Koto create a warm and friendly illustrative identity for nutrition and wellbeing guide Foodvisor

With the goal to support people on their personal health journeys, Foodvisor is a nutrition and wellbeing guide that encourages its users to work towards happier and healthier lifestyles. Acknowledging that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, the team at multinational branding agency Koto set out to create an identity that would reposition Foodvisor from a tech-driven calorie-tracking app to a motivating and inspiring personal nutrition guide; resulting in a brand strategy, visual identity and tone of voice that reflects the personal and tailored approach of the company. 

The wordmark was created with the now off-market COMMON typeface. Explaining the thinking behind the choice, Creative Director Arthur Foliard tells us that, in a digital space with homogenous logos, they wanted the name and the ‘hero’ to stand out. Their intention was to create “something softer, friendlier, and more pleasing to the eyes,” resulting in a logo that falls in line with the personality of the brand. 

Foodvisor’s motivational but realistic tone of voice is delivered through the cohesive pairing of Luzi Type Foundry’s Buenos Aires and Colophon Foundry’s Value Serif. The former was chosen for its friendly and fun nature while “Value Serif was based on the company’s personality and values,” Foliard explains, noting the array of resources and support available within the app. The choices were further bolstered by the personal journey of trialling the app themselves at Koto. Noting the personal and emotional effect of working towards a healthier lifestyle, the team wanted to convey positivity with fitting type choices. “That’s why we felt the need to move away from the techy/cold sans serifs other competitors used, and build equity in something softer and warmer,” he adds. 

At the heart of the new brand is an eclectic set of illustrations, created In-house, featuring Foodvisor’s mascot ‘Guakka the avocado.’ Koto opted to change the mascot from a fixed element to a delightful representation of a well-being guide; positioning it alongside illustrations that show living well in all its forms, across exercise, nutrition and health.

Working hard to narrow down the colour palette to its “core,” Foliard describes the process, “it was important to have a calm, holistic palette that feels optimistic, with colours that stand out against a black and white background.” For the app’s identifying system, the colours had to remain realistic to work with the simple illustration style. The resulting palette sees a pleasant harmony between accent colours and softer tones, with tints providing flexibility for future developments. “When illustrations work together as a collection, it’s important to make them feel like a well-balanced set without anyone taking centre stage,” Foliard concludes.

Koto

Foodvisor