LEGEND

Life raft for a

PROBLEM:

Without a clear internal directive, StarKist’s identity fractured, sacrificing its authentic character to chase external trends, resulting in a diluted and inconsistent brand presence.

CHALLENGE

Help StarKist rediscover its heart and create a system that unifies messaging and visual direction across platforms. 

A cartoon fish character wearing glasses and a cap with the name "Charlie" on it, smiling and waving.

Start with an icon

The team wasn’t quite ready for a full system overhaul, so we met them where they were.

We used a high-visibility campaign to introduce a new look and prove it worked. We brought Charlie back as the witty cultural icon people love, using his personality to anchor the visuals. It allowed us to blend nostalgic cues with a modern layout, keeping the product front
and center.

Using legacy branding and a typeface with a little more personality, we added more life and character to the brand.

Close-up of canned StarKist tuna, featuring different flavors such as solid light tuna and chunk white tuna, stacked on a surface with a partial view of a white background with blue text.
A cartoon shark with glasses, a red hat labeled "Charlie," smiling and flexing its arms. To the right, there are packages of StarKist Smart Bowls flavored with rice and beans, quinoa and beans, and pasta and beans.

The campaign’s success
gave us leverage.

Using the campaign typeface as a guide, we designed a custom font that retained the campaign's
character while giving StarKist complete ownership.

We upgraded their foundation from a loose Word doc to a comprehensive Design System that codified voice, visuals, and character usage into a single source of truth.

Close-up of a partial logo with blue stylized letters on a white background.
Blue puzzle pieces scattered on a white background.
Starkist logo in blue with a star over the letter K.
Partial view of the Google logo with blue and white text on a light background.

Simplified the color palette

Putting it all together.

Laptop on a wooden desk displaying a presentation titled 'Starkist Brand Guidelines Summer 2025' with a cartoon character wearing glasses, a red hat with 'Charlie' written on it, and a big smile.
Collage of images showing people enjoying food, a racing event, and snack packaging, including a woman eating cereal, a family at a car race, and various packs of Starkist tuna creations.

Modernized a 50-year-old icon to capture audiences while stabilizing the visual system for global consistency.

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