B&B studio designs brand identity for new insect-based pet food

London-based B&B studio created a new brand positioning, naming, brand design and packaging for AARDVARK, a sustainable insect-based pet food designed to grow an engaged community of pet and planet-lovers. Aardvark will launch initially as a DTC brand, with a retail offer on the way.

Put off by the bug-based puns and insect illustrations common to the design codes of emerging insect-protein products, B&B south to design a compelling and desirable lifestyle brand in order to galvanise and educate consumers. The name Aardvark, created by B&B, offers a nod to the insect-protein source and sets the stage for a witty and characterful brand personality, vital for a contemporary DTC, digital-first brand.

The Aardvark identity is a combination of vibrant colour, linework illustration and a bold logotype. Playing on the pointed shape of pets’ ears, the logo makes the most of the double A at the beginning of Aardvark, creating a movable icon that can come to life in a host of applications off-pack.

Wanting to move past the common trope of the pet food industry of incorporating human food cues, B&B designed a simple and functional packaging, using bold and recognisable brand colours and the ‘Sustainable Fuel for Planet-Friendly Pets’ descriptor. The illustrations by designer Aron Leah of a cat and a dog interacting with the earth aim to deliver clear variant coding, while reinforcing the brand’s overall mission with warmth and emotion.