Jell-O serves nostalgia in first packaging redesign in a decade

Branding agency BrandOpus has traded in the old medicinal boxes to embrace the fun at the core of Jell-O.

Date
31 July 2023

Jell-O, the American brand whose trademark dates back to 1897, has redesigned its packaging and logo with BrandOpus. The old Jell-O boxes featured a soft gradient to denote the dessert’s flavour; now the packaging relies on block colours and simple shapes to express its personality as “America’s most famous dessert”. It’s the first time in a decade that Jell-O has refreshed its packaging.

One of the most recognisable elements of the previous brand, the ‘O’ in Jell-O, now sits further in the limelight. In the logo, the calligraphic ‘O’ has been replaced with a fuller typeface that extends upwards in a bubbly fashion. The ‘O’ is also incorporated throughout the new identity as a framing device and pattern, in text and motion assets. “There might be other gelatines out there, but there is only one Jell-O. We focused on one of the many things that makes them unique,” says BrandOpus.

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BrandOpus: Jell-O (Copyright © BrandOpus, 2023)

Stylistically, it’s an interesting shift for a brand with as much longevity as Jell-O. Like countless other food and drink brands this year, the identity plays on a trend of elevated nostalgia. But BrandOpus has been bolder than most of its competitors with its palette and play on retro Americana. Jell-O’s new packaging also features 3D illustrations of fruits with a gummy finish.

In the past, BrandOpus has worked with numerous brands looking to reinvent themselves in the food market, including McCain, who moved in a more “homegrown” direction following a slump in sales for fast food brands.

GalleryBrandOpus: Jell-O (Copyright © BrandOpus, 2023)

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BrandOpus: Jell-O (Copyright © BrandOpus, 2023)

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Liz Gorny

Liz (she/they) is associate editor at Insights, a research-driven department within It's Nice That. They previously ran the news section of the website. Get in contact with them for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights’ fortnightly column, POV.

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