Ocado turns purple with a brand new visible identification
Ocado's business has seen a huge shift in the last few years when it came to just supplying Londoners with the latest in pretentious groceries.
The online food delivery pioneer has emerged as one of the clear winners of the pandemic. It is now the world's largest dedicated online supermarket, with over 625,000 active customers, and overtook Tesco as the UK's most valuable retailer last year after its market value surged to over £ 21 billion.
In the wake of this growth, and following a recent surprise that saw the main supplier switch from Waitrose to M&S, the retailer has revealed a new visual identity for JKR.
The new identity focuses on Ocado's growing private label offering and is intended to strengthen the retailer's position as a standalone brand rather than a delivery service for other companies. It focuses on a redesigned version of its swirling logo.
“Today, as an online supermarket, Ocado has to stand out on screens of all sizes. The distinctive vortex was rotated, redrawn and fine-tuned so that it is easier to see in static and now animated shapes, ”says Ivan Mato, Creative Director at JKR.
One of the most noticeable differences is the change from green to purple as the brand's main color. A decision that, according to Mato, will help set the supermarket apart from others.
With purple already strongly associated with brands like Cadbury and Premier Inn – both a world outside of Ocado – this is a bold move, but one that will take on a new note in a green-saturated sector.
“The vivid color looks fresh either as a foreground or a background and can switch seamlessly between offline and online environments. It will also literally travel when it shows up in the Ocado vans fleet, ”he adds.
A new custom font, Ocado Full Fig, was designed in collaboration with F37 Foundry and is inspired by the shape of the logo's distinctive swirl.
An updated line illustration style includes a new set of characters that can be combined with products and packaging to add warmth and personality to the brand. The style is reminiscent of Sainsbury's retro packaging, with a dash of Orla Kiely.
In addition, Ocado's own brand range of over 530 products now offers a revised packaging design that is geared towards sustainability. According to JKR, 27 tons of plastic packaging and nine million non-essential packaging components have been removed from the range, while the modified packaging is now also easier to recycle.
jkrglobal.com