Hasta La Ideas

The company behind brands such as Reddi-wip, Chef Boyardee, Swiss Miss, and Orville Redenbacher’s has retooled its identity. In place of the serifed, rather woefully kerned logo of old, ConAgra Foods is rolling out a more lovable look. There’s a lot going on here: a cleaner typeface, a leafy “r,” a pinch of avocado to go along with a deeper red, and a tagline—”Food You Love”—that the company hopes will “reinforce the individual company brands that consumers love.” And we have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love Reddi-wip. There’s also a “spoon in plate” icon that we initially mistook as representing someone in good spirits who is about to get poked in the eye with a spoon, or perhaps a gleeful pirate with an umoored eyepatch. “We believe the new brand identity for the company captures both our heritage and our progressive spirit in becoming better and better every day for our consumers and our customers,” said ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin in a press release. Most importantly, the new identity, which debuted Tuesday in an ad campaign that will hit print, broadcast, and online outlets, emphasizes food. Last year, ConAgra sold its commodity trading, fertilizer, and ethanol businesses (which are much more difficult to love), and now focuses exclusively on branded packaged food.