Neutral is a carbon-neutral food company aiming to lead the next global food revolution.
Food has a massive carbon footprint. Many studies suggest that agriculture contributes to nearly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a ton! Actually, more like 8 billion metric tons. Fortunately, there are folks out there determined to take action.
Our client approached us to assist in crafting the brand identity for a new food company with a grand vision—to establish a sustainable, carbon-neutral food ecosystem. They believe that carbon neutral food can radically disrupt agriculture as the next global food revolution. And due to the impact of livestock agriculture, they wanted to start with the humble (but ubiquitous) glass of milk.
Neutral is a brand with a compelling and inspiring narrative to share. To echo this, we chose to emphasize simplicity, friendliness, and transparency at the core of the design, commencing with the typography. We opted to use a single type family throughout to bring modernity and nuance without sacrificing utility and clarity. And we set the wordmark in all lowercase to bring a feeling of humanism and approachability. Letterforms were also customized to optimize flow and balance between linear and circular geometry.
Our inspiration for the logo came from their central brand goal of reducing their own carbon footprint to 0%. Coincidently, when turned 90 degree, the percentage sign inherently takes the form of an ‘N.’ We leaned into this, creating a mark that is both a mnemonic for the brand, as well as a reminder of their goal.
We knew from the outset that we needed a compelling color story to convey the purpose of the brand and help it stand out from the wall of white in the dairy aisle. Through studying temperature maps, we honed in on an inviting yellow for the main brand color. We felt the allusion to temperate sunny weather was optimistic, while still having color density to maintain legibility for bold, white typography on the packaging. We balanced the yellow with a deep, dusty blue for contrast, and built out a suite of unique colors to identify each product, while staying true to the traditional color categories that exist for dairy.
We also developed an illustration style to add an organic softness to the brand. Our goal was to guide consumers through each panel of the carton, telling the brand story, teaching about carbon emissions, and sharing about Neutral's approach to offset their own footprint through strategic partnerships.
The brand elements coalesce on the carton packaging. In keeping with our goal of transparency, we highlighted the exact carbon cost—and offset value—of each carton of milk, and placed this information prominently on the front of each carton.
Given the ubiquitous nature of dairy in the average American diet, it's unlikely to get people to stop consuming dairy entirely, but with the advent of Neutral, we can at least make a smaller impact on our environment while still enjoying foods that we love, and that's good news for us all.
Neutral is a carbon-neutral food company aiming to lead the next global food revolution.
Food has a massive carbon footprint. Many studies suggest that agriculture contributes to nearly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a ton! Actually, more like 8 billion metric tons. Fortunately, there are folks out there determined to take action.
Our client approached us to assist in crafting the brand identity for a new food company with a grand vision—to establish a sustainable, carbon-neutral food ecosystem. They believe that carbon neutral food can radically disrupt agriculture as the next global food revolution. And due to the impact of livestock agriculture, they wanted to start with the humble (but ubiquitous) glass of milk.
Neutral is a brand with a compelling and inspiring narrative to share. To echo this, we chose to emphasize simplicity, friendliness, and transparency at the core of the design, commencing with the typography. We opted to use a single type family throughout to bring modernity and nuance without sacrificing utility and clarity. And we set the wordmark in all lowercase to bring a feeling of humanism and approachability. Letterforms were also customized to optimize flow and balance between linear and circular geometry.
Our inspiration for the logo came from their central brand goal of reducing their own carbon footprint to 0%. Coincidently, when turned 90 degree, the percentage sign inherently takes the form of an ‘N.’ We leaned into this, creating a mark that is both a mnemonic for the brand, as well as a reminder of their goal.
We knew from the outset that we needed a compelling color story to convey the purpose of the brand and help it stand out from the wall of white in the dairy aisle. Through studying temperature maps, we honed in on an inviting yellow for the main brand color. We felt the allusion to temperate sunny weather was optimistic, while still having color density to maintain legibility for bold, white typography on the packaging. We balanced the yellow with a deep, dusty blue for contrast, and built out a suite of unique colors to identify each product, while staying true to the traditional color categories that exist for dairy.
We also developed an illustration style to add an organic softness to the brand. Our goal was to guide consumers through each panel of the carton, telling the brand story, teaching about carbon emissions, and sharing about Neutral's approach to offset their own footprint through strategic partnerships.
The brand elements coalesce on the carton packaging. In keeping with our goal of transparency, we highlighted the exact carbon cost—and offset value—of each carton of milk, and placed this information prominently on the front of each carton.
Given the ubiquitous nature of dairy in the average American diet, it's unlikely to get people to stop consuming dairy entirely, but with the advent of Neutral, we can at least make a smaller impact on our environment while still enjoying foods that we love, and that's good news for us all.
