B&B studio has partnered with Cranswick Pet Products to redesign Vitalin, its heritage dog food brand established in 1953. Tasked with broadening the brand’s consumer appeal and distribution, the rebrand seeks to build on the brand’s long-standing association with the British countryside and its use of locally farmed ingredients.

Comprising a new brand positioning, visual identity and packaging design system, the project needed to deliver a premium look and feel while bringing the branding up-to-date for contemporary dog owners. Retaining the connection to the landscape was key, and a new brand idea – Vitality, from Farm to Tail – was created to describe how the brand’s locally sourced
meats, vegetables and botanicals are the ultimate source of a dog’s vitality.

The new brand icon tells this story in a snapshot, featuring a silhouetted dog with a barn created in the negative space of his front and rear legs. The dog turns to look at the sun, or perhaps a ball, suggesting both the outdoors and an active lifestyle. The dog icon is accompanied by a new logotype in a contemporary, but refined, sans serif font.

With a broad range of flavours and age ranges to cover, alongside plans for NPD, the packaging design system uses strong colour-coding to denote different recipes. The lower third of the pack is dedicated to depicting the countryside, using evocative but abstract illustration styles for a natural feel, with bright, bold colours to differentiate flavour. The brand icon sits on top of the landscape, cleverly creating context for the dog/barn idea to come to
life. A series of benefit icons are used across the top of pack to signal product highlights, while a stamped roundel featuring a flag/gate design denotes the brand’s Britishness and established heritage.

Beyond packaging, the colourful landscapes create an abstract countryside backdrop for a range of applications across digital and print. These are accompanied by a new photography style featuring active and energetic dogs enjoying the countryside and expressing their vitality.

Jennie Potts, Creative Director at B&B studio comments “With the new look and feel we wanted to maintain the brand’s authentic connection to farming and the British countryside, but also show how that world can move with the times and not feel stuck in a traditional aesthetic. We’ve held on to the brand’s pragmatic, no nonsense, personality but given it a progressive feel to enable and inspire innovation.”

“We are thrilled with the new brand positioning and design,” comments Jerry Lowe, Head of Marketing of Cranswick Pet Products. “B&B has delivered exactly what we needed, and the response has been fabulous, prompting new listings for our brand in national outlets.” Vitalin is available in Pets at Home stores nationwide, in independent pet stores, and at vitalinpetfood.co.uk.