By 2018, the nut butter and spread sector was worth $6.5 billion annually and growing rapidly at a rate of 65%, year on year. With such a heavily saturated market, consumers were confused by the sheer volume of choice.

However, it wasn’t just the range of choice that was an issue. A sector that started out with good intentions of being "wholesome" and "health-conscious", simply wasn’t anymore. It was against this backdrop that we were approached by an entrepreneurial personal trainer and sports nutritionist to create a nut butter brand that was truly natural, free from hidden sugars, and 100% homegrown. In a sea of sameness, the new brand needed a name and personality that shouted from the shelves and gave consumers an honest, refreshing, and clean brand experience.

We named the brand Nood - a play on the word 'nude', meaning bare - and supported it with a cheeky little nut character. The name reflects a product free from additives and preservatives, containing ‘just nuts’. The two ‘o’s’ within the brandmark form Nood’s face, giving the brand a quirky, approachable feel.

The new identity makes use of handwritten fonts to bring home the idea of wholesome purity, and the use of fluorescent colours was an opportunity to reinvent the category. Glass packaging - deliberately kept transparent - demonstrates Nood has nothing to hide, and the easy-to-read nutritional labelling and illustrated key messaging, keeps things light-hearted and honest.

The tone of voice is conversational, thought provoking and cheeky - exactly what you would expect from a brand called Nood. Not only did we succeed in creating a strong on-shelf presence and boosted sales, the packaging design won multiple awards.

Whilst there were many memorable moments working on this project, on the day of the concept presentation we asked our client If there was anything she didn’t want to see. Her response? "A character or something with neon colours”.