Burger King rebrands logo and packaging for digital age in first redesign since 1999

03 Mar 2021 --- Burger King is paying homage to its brand heritage with a new minimalist global logo and packaging redesign.

Since its last rebrand over two decades ago, the quick-service restaurant (QSR) industry has transitioned to a more modern, digital-friendly design language. 

The rebrand’s visuals have been recrafted to make the brand feel “less synthetic and artificial.” This aligns with Burger King’s removal of colors, flavors and preservatives from artificial sources, taking inspiration from real food and Burger King’s trademark flame-grilling method. 

PackagingInsights speaks with Burger King and commissioned design agency Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) about creating a new-but-familiar visual brand identity.

“Design is an essential tool we have for communicating who we are and what we value,” says Esther van de Graaf, marketing manager at Burger King Netherlands.

“It plays a pivotal role in maximizing guests’ experience and shows the recent brand changes on digital, food quality and sustainability.” 

The Burger King packaging collection aims to be “iconic, yet differentiated, full of flavor and personality.”New colors and fonts
Using a proprietary brand font called Flame Sans, Burger King’s new packaging design showcases the new logo alongside bold colors and playful ingredient illustrations. 

The Flame font is inspired by the shapes of “rounded, bold, yummy” Burger King menu items and the brand’s “irreverent” personality. 

“Colors like Fiery Red, Flaming Orange, BBQ Brown, Mayo Egg White, Crunchy Green and Melty Yellow were introduced,” says Lisa Smith, executive creative director at JKR. 

However, the color blue, not normally associated with real food, is excluded from both the packaging and logo revamp. “We joke that the old logo looked more like a gas station brand than a restaurant!”

Nostalgia not intended
Despite taking inspiration from its founding logo and employing a 70’s groovy-esque typeface, Burger King purposely did not set out to create a nostalgic look.

“We were less concerned with the identity being retro but rather focused on making it distinctive,” Smith explains. 

“Whether you’re older and reminded of the Burger King of your youth, or you’re a kid on TikTok experiencing the brand for the first time, it feels undeniably Burger King.” 

The Flame Sans font prioritizes a digital-first brand expression.Notably, Innova Market Insights pegged “Age of the Influencer” as one of its Top Ten Trends for 2021. Digital transformation is fueling the innovation pipeline, according to the market researcher, and inspiration platforms can vary by age and region.

After exploring a breadth of potential territories, JKR repeatedly felt drawn back to the original logo from the 1969-1994 era “when Burger King looked its best.”

Banking on digitalization
The new visual identity updates are already visible as of early 2021. They will continue to roll out across Burger King restaurants over the next few years, considering that each restaurant redesign will operate on location-specific timelines. 

The new design system is further applied to several restaurant touchpoints. Besides packaging, these include advertising campaigns, restaurant buildings, social media, website and app menu boards as well as uniforms and other merchandise. 

“The digital shift will be faster and easier, while we expect the slowest transition will take place on existing restaurant signage – standard for the industry,” van de Graaf explains.

“In fact, guests will see elements of the old identity and new identity live together for a period of time as we make the transition.”

Burger King is placing “a big bet on digital” after years of investment. “That’s why digital leadership is one of our key priorities for the year,” says van de Graaf.

The evolution of the Burger King logo.“We know it’s the channel to better meet guests where they are, especially during and post-COVID-19.”

Keep your friends close…
These new features are key to keeping Burger King competitive in an increasingly digital world. 

Recently, long-time fast-food competitor McDonald’s also modernized its restaurant packaging. 

Minimalist graphical representations of corresponding menu items replaced literal on-pack messaging.

Smith says Burger King is proud of its status as “a challenger brand,” even if McDonald’s parallel packaging revamp was not a major point of focus. 

“Anything that gets the competition to perk up and pay attention is a win.”

By Anni Schleicher