A new violet hue for Ocado’s refreshed visual identity

Ocado, the UK online grocer, has unveiled its new visual identity, hot on the heels of announcing a 40% jump in year-on-year revenues for the first quarter of 2021. Ocado worked with creative agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) to develop the new look, which supports the brand’s rapid growth over the past year.

Ocado aimed to create the most flexible, digital and sensorial version of the Ocado brand yet. The new identity captures Ocado’s high-quality range, good value and personalised service across every touchpoint, cementing the brand’s relevance and signalling future directions for growth. The distinctive swirl has been redesigned, allowing for increased standout in both static and animated forms, while the new violet hue, grape, gives the brand distinction and more visibility in a space saturated by green.

“The vibrant colour looks fresh as either a foreground or background, and it can travel seamlessly between offline and online environments. It will also travel literally when it appears across the fleet of Ocado vans,” says Ivan Mato, creative director at JKR.

The team at JKR included customer feedback into every step of the rebrand, adding a new search bar, which optimises discovery and images to express the excitement of exploring and choosing products. “Together, the assets dramatise the customer journey from search to trolley, working across both digital and physical touchpoints to cue Ocado instantly,” adds Mato.

The new identity includes a custom typeface, Ocado Full Fig, designed in collaboration with F37 Foundry and inspired by the brand’s most recognisable asset, the swirl. Balancing performance with personality, this new asset will provide coherence and continuity to the Ocado brand world. A refreshed line-illustration style, including a new set of characters can be paired with products and packaging adding warmth and personality to the brand.

Ocado has also prioritised the enhancement of the packaging’s sustainability credentials, removing 27 tonnes of plastic packaging.

Though the visual identity is complete, the collaboration between Ocado and JKR will extend to future projects. “In-house teams are close to their brand. But fresh eyes bring new perspectives, and we needed a trusted agency partner to help us build on our most recognisable brand assets,” says Michael Storey, head of creative and branding at Ocado Retail.