Back in 2012, when plant-based milk was still a burgeoning market, it was hard to find an alternative that was additive and filler-free. This struggle inspired California-based chef Gaina Lieu to found her own plant-based milk company called Marin Living Foods, whose mission for over a decade now has been to provide the most natural and high-quality almond milk.

In an attempt to disrupt the alternative milk category, Lieu reached out to award-winning creative agency The Working Assembly to rebrand Marin Living Foods and help it stand out from competitors in terms of visuals as well as quality.

“The Working Assembly really nailed the brief, giving our beloved brand a fresh and much needed redesign,” explains Lieu. “Our premium small batch nut milks are so much more than the plant-based alternatives out there, and they really highlighted the differentiation in all of their strategy, copy and visual identity work.”

At the core of the rebrand is a new wordmark that uses custom script to mirror the fluidity of milk and contribute to a brand-wide playfulness through movement and motion. Here, clear legibility of the brand name is sacrificed slightly in favour of aesthetic distinction — even if you’re not sure what the fluid type says, it certainly stands out on the shelf.

This is further aided by a simple yet bold colour palette that helps to foreground the wordmark on the bottle. Pink, green, brown and off-white hint at the flavours of the respective milks (which include matcha, berry goji, and ube, among others) whilst juxtaposing nicely with the expressive type design.

Finally, the brand’s playful attitude is established through a “confident, cheeky, and strong” tone of voice that draws attention and highlights the quality of the products in a knowingly boastful way — ‘Defiantly Delicious’ reads the brand’s unofficial tagline, while one of its OOH adverts proudly declares: “Our bold flavours make the almond milk aisle a little less vanilla.”

theworkingassembly.com