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NEWARK NJ. Mars-owned candy brand, Skittles, has released a global brand refresh. The new design system — created in partnership with Elmwood — is being unveiled across all product ranges in the EU following a similar launch in China — and ahead of a wider rollout to the UK and US next year. It comprises a strengthening of the candy’s core assets, coupled with a wider refresh to harness the brand’s offbeat personality. Newlook packaging features typography with a series of quirks such as an up flick on the letter K. The signature twisted upsidedown rainbow is reimagined as a more vibrant and colorful motif. And the iconic lentils now have a signature layout that creates a sense of movement captured by flowing visual effects. The packaging upgrade also focuses on creating more consistency across its brand system to help unite its many markets on the basis of an adaptable design language. The packaging also set the stage for a broader project led by Elmwood and the client brand team, focused on forming the foundations of a new brand world experience. “Skittles has always been associated with this very distinctive tone of voice — it’s lo-fi, quirky and DIY style,” says Paul O’Brien, Design Director at Elmwood. “In order to capture this very recognizable tenor, we developed a brand new design aesthetic. ‘Nonsensical,’ as we call it, is our way of dialing up Skittles’ ability to tell a great story.” The firm says that Nonsensical will help the brand stay relevant in contemporary culture by channeling trends and talking points in a light, playful, effusive, anti-conformist way. Explains O’Brien: “Nonsensical elevates the distinctive appeal of SKITTLES®, allowing its brand voice to be deployed in a way that’s superfun and inherently shareable. This is a tool that can be reinvented over and again, in relation to emerging cultural themes and on different digital channels.”elmwood.com