatically since the 90’s, the Chicago Bulls aren’t doing so good, and you aren’t allowed to smoke in pubs (if you are in europe). Mobile Phones have taken over and that means a lot smaller screens than “back in the day”. So Reebok have updated their 90’s logo to have slimmer typography and more space in between the marks elements. Making it more legible at small sizes.

Now for most new brands they will not have brand equity built up like Reebok to fall back on. But looking back is a good idea when trying to make a change. So look back on why you created the brand, look back on styles that have come back into fashion. You might just be missing something that could reinvigorate your brand.

24 Hour or Budget Gyms

With our working and home lives getting busier and busier and health and fitness becoming more a part of everyday life. The rise of the 24 hour gym or budget gyms has been massive.

The need for convenience and the ability to hit price points that don’t break the bank are key in today’s gym brands. And gym brands like Xercise4Less, Pure Gym and The Gym Group have recognised this.

Offering 24 hour access is great for the busy bodies and the more shy gym goers who may not want to work out with veterans of the free weights. This “here for you when you need us” attitude opens the doors for everyone to come and exercise. And the price points build on that all inclusive attitude.

Partner this with some strong advertising, particularly from The Gym Group. Where they show people of all ages and walks of life in their gyms. They hit almost every audience rather than a specific group.

The logo marks for these gym brands may not be award winning design. But they bring a friendly and welcoming feel, using bright colours and more round typography. A long way away from some masculine and more energetic brands that are out there.

All of this comes together to create a winning formula, that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.

Branding by Onwards

Hussle

Similar to the previous example, Hussle is all about convenience and making your money work for you. Their rebrand is inspired by the audience that it targets. Savvy people wanting to get the most out of life while fitting exercise into a busy lifestyle. This “hustling” attitude is where the name and the logo mark comes from.

Visually they have a mark that depicts moving from one point to the next in the shape of an “H”. Perfectly showing the busy lifestyle of one of their target users. The skewed shape speaks to the unpredictability of these people’s lives, and how fitness is fit in as part of their life. Across the brand they have created an icon set and custom typeface that similarly reflects this visual metaphor. Bold and modern colours finish off the visual style that fit perfectly with the brands way of thinking.

Hussle has taken it a step further than the 24 hour and budget gyms. In both its way of thinking and the visual style. Creating a modern and forward thinking brand.

Girlfriend Collective

Similar to another example further in this post. Sportswear and fitness brands have evolved as time has gone by. As we as a society evolve and our views are more enlightened. Being more socially and environmentally conscious. Sportswear and fitness brands have done the same.

Girlfriend Collective are one of those brands, and are all about being inclusive and sustainable. They create womens activewear in a sustainable way for people of all shapes and sizes. Because as they put it “we believe health and wellness come in many shapes and sizes”.

Similar to many of these forward thinking brands the visual style is more of that of a lifestyle brand than an energetic sports and fitness brand. It has a softer and more environmental feeling to it with natural colours and welcoming typography.

Altogether it creates a community feel of a more often than not segregated section in the sports and fitness sector. Girlfriend Collective is a pioneer of how brands are being created to sit more in line with our ever evolving society. And how our sports and fitness connects to more things than just the immediate physical health benefits.

Rapha

With cycling being a hot topic at the moment (at least it is in the UK with the pandemic). Involving a cycling brand in this list only seemed right. And as a designer, Rapha is a beautiful brand with a minimal and characteristic brand logo. But when you realise how much things cost, a newcomer like myself falls off their bike.

But Rapha has positioned itself to being the high end brand it is, and in doing so has got them brand partnerships with Team Sky among others. This high end price point creates a love or hate relationship with cyclists, you are either all in for the brand or look on in envy.

No brand wishes to alienate anyone, and this is probably a relatively extreme example. But strategy is a key part of branding and Rapha have very much when down the high-end route. And if done right, both visually and what content you create, you will gain a following of people that buy into your brand. Apple is a great example of this.

Understanding how you see yourself is key to carving out exactly who you are as a brand. And once you know this, you can build a strategy and visual style around that.

Gymshark

Social media has changed a lot in the last 10 years or so. In the beginning it used to be a way of connecting with old friends or family members. Since then it has grew into something that has touched all our lives and all our working industries. Sportswear and fitness brands are no different, yes the big names of the industry utilise social media. But social media has had a great influence on startup businesses as well.

Gymshark is a fitness apparel & accessories brand, so what? Well it is also supported by millions of highly engaged social media followers and customers in 131 countries. This is a long way from a screen printing operation in a garage that it once was. And this was all built off the back of social media.

The power of social media in this day and age is incomprehensible to some. But if done right it can be the platform that boosts you from a couple of friends trying to make some comfortable and stylish gym gear. To being an innovative brand that is pushing the boundaries of the industry.

Knowing your audience and having effective strategies for social media content is key to engaging your audience. This engagement can help grow your brand in ways you never thought it could.

Credit to Under Armour

Under Armour & The Rock Endorsement

Social media is a powerful tool, but having a famous face endorse your brand can also help boost your brand. When you are a sportswear and fitness brand, endorsements from pro athletes or public figures could be the key to your growth or your demise . Under Armour recently released the Project Rock collaboration. Partnering with world renowned wrestler and film star Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson. Just typing the name gives me nostalgic thoughts of my childhood watching taped wrestling on VHS.

Now Under Armour aren’t exactly a brand in trouble, and here at Canny we love the Under Armour branding already. But getting endorsements like the above can open up a new audience to your brand. An audience who might have only seen The Rock in his films, but like the idea of fitness, thus choose your brand to get their fitness gear from. Under Armour have many different endorsements. From Steph Curry (a professional basketball player to Jordan Speith (professional golfer).

Alas, we understand not every sportswear and fitness brand can go out and get the likes of The Rock to endorse their brand. But endorsement doesn’t mean they need there own signature clothing line.

The flip side of having someone endorsing your brand, is you endorsing others. Under Armour partner with Liverpool and other sports teams to deliver their kit manufacture. Sports team branding is crucial. Get it wrong and you alienate legions of fans, get it right, and you’re revered among them.

Scaling this thought process down, and looking for endorsement (or to endorse others) to engage new and existing audiences will help grow your brand.

Branding by Jones Knowles Ritchie

Footlocker

Footlocker is an internationally known brand in the sportswear and fitness sector. And with the explosion of sneaker culture it is a big player in supplying them sneakers. But Footlocker to me is a slightly tired and very masculine brand. Which has created a problem for footlocker. Women are now big into sneakers, and this masculine brand has made it harder for Footlocker to engage this audience.

Instead of totally changing their brand, Footlocker decided to tidy the icon mark, create and custom typeface. They then created messaging specifically to engage women in sneaker culture. Inviting them to be part of, rather than seperate in sneaker culture.

The new typeface is partnered with reimagined stripe patterns. Inspired by camouflage used on ships from world war 1, this camouflage did not conceal, but rather, make it hard to pin point. This visual metaphor is said to be fitting for the female sneakerheads. Creating a visual language that is not only stunning, but meaningful.

This brand update by Footlocker show how the sports and fitness sector changes. And how like any industry, brands need to adapt to these ever changing markets.

On Running

When it comes to technology in sportswear and fitness brands. The big guns come to mind, Nike, Adidas, Puma and so on. But more and more we are seeing small startup companies with revolutionary technology pop up in the industry. The ability to utilise social media and funding to their advantage has allowed more of these brands to expose themselves to the world.

On Running, is one of these forward thinking brands. The mark’s vertical layout gives the brand a unique and tidy logo, perfect for small spaces and legibility.

To me the logo also depicts a person. Showing the personal element of the brand. These shoes are created by and for the individual runner. One of the founders is an ex professional athlete and brings all of his many years of experience to the consumer.

Standing out in an already crowded marketplace is hard. But building on an engaging story, by using technology and a great brand can really allow you to stand out in the industry.

Koral

I have been involved in sport all my life, either through the pure enjoyment, or to keep myself healthy. But while doing this exercise I never really cared about what I looked like while doing it, as long as the gear I was wearing was comfortable. As society has moved towards fitness and being healthy as a whole, sportswear and fitness brands have recognised this.

So not only do they have to cater for people who just want gear that is comfortable. They have to cater for the people who want to look good doing it. Maybe in their favourite brands or high end activewear costing top dollar.

Koral is one of these sportswear and fitness brands that fall into this category. Positioning themselves as exclusively “luxury” activewear. Which makes them a more fashion led brand, than a sports led one.

You can see this in their logo and their website. With stylish product photography and considered design. It is exactly what this customer base is looking for. Urging you to buy into the brand and the lifestyle that comes with it.

Similarly to Rapha, this wont be for everyone. But Koral have made the choice and have went with it.

Branding by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv.

US Olympic and Paralympics Museum

The USA have always been hardened competitors and have always done well in the Olympics and Paralympics, or a least in my lifetime they have. And they have created a museum to document their participation. The US Olympic and Paralympic Museum.

This brand isn’t so much a sportswear and fitness brand so to say. But with the Olympics and Paralympics being the pinnacle of sport and fitness I wanted to include it. Olympic and Paralympic brands are always tough to design, they come under so much scrutiny and have very little wiggle room on what you can do. And this brand was no different.

There was three main elements that needed to be included in the brand; The Olympics, The Paralympics and USA. One big challenge of this was trying not to make it look like a political campaign brand.

Using the Olympic and Paralympic colours solved the political campaign feeling. But how to involve the USA? They did this by using the stripes from the American flag, creating the feel of an American flag without the stars or red, white and blue overload.

The shape of the mark also takes inspiration from the building itself. All these elements come together to create a worthy brand mark that surely no one and turn their noses up at.

Brands like this are lovely examples of how you can build a brands visual identity by piecing the key messages of the brands values together.

Chilly’s

Fitness in general has taken much more of a lifestyle path in recent years. So it’s not all grunts and profuse sweating, which can be very intimidating. We have come to learn more about our diet and how making simple changes in our lifestyle can make a big difference in our health and fitness. And some brands have noticed this change in our thought process. And in doing so took the opportunity to dive into an industry that is known for energetic and intense branding.

Chilly’s is a brand who create water bottles (among other products). And they don’t exactly look like your typical sports and fitness brand. But we have seen more approachable and environmentally conscious brands popping up in the sector. They pioneer the use of reusable products and in doing so have opened themselves up to a totally new market. The health and fitness fanatic, who is also socially and environmentally conscious.

The minimal and unique fitness brand brings a totally different feel to the fitness sector and with it a totally new audience. Now this may not get your heart pumping like more energetic brands do, but it hits the spot with an industry that is thirsty for change.

Branding by John & Jane

On The Head Mental Health

Along with our physical health, our mental health has became a huge part of fitness. Similarly to the more environmentally conscious brands popping up in the sector. Mental health brands have also been popping up in the sector. And considering at the time of writing this we are coming out the other side of a global pandemic. Fitness and mental health have became more intertwined than ever.

On The Head is one of those brands / organisations that are tackling mental health in sport, and more precisely football. The identity is quite bulky, and as a designer the first thing that comes to mind is the size of the mark. But when you take a dive into the reasoning behind the mark it all makes sense.

The geometric lines of a football pitch are one of the most recognisable patterns in the world. Even if you don’t like football, I beg to differ you wouldn’t recognise it. So this acts as the attraction element of the mark. Flip the page and mental health in football is a not so recognisable aspect of the game. The mark is trying to change that, bringing to light what happens when you start to look beneath the surface of football.

Recognisable patterns matched with bright colours and straight forward messaging, completes a well thought out and visually stunning brand.

Conclusion: Sportswear and Fitness Branding That Gets the Heart Racing

When it comes to sportswear and fitness branding a lot has changed in recent years, it’s not all about looking energetic and masculine. Our changing society has made these brands take a look back and forward. And think in a more social and environmental way to become more inclusive.

Sportswear and fitness brands constantly need to reach new audiences and face new issues. Building a strong brand and strategy can build followers but being able to adapt is the key.

If you have any questions about sportswear and fitness branding, or are not sure where to start with a new venture, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We would love to help.

Although, normally the best thing about getting donuts is the donuts themselves, in this post we will be taking some time to appreciate the design elements that make up donut brand identities.

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This list contains some big names in the donut world that we all recognise (and love), and some smaller brands that might be new to you.

But they have all one thing in common: they do a great job in advertising their donut brand to the world.

If you’d prefer to listen to us talking about the importance of packaging design before getting stuck into donut packaging examples, then check out the below video!

In this blog post we will dive into a variety of donut packaging designs, so get ready, I am about to make you all incredibly hungry, and hopefully make you appreciate the design work that has gone into these scrumptious donut brands.

Credit to Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme

Let’s start classic with a brand we all know, Krispy Kreme.

And if you don’t, where have you been and why don’t you eat donuts?!

Krispy Kreme have brilliant packaging thats well designed and instantly recognisable as the “vintage American diner style” which gives the brand and packaging a visual that people love.

They are an established brand that doesn’t have to do a great deal anymore to sell its products, but in this world, if you aren’t adapting and innovating, you will eventually get left behind.

Krispy Kreme are a huge company, and have the ability to go full hog when it comes to marketing, so they regularly create special donut packs for certain holidays, and recently created the “Pudsey Dozen” all in support of Children in Need, all with its own unique packaging.

They have even gone as far as creating donut walls and towers ready to buy for parties or gatherings.

Now if you are a small company, it can be hard to throw money at all sorts of marketing, but it doesn’t have to be big. It’s easy to be prepared by plotting events throughout the year for example focusing on seasonal launches, and creating something to help with your business marketing, as well as getting customers excited and involved.

So, not only do Krispy Kreme have some effective packaging, they really take advantage of every opportunity to market themselves.

Credit to One Plus One Design

Bronuts

I have talked about this brand in a previous post, but I thought the Bronuts packaging was too good to miss from this list.

Bronuts has some beautifully designed minimal packaging, using elements from the well crafted brand.

They keep white as the main colour with simple branding elements throughout, and they polish off the packaging with clever personable messaging.

For example, on one donut box design, you lift the lid and there is a lip that simply says “YUM!”.

Bringing in simple touches like this can enhance consumer experience, as smaller hidden messages certainly provide a little extra interaction, and more importantly fun!

Creating a more personable and engaging experience is a big part of packaging design.

Obviously the product is important, but if you can make the user not only enjoy your donuts, but also enjoy the whole experience, then you’re onto a winner.

This means you are building relationships with customers that are rooted in your brand, not just your product.

These relationships are harder to break, but that means you, as a brand, have to hold up your end of the bargain. You have set the bar high, so you have to stick to it and continue go above and beyond.

Credit to Voodoo Doughnut

Voodoo Doughnut

Voodoo Doughnut are a donut brand with locations all over the west coast of the US, along with a couple of locations in Universal Studio resorts.

In the last example I talked about creating relationships with customers, which is all about creating a picture in the minds of consumers about what they can expect from your brand, in both product and personality.

This company have a very particular style that runs through into their products, and they make their brand personality crystal clear from the get go.

Their signature donut is the Voodoo Doll which is shaped exactly as the name suggests, with a pretzel stake through the stomach.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though, as they are incredibly forward-thinking and cheeky with some of their donut designs, however we should warn you that some are not family friendly!

Essentially, you should never be afraid of being who you are when it comes to branding, and although some people may not like it, your target audience should be the focus of where your brand is headed!

If you set your stall out early, your customers will know what is on offer and they will come to expect that from you.

However, if you are in a business where content is sensitive, it is probably best not to go down a forward and cheeky route, therefore in this instance it’s key to understand who you are, and what message you want to put across.

Credit to Garbett

Happy Maple

Happy Maple is a Adelaide-based bakery all about producing small batch, 100% vegan donuts which are made from gluten, tree nut, and peanut free products.

This is an ever-growing trend as consumers are becoming more savvy about what they are putting into their bodies, and how it is affecting the planet.

Similar to the last two examples, Happy Maple firmly put their flag in the ground with what they are about, and they have projected this through their messaging, branding, and packaging.

The company seem to use a sustainable container, however, I could not find any solid confirmation of this, although this would sit perfectly with the brands overall message.

On the whole, Happy Maple keep their packaging minimal, using the simple sleeve lined with donut illustrations on top of a contrasting vibrant blue colour.

Similar to Voodoo, the brand have gone full steam ahead with their brand messaging, and promoting exactly who they are.

Credit to Noissue.

Doughnut Time

Next on our list is Doughnut Time, who claim to be the favourite in the UK, and available 7 days a week!

This donut brand, similarly to Happy Maple, have a strong focus on cutting out the plastic, and making their packaging as eco-friendly as possible.

So, you wont see a plastic bag in sight when you take a trip to Doughnut Time, and all donuts come in cardboard boxes, which is pretty classic for this sweet treat.

Another nice element to the packaging is the use of food safe paper that helps to protect the underside of each donut, which is equally designed in a random, cartoon style like each of the boxes.

Now, this brand was pretty hard to nail down in terms of their classic everyday packaging design, as they have a variety of limited edition and seasonal box designs

However, we came across the pink packaging design shown in the image above most often, so we will dive into that one!

So, on the inside of each box there are small doodles of different donut flavours in a navy blue colour, and under the lid of each box is the phrase “Let’s Get Glazed”, with ‘glazed’ written in a bubble letter font to mimic the shape and glaze of a donut.

Each box is a shade of baby pink, however the company have been know to have purple, green, or yellow boxes, depending on the occasion.

I like that Doughnut Time adapt their packaging design from season to season, as this keeps each box relevant and mixes things up!

Credit to Deliveroo

Dum Dum Donutterie

Depending on whether you are looking for donuts, patisserie, or even croissants, Dum Dum Donutterie can cover all bases.

For Dum Dum’s the brand identity is simple and focused on providing artisan donuts, and even going as far as naming them “The Best Doughnuts in the World?” on each and every box.

Leaving it up to us to decide I guess!

However, let’s move onto the packaging side of things.

Ultimately this brand uses one main colour, that is only what we can describe as magenta, and this can be found splashed all over the company website, and more importantly their donut boxes.

Each box uses an identical design, consisting of a white exterior, pinkish-purple swirls on top of the lid, and a solid magenta interior.

The fun with this packaging is similar to the Bronuts box design, as it’s the messaging that brings the branding to life, and inside each box, big or small, are the words “Donut mind if I do!”

This playfulness is what keeps this British family business relevant and quirky in the donut world, particularly as the general design is pretty straightforward.

However, this does help the company to stay aligned with their brand guidelines by keeping things simple, and focused on the quality and taste.

Credit to Dots Original

Dots Original

Dots are another perfect example of how to keep things simple.

Sometimes design can be a tricky task, especially when it comes to packaging.

Figuring out what needs to be on the packaging, how you represent the product, and how the user is going to interact with it all can be a headache.

What you can be left with is a lot of information all getting packed onto a small item of packaging.

Dots have decided to take away a lot of that worry and kept the design of their packaging minimal, and in doing so, clutter-free.

They only include information that is required by law, or information that helps build brand recognition, and after that they do very little. They have a picture of the product, the logo, and essentially that’s it.

Even the packaging colour is neutral or transparent!

Making packaging transparent is a clever way to allow the consumer to see the product for what it is. No unrealistic representations of the product means you are more likely to come across more trustworthy, as you’re saying ‘this is our product and we aren’t hiding it.’

Finding subtle ways to suggest certain messaging to consumers is key.

Whether that is having transparent packaging to show that you aren’t hiding anything, or using natural colours to show all your products use natural ingredients, packaging is powerful as it allows you to build on the existing brand message.

Credit to Emelie Johannesson / Oliver Sjöqvist

8Munkar

Obviously the big guns like Krispy Kreme have built their brand around the 50’s American diner visual, but when I came across this packaging concept for donuts, I loved the fact they took that visual style and threw it in the bin.

And they didn’t hold back on telling us either.

8Munkar ditched the recognisable design that is attached to many donut brands and swapped it for more of a Scandinavian style, that matches perfectly with the Swedish treat they were packaging.

The packaging concept itself is all about user experience.

We have all become accustomed to being on the go, as we are now eating, drinking, messaging, and even paying bills on the go.

But once you have opened up a pack of donuts while on the move, they are losing that freshness, and ultimately being a bit awkward to carry.

This is where the packaging designed by Emelie Johannesson and Oliver Sjöqvist differs from the rest.

They have created a carry box that allows you to pull one out at a time, each with its own wipe, napkin, and a message telling you exactly how many you have left.

8Munkar is a great example of staying true to branding.

They did not feel the trendy 50s, American diner visual was for them, so they used that to their advantage in the packaging. Why not take a look through the full project here.

Credit to Proven Goods Co

Proven Goods Co

Proven Goods Co are a small batch bakery based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, who have built a brand using social media.

But first, let’s start by delving into the brand and how it looks.

Again similar to 8Munkar, they have ditched the 50s, American visual style and went with a much softer, and more inviting hand drawn approach. They have matched this with a softer colour palette, using pink and a charcoal grey.

Both the colour and the hand drawn elements come together to create a unique and personable brand.

Proven Goods Co use their social media to its full extent by posting great content that not only looks delicious, but is informational too.

For example, alongside all the images of the company’s mouth watering donuts, they explain how you can purchase donuts, and where they will be.

Any business needs to understand that social media is now a big influence on consumers buying patterns, so if you are to be successful and grow, you need to harness the power of social media for your business.

Whilst this looks different depending on your industry, social media can be a powerful tool.

Credit to Crosstown

Crosstown Doughnuts

The last stop on our donut tour is to a London based bakery, and a company that seems to be a bit more luxurious and classic with their packaging.

That’s right, Crosstown doughnuts are next, and they keep things super slick and simple, with all black packaging.

The only slight introduction of colour into this packaging design is the white logo, and “Crosstown London” brand name and location along the side of each box.

Equally, each box is decorated with a small ribbon in either black, or red (so thats another random addition of colour here and there) which only adds to the high quality look of the packaging.

It’s smaller details like this that make a brands packaging feel special, and like a real treat for customers, especially when it’s paired with a hidden message on the box too.

It seems a theme has emerged during this post, as donut companies like to include hidden messages or puns for customers when they open up their box. So it’s no surprise Crosstown has jumped on the bandwagon.

For this bakery, the message “P.s. You look great today.” is displayed on the edge of each box as it’s opened up.

So, if you were second-guessing whether to have your third donut of the day, Crosstown are telling you, you look great, so treat yourself!

Donut Packaging FAQ’s

Before we round off this tour of various donut packaging brands and designs, we thought we’d add a few packaging FAQ’s just to recap on the basics before you go!

Tasty Donut Brands and Donut Packaging to Digest

Hopefully this post has given you some insight into how you could build a successful donut brand, or what it takes to start your packaging design process.

You can use these tips and tricks for other food businesses too, in order to build brand recognition, and to attract more customers to your offering.

So whether you prefer the classic American style of Krispy Kreme, or luxury packaging is for you, this post has hopefully highlighted that there are so many ways to go with sweet treat packaging.

However, if you were only here because you spotted donuts on the feature image, then we’ve probably made you very hungry, so we expect you’ll be off to Krispy Kreme now to satisfy your craving!

If you need any help building your food brand, or branding in another industry for that matter, then get in touch with the team at Canny.

We’ve worked with lots of brands in the food sector, including OPI Frutta to create packaging that stands out on the shelves.

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Below are 50 examples of great logo design. Using plenty of different techniques and styles to build logos and brands. And hopefully they will inspire you with your own logo design.

Credit to Form & Function

Toi Toi Vietnam

Toi Toi Vietnam is a restaurant specialising in the Real Vietnam.

The logo is heavily influenced by the Vietnamese flag and it’s colour palette.

Using influences like this is a great example of linking to your roots through your logo and brand. This is key when creating a brand. Make your brand values shine through in your logo. Check out the logo design case study to see how Toi Toi do it.

Credit to Multiple Owners

Look at Minsk

‘Look at Minsk’ is a brand revolving around travelling to Minsk and seeing all the sites on one route.

Using perspective they have created a unique logo. Unlike any other travel industry logos I have seen.

The logo is quite a unique shape and could have a few legibility issues. But in me eyes it works well. Experimenting with different visual styles is a great tip when it comes to logo design.

Credit to Multiple Owners

BBVA Rebrand

BBVA is a recognisable brand, even if you don’t know what they do, you will recognise the logo.

Brand equity like this is like gold dust to smaller businesses and is what you want to build up for your brand. But what if you already have brand equity and you want to rebrand?

My tip would be to make simple and small changes that are affected by the design world around you. BBVA does a great job in making subtle changes like typeface and layout to the new logo. This allows them to stay in touch with current design trends and keep their brand equity.

Credit to Multiple Owners

Gymondo

Gymondo has a beautiful flowing logo. Representing what the brand is all about.

Exercise is full of flowing movements and the G in the logo reflects this flowing style. The Gymondo logo is different to most exercise related logos. Which are all about high energy and sharp movements.

Gymondo have a more relaxed, friendly and flowing feel about the logo. A great way to stand out in a booming industry of energetic bright logos.

Credit to Multiple Owners

Espírito Criativo

Using stand out colour palettes and a beautiful typeface, which I can only guess is custom. Espirito Criativo have nailed their logo.

I love clean design, but sometimes this does mean, to an untrained eye, a logo can look very like the next. One way to remedy this is to create a custom typeface for your brand.

Now this will normally have pound signs flashing in your eyes. But to have your very own typeface can create uniqueness in your brand. As long as it represents what you stand for then this is a great logo design tip.

Credit to Azote. studio

Bob’s Your Uncle

Bob’s Your Uncle is a great example of how your logo design can be a stepping stone or the starting point to your brand. And from this starting point your visual identity grows beyond your logo.

The logo itself is clean and balanced. If you begin to look through the rest of the project you start to see how the logo is used in there messaging.

Messaging and how you use your logo with that messaging can tell your story. So don’t overthink the logo as a stand alone feature. It’s all about how it’s used within the whole brand.

Credit to Sara Janina Kudyba

Zrobione W Szczecinie

A big thing we come across when creating brand logos is the client would like an icon to go with the name word mark.

Zrobione W Szezechinie have a great icon mark. Utilizing simple line work, they have created a legible and modern icon to sit alongside the word mark.

A great tip for your icons is to not make them complicated. They have to be legible at any size and balance with the word mark of you logo. The goal would be having your icon as recognisable as McDonald’s golden arches are.

Credit to Multiple Owners

Atena

Atena is another great example of having an icon to accompany the word mark.

The big difference between Atena and the example above. Is how a simple colour palette can change the look and feel of the design.

Using a dark blue for the background and a bronze and white combination for the logo creates a very high end feel. So when it comes to designing your logo, think about how you want to portray yourself. Then use elements like colours to emphasise that.

Credit to Wei Lun Huang

Yakiniku

Sometimes you can have multiple elements in your logo that you need to fit together.

This can be a very hard balancing act to make sure the logo works in all situations without losing any elements.

Yakiniku does this well, you can see as you look at the logo they have the logo mark, and two type elements. Looking through the project you can see how these elements fit together in different situations.

Credit to Harmeet Singh Bharara

Mars Skincare

The Mars Skincare logo shows how a logo can be used on many different elements.

The logo is very easy to transfer through the elements without changing the setup. The previous example has different layout depending on the situation. Whereas the Mars Skincare logo is minimal and stays the same in any situation.

When it comes to your logo, always be thinking about where it will be used and how everything fits together.

Credit to Pupila

Auge

Auge is a great example of being totally different.

I love logos like this, striking and different. Normally a client doesn’t want to take a leap of faith on something like this. And don’t worry that’s not a bad thing. Doing what is right for you is key. You could say there are legibility problems, responsive size problems.

But the Auge logo overcomes this in my opinion. It is an exciting and fresh. A logo that will have an instant impact on people.

Credit to Pupila

Right To Dream

Right to Dream has been totally transformed into a fully functional, coherent brand.

The old logo is creative but since the 1999 creation of the logo it is starting to look a little tired. Since then it is grown and the brand had to grow with it. If you look through the project it shows how the logo has its main mark. But then how it is used throughout every aspect of the company, from Academies to media.

As a business grows, the brand and logo design must grow with it. This is a perfect example of how you can do that.

Credit to University Of Manitoba

University of Manitoba

I have written a post about School & University branding, which you can read here. I have mentioned in that post how many Universities are moving away from the old style crest. Updating it to match new design trends and modern styles.

The University of Manitoba has moved away from its old serif typeface and crest like logo mark. Moving forward with a new curvy and friendly serif. Partnered with a new logo mark which has been simplified and updated.

Not doing a full rebrand is a great logo design tip in some circumstances. All the main elements have stayed in the University of Manitoba’s branding. Instead of a full rebrand it has been updated to fit with modern design styles.

Credit to Moving brands

Asana

Asana are another brand who has updated the brand to sit in line with new design trends.

Moving from a very 00’s looking start up to a more developed and professional looking brand.

Part of this new professional look is very much down to the colours. Moving away from almost childish bright greens and blues. They went for a more grown up looking dark purple and red to orange gradients.

They have still kept a vibrant colour palette. But have managed to completely change the look and feel of there brand with a change in colour. A great logo design tip for all you looking to do a rebrand. Your colours may be important to you but understand that you are rebranding for a reason. You might be growing or moving into a new sector. A change in colour could very much help how you are seen.

Credit to Change Up

Duquesne Dukes

American collegiate sports is full of logos that may change in colour and name but all look very similar.

Now a few teams are breaking out of that mould. Producing some more exciting logos and branding for American collegiate sports.

Duquesne is one of those teams. Using a custom typeface and a bold new “D” for the logo they have broke out of norm. Using a simplistic “D” but something they can very much say is there own and unique.

American collegiate sports is a sector jam packed full branding and logos. Doing something different could be the remedy to being noticed.

Credit to Podpunkt

MuFo

MuFo is a museum of photography in krakow.

When it comes to photography everything links back to how you see a particular scene. Linking len’s, vision, shutters and observation back to an eye. Come forward an Eye logo mark.

Using this thought process is something we do all the time. Think about what you brand is about. Think about words and processes that represent what you brand does. And see if they have any connections that you could use visually.

Credit to Ragged Edge

Qbic

Qbic is changing the face of affordable hotels. They can often be pretty tired and impersonal.

So Qbic decided to change that. Creating a logo and brand that is friendly and inviting.

The logo itselfs utilises a soft pink colour with a typeface that has rounded edges. This may seem like something small. But using rounded edges can change the feeling of a typeface dramatically. Qbic have done this and have created a very friendly logo in doing so.

Credit to Partners & Spade

Welly

In a time of design trends where San Serif typefaces are absolute king. It is refreshing to see some well executed logos with something a little different.

Welly has done just that. I love the fact that the logo is in italics which if you ask any designer. It is quite hard to make look nice.

Going for something that is on design trend when creating a logo is always a good idea. But you could also look down the route less travelled. Creating something unique and recognisable.

Credit to lg2

Zoo Granby

Zoo Granby is a lovely logo. The key to this logo is that it is adaptable to any situation.

The simplistic zoo typeface has a dropped O. Which is utilised throughout the media. Creating animal faces on the patterns they have used.

Making a completely flexible logo is a massive thing in today’s world. With the breadth of devices and media logos go on, thinking about how the logo is represented on these items is key.

Credit to Turner Duckworth

Tillamook

Tillamook is another logo that has been updated as the logo was looking a little outdated.

The logo has been tidied and simplified to make sure it is legible and more accessible on a breadth of packaging the logo will go on.

The ship icon is much more recognisable than the old icon mark. This is a big logo design tip. Making elements or your full logo recognisable is what allows your logo to stick with consumers.

Credit to Frank Collective

Made In

Made In combines high quality cooking equipment. With the personal aspect of home cooking.

The brand focuses on this personal aspect of home cooking by using language such as where and who in the brand name.

I love to cook at home and feel it is a personal experience. The Made In brand identity connects with the excitement of trying a new recipe or cooking for family and friends. This connection in such a personal experience allows the consumer to buy into the brand.

Credit to Frank Collective

Culture IQ

Focusing on work culture and what is behind creating great work culture. Culture IQ uses a very literal visualisation of the main thing about working culture from their perspective. The people.

Partnering this personal aspect with the data driven statistics. They have created this IQ symbol that really gets across what their brand is all about.

Finding a clever and sometimes very straightforward way to visualise what you do. Makes the learning curve of the consumer a lot less intensive.

Credit to Frank Collective

Hyphen

Hyphen have used a bold and straightforward way to represent their name. But the more you read into this brand the more you realise how clever it is.

The main mission behind Hyphen is to know the balance between having a good night sleep and having a good day.

The way I see it is the two sides of the H represent day and night and the bar in the middle represents Hyphen’s mattresses. Visualising the balance between day and night.

I love finding a brand that unfolds as you learn more about it. Supporting the mission and values of the brand.

Credit to Tubik Studio

Binned

Wanting to create a visual identity that evokes thoughts of water and environmental awareness. Binned created a fluid and visually appealing B logo with a strong word mark to sit alongside it.

This is a great example of a modern logo. The visual style is right on trend, using san serif fonts and flowing colour gradients.

Creating a modern looking logo is great. But make sure it can stand the test of time. Companies develop and grow and so does the world around us. So a new brand or at least a tweak is inevitable. But you don’t want to be shelling out every five minutes.

Credit to Vault 49

Shady Fruit

Shady Fruit combines playful fruit visuals with beautiful typography to create a stylish and timeless logo.

Applying the 3D effect brings character along with a modernised vintage style.

This conveys both quality and trust while still enticing the consumer with fresh fruit visuals.

Credit to Stink Digital

Destroyer

The Destroyer logo is such a unique logo, it is curious and striking. Totally different to anything I have seen in a very long time.

Stepping into the brand story and how the logo is put together is fascinating. Inspired by a book called “Comets: Creators or Destroyers” The brand name is a metaphorical comet.

When creating the logo, they used a grid that visualises the trajectory and flight of a comet. This creates the spacing between the letters.

Now I don’t expect every business to have this much of a brand story they can delve into. But you should strive for it when creating your corporate brand. It brings substance and a uniqueness to your brand.

Credit to Landor

Petbarn

I have mentioned Petbarn in a post about great rebranding examples. In that post I review how the new brand characters and language breath life into the brand. Reflecting our pet’s personalities.

I wanted to mention Petbarn in this post to show how a logo can become the secondary aspect to a brands visual identity but still work.

The Petbarn logo did not change much in the rebrand. It is minimal and bold, standing out on the yellow background in black. The logo is recognisable but the new characters are what bring life to the brand.

Having your logo down in the pecking order when it comes to your brand visuals isn’t a bad thing necessarily. It can be there to reassure consumers of the brand quality while the of brand items do the talking.

Credit to Focus Lab

Jib Jab

Jib Jab has an updated logo and is a perfect example of tweaking your brand. Making it more accessible and identifiable in modern times.

Having a simpler version of the heads and the typeface is the key change. But the logo also shows how you don’t have to ditch everything in pursuit of creating a modern logo.

The most identifiable part of the Jib Jab logo is the head illustrations. With a little tweaking they have a modern logo that doesn’t lose its unique nature.

Credit to Focus Lab

Token

Token has a really simple but clever logo.

Managing to incorporate the brand name and a T into the logo mark. Creating a strong and minimal logo with plenty of punch.

All the bells and whistles rarely works these days. Communicating in a more straightforward manor seems to work better. Especially in a world where information is pushed at you every minute of everyday. Being recognisable and clear is essential.

Credit to Focus Lab

Gordo

A whole load of branding and rebranding projects seem to end up stripping back everything. Losing brand character and leaving a clean san serif font.

This works for some, but Gordo is different. Creating an old school banner visual that reminds me of the bottom of the Newcastle United FC badge.

The logo is a testament to not following the norm. Creating something with style and character that suits your brand’s unique style.

Credit to Truf Creative

Caprock

The Caprock logo starts with the “C” icon mark. Forming to look like a C the arrows represent moving forward and financial growth.

Along with this I see how this visualises the personal and hands-on approach. Showing how each and every client is different. But have a common goal of moving forward and creating financial security.

This logo then feeds into the visual system of the brand. When creating a logo, always be aware of how it can lead the visual system and messaging throughout your brand.

Credit to Truf Creative

Hughes Estate Sales

Hughes is an estate sales resource and has been around since 1978. This history is shown in their logo with the classic looking typography.

The font choice also has a contemporary feeling to it. Representing both the history and the future of the brand.

Showing what you do isn’t always a must when it comes to logos, Your brand identity can help with that. But showing who you are on the other hand is essential. Showing where you have been and where you plan to go.

Credit to Studio Mast

El Paso Opera

When it comes to opera, their is a certain visual style associated with it. Normally that uses serif fonts and a high end look.

El Paso Opera have broke the mould. Bringing an art form that is normally perceived as quite exclusive to everyone.

Using a contemporary style and bold colours they have created a visual style for everyone rather than the minority.

Credit to Studio Mast

The Ramble Hotel

The Ramble Hotel uses a beautiful typeface. It gives the logo and the brand, character that is unique to them.

Now this is a custom made typeface and not everyone has the budget to have one for themselves. But looking for a more unique typeface can be a difference maker when it comes to your logo.

A custom or unique typeface will always stand out. Some people will love it, some people not so much, but it will always be recognisable.

Credit to Liquid Agency

Cushman & Wakefield

A lot of the examples I have shown in this post are very creative projects and logos. So I wanted to show something a little more corporate and show you can still have the same effect.

DTZ and Cushman & Wakefield merged a while ago and I really like how they have taken elements from both logos into the new one.

It’s a more cohesive and clean logo compared to either of the old logos.

Credit to Liquid Agency

FICKS

FICKS create cocktail fortifier. A new and unique product in the drinks industry. Their logo is also unique and visually stunning to look at.

The Art Deco style reminds me of The Great Gatsby film when it first came out. Everyone went crazy for the art deco style but it soon got old.

FICKS uses this style in such a way so that is doesn’t turn away potential consumers that do not like the art deco style.

Credit to D8

BBC Concert Orchestra

The BBC Concert Orchestra perform a huge range of concerts. So the logo had to reflect that versatile and diverse message.

Using an interesting typeface for the “Concert Orchestra”. Represents this diversity in their performances.

Bolting onto another logo can be difficult with plenty of things to consider. I think the BBC manage to do this well and especially with this Concert Orchestra logo.

Credit to D8

Barra Gin

Barra Gin is a great example of a flexible logo. A simple word mark that can be used through a multitude of branded items.

The main logo seems to be the Barra word mark with curved messaging at the top and bottom.

But as you move through the project you see how it is utilised on the packaging. Using the same bold barra word mark but partnered with “Atlantic Gin” underneath.

This shows how you can have the main recognition of your logo, possibly the word mark like Barra. But be able to push this word mark into different situations.

Credit to Ragged Edge

Whirli

Whirli’s logo is inspired by Whirligig toys and represents the brands vision perfectly.

The brand it is all about swapping and recycling toys rather than buying new. The logo creates excitement and joyfulness. Making the thought of swapping rather than buying new, an exciting option for both kids and adults.

The moving logo cements this joyful aspect and is a nice touch to sit alongside the static logo. A moving logo isn’t something everyone needs to, or should do. But when thought about it can enhance the experience of the brand.

Credit to Ragged Edge

Assembly

Assembly is a range of hotels that is based on the experiences and the get up and go attitude of young travellers.

The idea is that as a traveller you don’t want to be cooked up in your hotel room. You want to be experiencing the place you are staying. So the logo is based around the idea of getting away from the cookie cutter approach.

The use of a custom typeface is bold and unique. Representing all the different experiences you can have in the city you are staying.

This link to the mission of the brand is a great element to the logo and works incredibly well in Assembly’s case.

Credit to Mash Creative

Gandour

Mixing both contemporary styles with history. Gandour created a logo that communicates simply to new customers. Giving them the modern experience without losing the history of the brand.

While the existing customers don’t feel that the logo has slipped to far away from what got them invested in the brand in the first place.

Balancing your history and a modern approach is a constant road block when creating a logo. But don’t worry, it can overcome.

Credit to Mash Creative

Joe’s

Joe’s typeface logo is all about giving a taste of the deep south in the centre of London.

Using a beautiful hand drawn logo they have created a bold and unique logo. It is so easy to pick a typeface and run with it. But a hand drawn typeface for your logo could be the unique element that sets your brand apart.

The logo is flexible and is used throughout the branding, from neon signs to menus. Understanding where your logo is going to be used is an integral part of logo design.

Sedona

With a history of working across Australia and the United States in the mixed media industry. The Sedona logo globally represents what we think of when the term mixed media crosses our mind.

The letterforms are arranged in such a way to be seen as the play symbol.

The logo is totally unique, from shape to composition. How you structure your logo is a big question when it comes to logo design. A lot of businesses go for the name and logo mark or icon approach that sits beside each other.

But Sedona has cleverly merged the two to create a unique logo.

Credit to Let’s Panda

Chelini

The Chelini logo reminds me of Italy, which links well with the fact they do pasta. And Italy is the home of pasta.

Chelini uses vintage colours, a badge shape and contrasting typography. Which creates a powerful and nostalgic logo.

All of this comes together to build a story and feeling with the consumer that draws them to the brand.

Bacardi

The Bacardi rebrand is now a little old but I still love it.

Showing how your past can inform your future. If you take a look through the years the Bacardi bat has become more and more simple and modern.

With this new logo they have rolled back the years. Combining the modern approach of a clean circle design that the bat sits on. With a vintage bat illustration inspired by the late 1800’s and early 1900’s logos.

Looking back is a great way to see what you could have lost along the journey in pursuit of creating a modern brand.

Credit to
Credit to Robot Food

Fuego Spice Co

Fuego Spice is all about flavour when it comes to their hot sauces. So when you look at the logo and packaging it fits perfectly. A clean and minimal brand with a nice touch on the E letterforms.

The brand mission is not to just scream hot hot hot. Appealing more to the foodie that likes the heat, but wants the flavour.

Balance is key and the balance of the logo and the flavour visuals on the packaging is perfect. The logo does not intrude on the main thing… the flavour.

Credit to Herman Scheer

Lensabl

Lensabl is an example of how you don’t have to use your full name in your brand logo.

Lensabl do have a full name logo, which personally I don’t like, I don’t think the glasses sit well in the work mark at all.

But as you look through all the packaging and branded materials. The main logo becomes the circle with the glasses in.

Much like the apple of Apple and the shell icon in Shell. They are recognised by these icons along with the word mark logo.

Credit to Herman Scheer

Debbie Allen Dance Academy

Similar to Lensabl above. The DADA uses a box logo and a full work mark logo separately and combined. Creating a flexible visual identity.

These combinations of the logo mark can allow your brand to be recognised in a multitude of places. From small devices to huge billboard designs, they have a legible and recognisable logo.

In the modern world screens are king and making sure your logo is recognised on them is essential for a brand.

Credit to Unfold

Homely

Earlier in this post I mentioned Sedona. And how they have cleverly merged an icon and the work mark to create their logo.

Homely is an example of how an icon and word mark being separate can be successful. You have all heard people say, make your house a home. The idea of bringing joy and happiness to your house makes it a home.

Homely have used this idea in their logo. Creating a simple house shape with a smile. Its friendly, inviting and reflects the make your house a home slogan perfectly.

Conclusion:50 Creative Logo Examples and Tips to Inspire You

Above are a lot of examples of logos and hopefully some important tips and inspiration that can help if you are creating a logo.

From logo flexibility or using your history to trying something totally unique. There are plenty of ways to approach your logo design.

If you are still unsure or you want to explore what we could do for your logo design. Give us a call and we can set up a meeting to discuss your project.