Nesquik was first introduced as a chocolate powder mix in 1948, while the ready-to-drink formula followed in 1983. It’s famous bunny brand mascot, Quiky, made his television debut in 1973, and has had a big hand in helping to make chocolate milk synonymous with Nestlé, the brand that paired nutrition with taste. Recent competitive pressures in the Ready-to-Drink (RTD) category including coffee, energy and other protein drinks, drove Nestlé to decide that the youth-focused brand design needed a change. Chase Design Group, with the Nestlé Design team, was challenged to help the brand gain relevance within an expanded set of RTD beverages primarily sold in convenience stores.
Over the years, Nesquik has evolved from being a treat for lunchboxes, or a nostalgic snack for adults, into a purposeful nourishing beverage for all ages. A refreshed brand purpose and product segmentation strategy allows for expansion within the category. According to Nick Leebert, Associate Creative Director, Chase Design Group, “We were asked to modernize Nesquik in a way that captures the energy and spirit of the brand, while not feeling childish. That required communicating the evolution of the brand, its core values of positivity and optimism while also creating greater segmentation among its offerings.”
The design team identified key brand assets: Quiky as the brand icon, the core yellow/blue color combination and the character of the logo. To make the brand presence more unique and stand out on shelf they applied a simplification strategy that focused on the Quiky character and emphasized the color yellow. “The packaging had too many elements, and non-ownable assets with multiple gradients, drop shadows and overlays as well as multiple fonts lacking a clear communication hierarchy,” notes Leebert.
Quiky was transformed into an iconic asset using a defined silhouette that still maintained the whimsical nature of the character. Defining Quiky to a limited number of iconic poses for brand recognition also made him easier to apply consistently on and off the packaging. Simplification of the logo was accomplished with optimized letterforms, while the bold yellow was emphasized, serving as a beacon for the brand.
Clarified color coding distinguishes the five core flavored milk selections, while the three Protein Power offerings are identified with a banner across the middle of the bottle and a different communication hierarchy.
“The Chase Design Group team helped us evolve Nesquik into a bold, brave and modern challenger brand that will increase its appeal to consumers of all ages and accelerate our RTD brand growth,” says Neil Sadler, Head of Design USA, Nestlé.
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