In recent years, plant-based and imitation meats have flooded the market for health-conscious consumers concerned about the quality and amount of meat they eat. In response, Applegate—a brand known for their ethically-sourced, organic meats—launched a new platform that blended real meat with organic vegetables, legumes, and grains. They enlisted the help of our team to develop a platform name, visual identity, and packaging system. Both the name and the design were created to deliver on the product proposition—a unique pairing of chef-inspired, real, delicious Applegate meat with interesting, nutrient-dense vegetables, legumes, and grains.

Through our collaboration, we aimed to “keep meat on the table” by meeting a new consumer need (reduce meat consumption and eat more plants), pop on shelf against competition, and bring new consumers to Applegate.

During our research, we learned that brands across the category are trying to be something they’re not. Vegetarian products use meat codes to communicate taste, while blended meats focus highly on vegetable ingredients for health appeal. We asked—why should consumers have to choose between the two?

While the products are created with health-forward ingredients, we wanted consumers to be sure that taste wasn’t sacrificed. The carefully curated products contain the perfect combination of flavors, and we put “crave-ability” at the forefront. We named the brand Well Carved and created a visual system that celebrates its heightened culinary experience. Ingredients dance on all four packs with highly textured, expressive photography to highlight the importance of everything inside—down to a lentil.

The new brand eliminates the conflict for consumers stuck in a meat-or-plant-based dilemma. Well Carved isn’t just a healthy substitute—it’s made meat even better.