Ribena receives subtle but "juicy" rebrand

Design consultancy Elmwood set out to preserve the nostalgic familiarity of Ribena when revamping the logo of the British squash brand while dialling up its most recognisable qualities.

The updated branding, created in collaboration with typographer Luke Ritchie, features "plumper and juicier" letterforms rendered in attention-grabbing red, rather than blackcurrant purple.

It also abandons the curvature of the original wordmark in favour of a straight, simplified baseline.

"Our goal was that of 'familiar difference'", said Elmwood creative director Charlotte Distefano. "People love the taste of Ribena but weren't noticing it in store."

"We needed the new design to be instantly recognisable as Ribena, whilst dialling up brand standout and creating a consistent look and feel," Distefano continued.

With this aim, Elmwood consulted more than 1,000 people to distil the most distinctive qualities of the blackcurrant cordial brand, first introduced to the British public in 1938.

Among them is the Ribena wordmark, now featured larger and more prominently on the packaging, with hard lines swapped for playful flicks and fluid terminals.

The glistening blackcurrants from the original packaging still remain to provide "cues of naturalness", although they are relegated to the backdrop.

A "juicy droplet icon" now drips down from the berries onto the white-backed logo.

Elmwood also made a number of other colour changes to amp up contrast, introducing a vibrant purple backdrop and gold accents for a more "premium" feel.

"In consumer testing, the refreshed pack improved purchasing, unaided recall, taste and overall appeal – all while remaining recognisably Ribena," Elmwood said.

Subtle logo changes have proven popular in recent months, with Walmart, Amazon and Google all making subtle updates to their branding since the start of the year.

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