If color is the fastest path to brand recognition, why are so many of today’s top CPG brands abandoning it?
It’s a paradox at the heart of modern brand building – and one that’s dividing founders, designers, and marketers alike.
This week, I’m unpacking both sides of the debate: Should your brand own a color… or shift with every SKU?
Today’s Part 1 explores the case against owning a brand color.
Tomorrow’s Part 2 will make the case for why color consistency still wins.
So, let’s start with the rebels.
For decades, color consistency was sacred.
The fastest way to be remembered? Be seen.
And the fastest way to be seen? Own a color.
But a new generation of CPG brands is now flipping that script to great success:
Chomps, Goodles, Poppi, Olly, Back to Nature, Sauz.
Monster Energy was one of the originals to abandon color consistency, swapping the color of its clawed “M” from can to can, in contrast to Red Bull’s famously consistent silver and blue. And now the examples keep multiplying, across nearly every aisle and category.
Now, even private label is getting in on the action: Target’s Good & Gather, Walmart’s Bettergoods, and Albertsons’ Overjoyed have all embraced the rainbow, acting like a challenger brand while shedding commodity status.
So, why skip a brand color?
Because it feels:
✅ Flavor-forward
✅ Contemporary
✅ More expressive, less corporate
It adds personality, creates flexibility, and – above all – delivers contrast.
Especially in categories dominated by color-blocking giants like Campbell’s (red), Kraft Mac & Cheese (blue), or Reese’s (orange). Color-shifting packs often feel more vibrant and more rooted in food and flavor than in corporate systems.
There’s also the digital factor.
🌐 In today’s digital-first world, brands can dip into bold, ever-changing visual worlds—no print guidelines holding them back.
Here’s a dirty little secret:
Even brands that look like they have no brand color… usually do.
– Monster always uses black and green off pack
– Olly leans into maroon online
– Chomps’ red comes to life in digital and social
A brand color does show up in ads, partnerships, and DTC as a means to pull visual worlds together, just not always on-shelf.
And this is where the color strategy shines.
When the shelf is a sea of sameness, color variety stands out.
It doesn’t just attract attention, it brings the category to life.
Color shifting is controlled expression, not chaos.
And it works because other assets carry the weight:
– Layouts and lockups
– Illustration styles
– Logo treatments
– Design architecture
🧃 For brands born on-shelf and online, this flexibility is a feature, not a flaw.
It’s a different path to recognition – one that leads with flavor, expression, and flexibility.
👉 Up next: the case for brand color – and why it’s still one of the most powerful tools in CPG.
#branding #packagingdesign #CPGstrategy #visualidentity #brandarchitecture