For over 40 years, Horlicks has been a trusted staple in Indian households, delivering on its promise of ‘Taller Stronger Sharper’ growth benefits across generations. The Health Food Drink (HFD) category is thriving, with India’s growth in the health and wellness space having outpaced that in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, and the world.

Despite its market leadership, Horlicks faced challenges in an ever-evolving HFD landscape, where competitors excelled in functional benefits and scientific credentials. When Horlicks India approached Elmwood, their goal was clear: to reclaim relevance in the competitive HFD market by spotlighting specialised functional benefits and nutritional expertise through a revamped packaging and visual identity.

Modern parenting prioritizes future-ready children, and Horlicks sought to evolve alongside these shifting dynamics. The brand’s vision: to deliver personalised nutrition clinically proven to make every Indian child taller, stronger, and sharper. We saw this as more than a redesign opportunity. It was a chance to elevate a beloved generational brand, empowering mums to nurture their children and unlock their full potential. We took a culture-first approach, delving into India’s evolving habits, perceptions, and trends in family nutrition. Our key discovery: maximising every child’s nutritional intake is a top priority for mums. This insight drove us to arrive and tackle a bolder design challenge: we are the specialised co-nutritionist ensuring your child’s optimal growth. With Horlicks, we unleash your child’s full potential.

The big idea of ‘Activator of Potential’ became the foundation of the new packaging design. We aimed to blend expertise with approachability, making Horlicks’ nutritional science accessible to every mum. Our goal was to redefine the growth story by showcasing the boundless potential mums see in their children.

Introducing the Activator as Horlicks’ iconic hero was pivotal in resonating with mums’ desire to nurture their children’s capabilities. Beyond physical growth, the Activator represents progress, limitless potential, and the nutritional benefits of Horlicks. This iconic asset spans across our entire product range, with each colour signifying different stages of growth potential, ensuring brand presence and recognition.

Our new packaging demystifies nutrition by transparently showcasing the micronutrient profile of a cup of Horlicks, intuitively linking components like protein, calcium, and iron to the brand’s science-backed promise of ‘Taller, Stronger, Sharper.’ With refreshed color schemes and iconography inspired by our unique watermark, the design blends sensory appeal with scientific clarity. These distinctive assets enhance product visibility and recognition across traditional outlets, modern trade, pharmacies, and e-commerce platforms—reinforcing Horlicks’ position as a leader in nutrition.

Designed with mums and families in mind, our packaging redesign highlights the science behind Horlicks, bringing its tangible nutritional benefits to life. The results speak for themselves: the new packaging achieved a 77% visual appeal rating, a significant increase from the previous 66%, and scored 55% in uniqueness, up from 50%. In a competitive and saturated market, these improvements underscore how the redesign enhances visual appeal, distinctiveness, and brand clarity. The new design ensures better visibility, readability, and comprehension, ultimately strengthening consumer perception and driving positive purchasing decisions for the Horlicks range. This impactful transformation has also earned industry recognition, winning Bronze at the 2024 Transform Asia Awards for ‘Best Visual Identity in the Food and Beverage Sector.’