Ragged Edge “embraced the peculiar” for Keen rebrand
Overblown health claims and lofty language are nowhere to be found in Ragged Edge’s update of non-refrigerated juice brand Eager. In contrast to the sweeping (and often meaningless) taglines of other drinks companies, Eager has embraced a markedly no-nonsense approach, which comes through clearly in its new visual identity. As the brand says on its website: “It’s just good juice made well.”
“Juice isn’t as innocent as it seems,” says Ragged Edge’s co-founder Max Ottignon, who emphasises that the category is “littered with false claims and unearned hype”. Instead of following suit, the studio decided to strip things right back and offer a counterpoint to the “noisy, saturated” drinks market.
Packaging has been overhauled, with Eager’s previous cartons, which were wallpapered with grinning, fruity letters, replaced by pure typographic branding. Bright colours denote flavours, while the individual fruits’ taglines – ‘Is what it is orange juice’, ‘A is for apple juice’ – emphasise what’s on offer. Ragged Edge has also overhauled the Eager website, turning it into a simple storefront and info page, both of which are quick to read and easy to click through.
A new tone of voice underscores the juice brand’s no frills philosophy, drawing attention to its simple ingredients and classic flavours. There’s some nice moments of clever copywriting, including renaming Eager’s mixed flavour crates ‘all-star squeezes’ or filing cranberry juice under ‘normcore’.
According to Eager’s founder, Ed Rigg, the new visual identity’s “disarmingly upfront attitude” will support the company as it moves into the direct-to-consumer market (previously the business only served the drinks trade). If you’ve ever seen a bartender pour from an Eager carton, you might feel a small pang for the jovial, typographic fruits, but there’s no denying that Ragged Edge has created something extremely appealing with its minimalist makeover.
raggededge.com