Revolutionizing Cheetos: A Bold Redesign

Designer Dennis Furniss Transforms Iconic Brand with Unique Packaging

For over 30 years, Chester, the mischievous and fun mascot, had been the face of Cheetos in Mexico. However, new regulations in 2020 banned characters from packaging and marketing, prompting PepsiCo to rethink their branding. The challenge was immense - how do you maintain the brand's voice without its spokesperson? How do you distinguish each flavor with their personality nuances without an actual personality? How do you keep the mischievous fun positioning of the brand alive without Chester?

Dennis Furniss and the PepsiCo Global Design Team rose to the challenge, creating a new graphic asset - The Big Letter C. This typographic element is designed to be authentic, unique, and fun, embodying the essence of the brand. It works across the flavor portfolio and can be localized. The design was realized using flexo printing over a foil substrate, with the final product measuring 132.5 mm in width and 250 mm in height.

From a marketing perspective, PepsiCo's brief was to revolutionize the Cheetos equity and packaging while maintaining the brand essence. They aimed to replace something everyone has known and loved for the last 30 years with something new that consumers will love just as much. The result? A design that is contemporary and playful in attitude, without losing the playful essence of Chester.

To ensure the design's potential, PepsiCo conducted extensive accelerated quantitative and qualitative consumer studies. The research team evaluated the design, leading to the final pack design that went to market. The design was initiated, completed, and launched in Mexico in 2020.

The new visual identity of Cheetos reimagines the all-colorful characteristics of the brand within a new design that is driven by the iconic C. The design focuses on attention to detail and meticulous execution, resulting in a brand mark that is both contemporary and playful. This redesign was so successful that it was awarded Silver in the A' Packaging Design Award in 2021, a testament to its outstanding innovation and creativity.