Branding Design Best Practices

The Chobani Rebrand - By Leland Maschmeyer and Team: When Bold Revolution Creates Category Leadership Walking through supermarket aisles, I'm often drawn to brands that dare to break category conventions. As a design director at Ginger Storm, the Chobani rebrand stands out as a masterclass in revolutionary design thinking that transformed a category leader from forgettable to unforgettable. Why the Rebrand? The catalyst was a strategic necessity: By 2017, Chobani found itself in a market saturated with lookalikes. Competitors had adopted similar visual language—stark white backgrounds, hyper-realistic fruit photography, and clinical sans-serif typography. What was once distinctive had become a category convention. Rather than accept visual irrelevance, Chobani seized the opportunity to reclaim its distinctiveness and reposition itself as a wellness-focused food company beyond just yoghurt. Design Change What fascinates me about this rebrand is its courage to completely reimagine the brand's visual expression. The logo transformation introduced a custom Chobani Serif typeface with softer, rounded edges that beautifully evoke the creamy texture of yoghurt itself. The shift from clinical bright white to a warmer off-white backdrop immediately distinguishes the brand on shelf. I'm particularly impressed by the bold move away from glossy finishes to premium matte textures—not just visually pleasing but enhancing the tactile experience. The replacement of hyper-realistic fruit photography with hand-painted watercolour illustrations inspired by 19th-century folk art creates a human touch that feels refreshingly authentic in a category dominated by perfect imagery. Strong Revolution This rebrand represents nothing short of a complete revolution in packaging design—and for all the right reasons. The original packaging lacked any meaningful identity beyond the name itself, making a revolutionary approach not just justified but necessary. What makes this approach so brilliant is how it doesn't merely differentiate—it establishes a new visual territory that competitors cannot easily follow without appearing derivative. The result is significantly better on every level: more strategic, more personality-driven, and perfectly aligned with the target audience while maintaining name recognition where it matters. The Results The impact speaks volumes: a 12% sales increase between 2019-2020 while the overall yogurt category declined by 4.4%. Chobani maintained its position as America's #1 yoghurt brand, overtaking Yoplait. The rebrand didn't just refresh aesthetics—it reinforced market leadership. Chobani proves that when the original lacks meaningful identity, a bold revolution isn't just an option—it's a strategic imperative. Sometimes the bravest decision is to completely reimagine your visual language rather than merely refining what never truly worked in the first place.

10 Truths about branding that hurt before they help. Brand isn’t a vibe, a logo, or a funky website. It’s a system. And systems don’t go viral overnight. Here’s what actually matters, and works: 1. Be painfully clear If your team can’t explain what you do in one sentence, neither can your audience. Confusion kills brands faster than competition. 2. Own one thing Not everything. One. The human brain needs shortcuts. If they can’t label you, they’ll forget you. 3. Look like you mean it Perception is the first impression. If it looks half-baked, people will assume the same about your product. (Yes we do very much judge a book by it's cover) 4. Sound like a real human Most brands still sound like an HR/IT/AI policy doc. If your tone has no personality, your message won’t stick. 5. Say the same thing a hundred ways Repetition isn’t boring. It’s branding. Familiarity builds memory. And memory builds preference. 6. If they have to decode it, they’ll delete it. People make 3k decisions a day and see up to 10k brands. They’re not analysing. They’re skimming. If your message isn’t simple, clear, and fast...it’s invisible. 7. Speak to emotions, not just logic Decision-making is emotional, even in B2B. Make them feel something, or risk being ignored entirely. 8. Most business problems are brand problems If sales are slow, talent isn’t biting, or investors don’t get it… it’s rarely the product. Clarity, relevance, and trust all start with brand. 9. Design for recall, not just reach Visibility is easy. Memorability is increasingly harder. When they’re ready to buy, will they remember you? 10. It’s not your brand. It’s theirs. They decide what it means. They decide if it’s worth talking about. Design it for them, not you or your teenager daughter (unless she is the ICP). Strong brands are built like habits: Repeated. Familiar. Easy to recognise. Impossible to ignore. Which of these is your brand actually doing?

Am I the only brand designer who hates seeing logos everywhere? Nothing screams insecure brand like a poster, slide, billboard, hoodie and email footers all shouting the logo at you. It feels cheap, like a watermark on every thought. Last week I walked past a billboard that could have been interesting. Big photo, nice headline, then a the logo, huge in size, placed in two different versions. All I remembered was the clutter. When you overuse the logo, people stop seeing the brand and start seeing noise. Instead, strong brands build recognition without shouting their name every five seconds. Think McDonald’s. You can crop the Golden Arches into a corner, show a red panel with fries arranged as lines, or use that ketchup red and yellow and your brain fills in the rest. Tesco can lead with just one elements and no name, Heinz can drop the wordmark entirely and you still know who is speaking. That is identity as a system, not a sticker. And before someone shouts at me, I GET IT, a startup is not McDonald’s. In the early stage you need clear labeling. But the trick I think lies in using the logo as a signature, not a blanket. Your goal is to create brand cues that travel on their own. Here is how I approach it: • Pick two or three assets you can repeat everywhere: a color that is truly yours, a type system with character, a photography or illustration style, a layout rhythm, a tone of voice people can quote. • Design every touchpoint to feel like you even if the logo falls off. Test it. Cover the logo on a slide or ad. If it still feels like your brand, you are doing it right. • Place the logo with intent. Clear, consistent, same size rules, generous breathing room. Signature, not wallpaper. • For early stage companies: keep the logo present on high intent pages and sales materials, then let brand cues carry the storytelling on social, content and campaigns. People remember patterns faster than they remember names. Distinct color, shape, type and tone create memory hooks. Repetition builds trust. Overexposure creates banner blindness. The logo is not the brand. The logo is the receipt. Curious to hear your take: where do you see logos overused, and which brands do you think nail recognition without shouting? #BrandStrategy #VisualIdentity #DesignThinking #Marketing #BrandingTips

When Packaging Protects More Than What's Inside. You can tell when design comes from lived culture, not a quick Google search. Real heritage shows. It carries rhythm, weight, and history. When that depth finds its way into packaging, it becomes more than decoration. Too often, brands chasing "cultural inspiration" only skim the surface. A borrowed pattern here, a palette from a travel blog there. It looks the part but never feels it. What starts as homage ends up as imitation. KA'A worked with Indigenous artist Jaguatirika to root its design in ancestry and place. Every colour comes from Brazil's biomes, each tied to the textures, scents, and healing power of the forest. In a category hooked on beige minimalism, KA'A brings life back to the shelf. Design with memory. Shapes and symbols passed through generations of craft, story, and survival. Colours drawn from the rainforest itself, not Pinterest. When design honours its source, it protects more than what's inside. Are you carrying the story forward or just borrowing the look? 📷Estúdio Ditongo

One of Australia’s largest banks redesigned its logo for $15 million. Recently, while researching, I came to know about ANZ's logo redesign and I honestly think that it is a great case study. ANZ is among the top Australia's biggest banks and they chose a minimalist style for their rebranding that combines simple typography with the famous eagle design. The rebranding was done to unify its presence across the Asia-Pacific region and show its growth ambitions. Here’s what they did in their redesign: >> It retained ANZ's signature blue, a color associated with trust and stability in the financial sector. >> The transition from 3 stripes to a single, streamlined form modernized the aesthetic while conveying unity and simplicity. >> One of the most distinctive elements was the symbol accompanying the "ANZ" lettering. This resembles a human figure, reinforcing the bank's commitment to a human-centric approach & it also evokes the image of a 3 petaled lotus. >> The lotus petals symbolize ANZ's operations in Australia, New Zealand and the broader Asia-Pacific region, reflecting the bank's regional influence and inclusivity. Spending $15 million on a logo redesign might seem excessive at first, but it shows the importance of brand identity in building consumer trust and global recognition. The cost included extensive market research, implementation across digital and physical touchpoints, ensuring alignment with the bank’s growing values. What graphic design lesson did they leave you with? #graphicdesign

Corporate colors psychology: strategic guide to branding. Before a message is read or a logo is recognized, color has already shaped perception in milliseconds. It influences how a brand is interpreted, what people feel, and often what they decide. Does you brand have clear color strategy? 3x to 4x increase in brand recognition thanks visual identity >>COMMUNICATION tool The brain processes visuals much faster than text, and color triggers associations almost automatically. These are not universal rules, but they are consistent patterns within cultures and categories. The key point is that color always communicates something. +30% customer retention in brands with strong consistency across experience and communication >>Defines CATEGORY. Many sectors have clear visual codes, following them helps people quickly understand what you are, while breaking them can help you stand out. But doing so without reason creates friction if the color contradicts the brand’s value. Color is one of the fastest elements to recognize and one of the hardest to copy once it is established. +90% of first impressions are influenced by color >>SHELF Impact In retail, people do not analyze, they scan. Color is usually the first signal they register. It makes products more visible, easier to find, and faster to process. It can also influence perceived price and quality, and often drives impulse decisions. Contrast matters most: when everything looks the same, the product that breaks the pattern stands out. +80% brand recognition for consistent use of color >>Color & PALLETES A brand does not work with just one color. It needs a system: primary colors define the core identity, secondary colors add flexibility, accent colors create emphasis, and neutrals provide balance. This is not just a design choice, but an operational one that allows consistency across formats and channels. +23% lower customer acquisition cost due to higher baseline awareness and recall >>CONSISTENCY & memory Is what turns color into an asset. Consistent use of color builds recognition, recall, and association. It reduces cognitive effort by making a brand easier to identify and process. When recognition is immediate, trust builds faster. +23% increase revenue for consistent brand presentation Final take Color feels intuitive, which is why it is often underestimated. But strong brands do not leave it to intuition. They define it, systematize it, and use it consistently. Because long before people remember what you said, they remember how you looked. And color sits right at the center of that. Find my curated search of examples and get inspired for success. Featured Brands: Burberry Curame Good Girl Hermes Kosas Prada Timberland Sol de Janeiro Tiffany&co #marketingbusines #marketingprofessionals #brandstrategy #brandcolor

Why this KPI works better than most “Sales Overview” cards I see? Not because it uses icons. Not because it has percentages. But because it turns a summary metric into a quick comparison story. There are 7 intentional design decisions here. Let me break them down. 1. The primary metric owns the visual hierarchy: $2,000 is large, centered, and impossible to miss. Before users process anything else, they understand the headline: total sales. Everything else supports that number- nothing competes with it. 2. Icons provide instant semantic cues. Cart = Orders. Location pin = Visits Users don’t need to read labels first- they recognize categories visually. This reduces cognitive load, especially for frequent viewers. 3. Color is doing classification, not decoration: Blue for Orders. Purple for Visits. Consistent across icon, text, and bar segment. No gradients. No unnecessary highlights. Color is used once and then reinforced everywhere. 4. The progress bar visualizes imbalance: It’s showing distribution. The longer Visits segment immediately communicates: “We’re getting traffic, but fewer of those visits convert.” The insight is visual before it’s analytical. 5. Percentages + counts = dual level understanding" 32.47% vs 67.53% gives proportion. 250 vs 520 gives scale. Many dashboards show only percentages- which hides magnitude. Here, users see both impact and volume. 6. The comparison is explicit, not implied: Orders vs Visits aren’t placed in separate visuals. They live side by side with a clear “vs” separator. No guessing what’s being compared. The design literally says: “Compare these two.” That tiny “vs” is doing heavy cognitive lifting. 7. Time context sits quietly in the slicer: Month selection at the top keeps the KPI focused on one period. Users understand this is a snapshot- not a trend analysis. Context is available without cluttering the main story. Love this breakdown? Follow #TheVisualBreakdown. Hit the bell so you don’t miss the next one.

Marks & Spencer Food just set a new standard. Their new "only 1 ingredient" packaging is a game changer. Consumers are overwhelmed with choices. Every product fights for attention. Most brands try to say more. M&S did the opposite. They removed the clutter. They stripped it down. They let the product speak. This isn’t just about packaging: It’s a marketing strategy. This new packaging design speaks to that shift. Why this works (and what you can learn): 1. Simplicity speeds up decisions. → Shoppers don’t analyze. They go with instinct. → A cluttered message slows them down. → A clear message makes buying effortless. → M&S said the most with the least.   2. Transparency builds instant trust. → Consumers don’t believe big promises. → They believe what they see. → M&S removed doubt with pure facts. 3. The ‘clean label’ trend is growing. → 82% of shoppers check ingredients. → They want fewer, natural, recognizable items. → M&S didn’t just follow the trend. → They turned it into a statement.   4. Minimalist design signals premium quality. → People judge brands before they read. → A cluttered design feels cheap. → A clean design feels confident. → Less isn’t empty. It’s bold.   5. The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. → M&S didn’t push. They showed. → They let simplicity do the selling. → They made cornflakes feel premium. That’s the power of smart branding. P.S How would your product look with just one word?

As AI weaves itself into the fabric of our lives, we have a tendency to assume that all of us want the same things from AI. A recent study from Stanford HAI reveals that our cultural background significantly influences our desires and expectations from AI technologies. European Americans, deeply rooted in an independent cultural model, tend to seek control over AI. They want systems that empower individual autonomy and decision-making. In contrast, Chinese participants, influenced by an interdependent cultural model, favour a connection with AI, valuing harmony and collective well-being over individual control. Interestingly, African Americans navigate both these cultural models, reflecting a nuanced balance between control and connection in their AI preferences. The importance of embracing cultural diversity in AI development cannot be understated. As we build technologies that are increasingly global, understanding and integrating these diverse cultural perspectives is essential. The AI we create today will shape the world of tomorrow, and ensuring that it resonates with the values and needs of a global population is the key to its success. When designing technology solutions, we must think beyond our immediate cultural contexts and strive to create systems that are inclusive, adaptable, and culturally aware. If OpenAI wants to benefit humanity, then that needs to be humanity with all our different world views. The key takeaways from the study can apply to all kinds of product development: 1. Cultural Awareness: recognise that preferences vary across cultures, and these differences should inform design and implementation strategies. 2. Inclusive Design: incorporate diverse perspectives from the outset to create products that resonate globally. 3. Global Leadership: lead with an understanding that what works in one cultural context might not in another—adaptability is key. By embedding these principles into our product development efforts, we can ensure that the technology and products we develop are culturally attuned to the needs of a diverse world. I would love to see deeper analysis of this cultural lens as it should inform the way we work with technology for good. There is always a danger that as we seek to break one set of biases, we introduce our own. How do you think leaders should adapt their AI approaches or precut development on the basis of this research? #AI #product #research #techforgood #responsibleAI Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow me Holly Joint 🙌🏻 I write about navigating a tech-driven future: how it impacts strategy, leadership, culture and women 🙌🏻 All views are my own.