Evolving a Founder-Led Brand into a Scalable Category Leader

THE CHALLENGE

BODYARMOR entered our engagement with a powerful legacy, rooted in elite performance and fueled by the mindset of Kobe Bryant, but its visual and strategic language was tied to the original founder narrative rather than a future-ready brand architecture.

Our brief was ambitious: take the “Black Mamba mentality” forward to elevate BODYARMOR’s position as the premier better-for-you sports drink in a rapidly evolving hydration market, building a system that could grow across products, channels, and global audiences while honoring the brand’s roots. Over a year-long partnership, we helped the brand evolve beyond its founder moment into a platform capable of supporting long-term innovation, scale, and category relevance.

Brand Strategy & Architecture

We began with foundational strategy and portfolio architecture, clarifying the core brand promise and the structure through which every product, expression, and consumer touchpoint could live. This work realigned BODYARMOR’s narrative around performance, resilience, and everyday excellence, distilling those values into a framework that could be consistently activated across internal teams, external partners, and creative execution.

System Development

At the heart of the rebrand was redefining BODYARMOR’s visual identity:

Wordmark & Shield Icon
We evolved the wordmark into a bolder, more purposeful form and introduced a new shield icon, a visual synthesis of the letters B and A that references armor as a modern emblem of protection, performance, and vitality for today’s athletes and active consumers.

Custom Typeface with Studio Drama
Partnering with UK type-studio Studio Drama, we co-created a bespoke typeface that carried the brand’s DNA, distinctive, legible, and grounded in performance energy, giving BODYARMOR a typographic voice that could scale across digital, retail, and experiential environments.

Armor-Plated Design Language
We established an armor-inspired design system, anchored by strong grids, layered texture, and dynamic interaction, that flexes seamlessly across every touchpoint: TV, social, retail, events, sponsorship, and beyond. This system emphasized clarity and confidence without sacrificing personality.

Packaging Redesign & Photography
We completely redesigned the packaging architecture to bring hierarchy, clarity, and shelf impact to the portfolio. Every flavor received new photography that aligned with the design principles, expressive, authentic, and rooted in the ritual of refreshment and performance preparation.

Innovation & Future Product Streams
Our creative partnership extended into innovation testing and future product strategy, helping BODYARMOR prototype and visualize potential extensions aligned with the refreshed brand platform. The focus was on flexibility and readiness, ensuring that new offerings could leverage the core system without ad hoc design.

OUTCOME & IMPACT

The rebrand provided BODYARMOR with a scalable identity and toolkit built for long-term competitive relevance. The visual system clarified hierarchy across products and communications, and the strategic architecture positioned the brand to operate with both agility and coherence as it grows into new categories and channels.

Market Context: Since its acquisition by Coca-Cola, BODYARMOR has been one of the fastest-growing sports drinks in measured retail channels, achieving ~$1.4 billion in retail sales and category market share as the #2 brand, growing at roughly ~50 % at the time of acquisition. While macro trends in the broader sports drink category show nuanced performance and competitive pressures, the refreshed brand is positioned to capitalize on health-oriented consumer shifts and premiumization, strengthening its relevance in a dynamic market. Importantly, the engagement evolved into an ongoing brand guardianship role, supporting BODYARMOR through subsequent activations, rollout governance, and long-term creative continuity.

CREDITS

Industry: CPG, Sports Drink
Client: BODYARMOR | Coca-Cola
Agency: Jones Knowles Ritchie
My Role: Creative Director
Design: Taylor Ottaviano, Kim Phillips, Orion Janeczek
Visualation: Mat Brown
Motion Design: Stubbs Johnston
Typography: Studio Drama
Photography: Isa Zapata
Strategy & Voice: Max Arevuo, Taylor Woods
Markets: North America
Scope: Brand Strategy, Brand Architecture, Visual Identity, Packaging System, Product Innovation, Design System, Custom Typeography, Photography direction