The McDonald's Aesthetic: the Story Behind McDonald's 'Aesthetically Minimal' Global Packaging

There are few brands more globally recognizable than McDonald's—which makes refreshing any element of its famous branding a delicate, considerate and meticulous process. So it was no small task when, at the end of 2016, design agency Pearlfisher was appointed by the mega brand to take on the redesign of its packaging. The result, unveiled this week, is a new, cohesive, modernized look and feel for McDonald's that uses simple illustration to communicate the "joyful moments" consumers associate with the brand. At the center of the redesign, the agency said, is "single visual framework" that both communicates a "modern expression" of the brand, while "evolving brand perception along the way." The redesigned packaging will be rolled out to all markets globally, including the U.S. over the next 24 months. It has already been rolled out to selected markets, including Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It is the first time McDonalds's has changed its branding in five years and comes hot on the heels of rival Burger King's retro inspired packaging refresh, though the McDonald's redesign has been in the works for several years. No matter the region or language, we wanted the packaging design to communicate joyful moments while being immediate and universal.—Hamish Campbell, vp, ecd, Pearlfisher Hamish Campbell, vp and executive creative director at Pearlfisher, offered Adweek a behind-the-scenes look at the new branding, and how it fits McDonald's broader brand evolution: Adweek: Tell us about this project and how it began.Hamish Campbell: Our partnership with McDonald’s began at the end of 2016 in order to redesign their entire packaging system. After several years involving a deep dive into consumer desires and McDonald’s own plan for growth, we modernized the McDonald’s meal experience through the global package design. The packaging redesign is part of a broader brand evolution. What we created is a system led by thoughtful, colorful graphic expressions of every menu item. We finalized the design of global menu items along with a guide for global rollout and adaptation for local menu items in 2019. The packaging began to roll out late last year. What prompted the redesign? Was McDonald's packaging out of date?The packaging redesign is part of a broader brand evolution. With so much fresh and new at McDonald's—from smart kiosks to menu innovations—it made sense for the global packaging to change in step with the direction the brand is taking. We took into consideration how we could support the renewed brand identity to foster a feel-good experience that works around the world. No matter the region or language, we wanted the packaging design to communicate joyful moments while being immediate and universal. The previous packaging used menu item names and messaging as a main mode of communication. We were very excited to have the opportunity to design the innate joy of the McDonald’s brand back into the packaging by allowing each unique menu item to speak for itself. You already know you’re buying McDonald’s when you order a Big Mac, so the packaging became a creative space to showcase the specialness of the menu and the brand. A lot of thought and consideration went into stripping each item to its purest, most personable form. —Hamish Campbell, vp, ecd, Pearlfisher What we created is about delighting customers. It’s about bringing them into the playfulness of the McDonald’s brand through the packaging, while also providing the crew with a design system that is easy to navigate and work with, no matter where you are in the world." What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them? We set out to make a system that is easily recognizable, celebrating the uniqueness of each component while remaining connected in style and spirit. This is a challenge in itself when it comes to a brand with such scale, like McDonald’s. The full family of products look confident and simple now, but it’s because a lot of thought and consideration went into stripping each item to its purest, most personable form. It encompasses McDonald’s menu and leaves room for new innovations yet to come. Throughout the process, we were able to test the packaging with consumers and with restaurant staff to ensure that the fun and flexible packaging elements were also easy to identify in the kitchen. We wanted to create a cohesive design system that is aesthetically connected, functionally immediate and emotionally uplifting. Oftentimes, you don’t see the packaging for McDonald’s until after you’ve already picked what you want to eat, so we wanted consumers to feel like what they received on their tray or in their bag is something really special—whether they’re enjoying a single cheeseburger or a full meal. What's your favorite part of the new packaging and why?The Egg McMuffin. This was one of our starting points where we felt we proved that we can communicate the essence of a single item, a single sandwich with just one illustration just as the Golden Arches do for McDonald’s as a brand. This was our "aha" moment. What central insight drove the redesign—and what do you hope it will achieve?Saying more with less to improve the customer experience by capturing the true iconic nature of the brand and celebrating the essence of every menu item was a major part of what we wanted to achieve with the redesign. This meant putting what’s special about the brand in the customers’ hands. These days, consumers know what they want. They don’t want it to shout at them like an ad, which is why we wanted to shift McDonald’s packaging from being a vehicle for promotions, to being a coherent part of the brand experience. A family that feels reflective of McDonald’s today: modern, fresh and playful.

Packaging Design

Here's the Story Behind McDonald's 'Aesthetically Minimal' Global Packaging Redesign

The new look aims to convey 'joyful moments' through simple illustrations and bold graphics

Sara Spary

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Sara Spary