Being the leader in any category has its challenges and Kashi is no exception. As the market for healthy foods burgeoned, Kashi struggled to keep its foothold; attempts at innovation couldn’t beat the new generations of copycats and infiltrators. In tandem, the category faced new challenges of food regulation and GMO scares that ultimately cost Kashi consumer trust. A confused and schizophrenic design system and a shelf full of lookalikes meant that Kashi’s place as market pioneer was severely under threat.

When a company has their back against the wall, the temptation to start from scratch can be a strong one. Our belief, however, was that Kashi needed to reinstate themselves as a category leader by taking pride in returning, truthfully, to their roots. The honesty of their food needed to be reflected through their design, rather than hiding behind generic imagery. A creative strategy of ‘Good Clean Food, Deserves Good Clean Design’ was developed as well as the guiding principle of capturing the spirit of their motherland, California, the home of quality food and innovative design.

Kashi is a brand close to peoples’ hearts and the response to the redesign has been overwhelming. Many key retailers in both the mainstream and health channels have lauded the redesign as Kashi’s return to glory and praised the simplicity and strength of design within the category. A brand new visual identity, as well as the unique photographic assets has also meant that Kashi can confidently start their social media footprint, something not previously possible due to their confused design language and media strategy.