Our guide to crafting a strong brand design for the food and drink sectors

You’re reading this because you own or manage a food or drink business and want a clear idea of how brand design works in the sector. Creating an effective brand design for the food and drink sectors is a multifaceted process that intertwines aesthetics, storytelling, and consumer psychology – some of our favorite topics at Self. The aim is to create an impression that gives new and existing customers a clear sense of what your brand stands for, as a way of standing out against the competition.

But we find that a lot that is written on the topic is vague and waffly and so, in this detailed guide, we explore key aspects of brand design based on two brand projects we concluded last year – Bani Gani, a Georgian diner, and Holy, a vegan delivery service.

Understanding the Audience in the Food & Drink Sector

The first step in any brand design is understanding the target audience. This includes demographic studies, consumer behavior analysis, and trend forecasting. For food and drink brands this could mean identifying whether the target customers are health-conscious millennials, families looking for convenience, or connoisseurs of fine dining. Whichever of these (or other) categories they fall into will determine how they talk about food and drink and how you can align your values with theirs.

For Bani Gani, the design focused on the rich cultural heritage of Georgia, infusing traditional elements with a modern twist to appeal to a contemporary audience. This approach created a brand that was not only visually appealing but also deeply rooted in Georgian culinary tradition. People with an affinity for Georgian culture were thus enticed, along with London consumers looking for something unusual in the food space.

Crafting a Unique Brand Story in Food & Drink

A compelling brand story is especially important in the food and drink industry. This narrative should weave through every element of the brand, from the logo to the packaging, to the marketing materials. For instance, a craft beer brand might emphasize its artisanal brewing process and local heritage, while a vegan restaurant might focus on its founder’s journey into sustainability and health.

While this clearly relates to the written elements of your brand (including the mission statement and Our Story sections of your website), the emotional draw of the story feeds subtly into the visual elements too. For example, in crafting the branding for Holy, a vegan delivery service, we wanted to emphasize the freshness and modernity associated with vegan cuisine. Our design strategy involved using clean, minimalistic elements to reflect the health-conscious and eco-friendly ethos of the brand.

Logo and Visual Identity for Food & Drink Brands

The logo is often the first touchpoint a customer has with a brand. It should be distinctive, memorable, and reflective of the brand’s core values. The color palette, typography, and imagery all play a vital role in conveying the brand’s personality. Warm, earthy tones might evoke natural and organic products, while bold, vibrant colors could be used for a brand targeting a younger, more energetic clientele. Some typefaces are sleek and give an impression of class or high-value, versus other more informal, graffiti-style fonts.

Packaging Design in Food & Drink Branding

In the food and drink industry, packaging isn't just a container; it's a critical marketing tool. Effective packaging design should not only be functional, protecting and preserving the product, but also enticing and consistent with the brand's identity. It should stand out on the shelf and make a connection with the consumer, often in a matter of seconds. For years, alcohol producers have harnessed the subtlety of distinctive shapes for their bottles to set themselves apart (think the Mateus rosé or the Bailey’s bottle shapes).

Digital Presence

Once you’ve crafted your brand, a robust online presence is essential for modern brands. This includes a user-friendly website, active social media profiles, and maybe even an app. The digital experience should be seamless and cohesive with the overall brand identity. For food and drink brands, this might also include online menus, booking systems, or e-commerce platforms. All of these channels and materials should employ your color schemes and typography and your logo should be ubiquitous to grow brand awareness.

Make your brand consistent but adaptable

Consistency across all touchpoints is key to building brand recognition and trust. Every interaction, whether it’s a social media post, a billboard ad, or the product’s packaging, should feel like it comes from the same brand. This consistency reinforces the brand’s identity and helps to build a stronger connection with the audience.

At the same time, while consistency is important, so is adaptability. Your brand must evolve to stay relevant. This could mean creating special seasonal editions for packaging (around Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween,etc), limited edition products, or updating the brand’s look to keep up with current trends, always ensuring that these changes align with the brand’s core values and story.

And whether you’ve just completed a rebranding project or are in the middle of cycles, measuring the impact of branding efforts is crucial. This can be done through sales data, customer feedback, social media engagement, and other metrics. This data helps to refine the branding strategy over time, ensuring that it continues to resonate with the target audience.

Our final thoughts

To set yourself apart from your competition, your brand design needs to capture and communicate your values and unique proposition, sometimes in a matter of seconds. This requires an understanding of your audience, telling a compelling story, creating a visually appealing and consistent identity, and continuously adapting to stay relevant. When done right, it can elevate a product from just another item on the shelf to a beloved brand with a loyal customer base.

Both Bani Gani and Holy showcase the importance of understanding the brand's story, target audience, and the unique culinary experience they offer. The design process in these sectors goes beyond aesthetics, becoming a tool to communicate the brand's values and story, thus creating a deeper connection with the audience.

If you want to dive deeper into how a brand design works in relation to your food or drink brand, get in touch with our passionate and dedicated team at Self.