Category: Design

Introduction

Kellogg’s is one of the giants in the food industry, with more than 20 brands under its umbrella. It is hardly surprising that effectively managing all their products is no easy task.

In a grocery store, each product shouts from its shelf to grab your attention, hoping to end up in your cart. In other words, visuals are the lifeblood of competition.
Kellogg’s response? A bold packaging rebrand—led by the agency Landor—that emphasizes emotion, simplicity, and a strong shelf presence.

Why a rebranding

The fewer elements there are to analyze, the faster we decode the information.
Logical.

One of the goals behind this rebranding is to simplify the visuals and bring them up to date. Consumers now seek cleaner, less cluttered interfaces and information that’s accessible at a glance.
Reducing the number of elements on the packaging also sends a subliminal message that the product has nothing to hide. When a package is overflowing with claims like “made with real raspberries” or highlights the fun shape of a dinosaur cookie, it can come across as a smokescreen to distract from the 28g of sugar per serving.

RxBar : From $0 to $600 Million

In 2013, RxBar was just another brand, lost in a saturated market with nothing to set it apart. Four years later, the brand launched a packaging rebrand. By focusing on transparency and minimalism, RxBar simply listed its ingredients right on the front of the package. Its immediate success propelled the brand into spectacular growth. In October 2017, it was even acquired by Kellogg’s for $600 million.

Brand_Poets, & Brand_Poets. (2024, 19 décembre). When branding stepped up : the RXBAR success story – Brand Poets. Brand Poets – Brand Strategy & Digital Marketing. https://brandpoets.com/2024/06/05/when-branding-stepped-up-the-rxbar-success-story/

Stand Out and Become One

In its goal to stand out, Kellogg’s launched a design-driven differentiation strategy. With modern, clean, and eye-catching packaging, the company set itself apart by focusing on three key aspects.

• Integrate the “K” from Kellogg’s into the sub-brands
• Simplify the packaging
• Highlight iconic elements

Integrating the “K” from Kellogg’s into the sub-brands

One of the standout features of the new packaging is the Kellogg’s “K” seamlessly integrated into the product. Kellogg’s strategy is to make its logo—and therefore its brand—shine. They opted for a bold, vibrant, and modern visual approach.

Kellogg’s saw the opportunity to bring its “K” to life through its products by adapting it to the product’s color or blending it directly into the design. As Landor, the agency behind the rebranding, reports: “The apostrophe from the logo font becomes a versatile brand storyteller, creating a playful system of icons that connect with people and show how the brand fuels individuality.” (Landor, (s. d.). par. 6)

The result : The Kellogg’s logo, once isolated like a black sheep on the packaging of its sub-brands (e.g., Rice Krispies), now blends seamlessly with each product’s branding. It’s no longer just a relationship between Rice Krispies and the consumer, but a connection between Kellogg’s, the consumer, and Rice Krispies.

Simplifying the Packaging

No unnecessary noise—just the product, presented in a simple, modern, and unified way across Kellogg’s wide range of sub-brands. What’s fascinating is the quality of execution in Kellogg’s new packaging: by removing the unnecessary, they amplified the impact of what remained.

Think of iPhones—they’re easy to recognize at a glance. The mental load required to identify the brand [Apple] associated with the product [iPhone] is much lower compared to the Android world. Kellogg’s aimed to do the same. By betting on a cohesive visual identity, consumers can quickly spot their products on the shelf.

Highlighting Iconic Elements

Kellogg’s approached this rebranding in a clever and thoughtful way. On one hand, they didn’t sacrifice iconic elements like color, mascots, or product visuals—you’ll still find Tony the Tiger, the signature blue of Rice Krispies, or the shape of Corn Flakes on the packaging. On the other hand, they modernized those very same elements to bring them up to date.

In this example, it’s interesting to note that Coco the Monkey (mascot of Coco Pops) now looks directly at the consumer, whereas before, he was focused on his bowl of cereal. The same goes for the Rice Krispies characters.
A way to establish a more direct connection with the consumer?
You tell me.

Conclusion

In recent years, many brands have been simplifying their logos, streamlining their packaging, and modernizing their brand identity for a look that’s more vibrant, clean, and simple. Kellogg’s is a great example of this trend—one that truly deserves to be highlighted.
To stay focused, I haven’t touched on the advertising campaign surrounding this rebrand, which launched in early 2025 in Europe.

For the curious, here’s the link to one of the ads :