King's Hawaiian rolls

Company: King's Hawaiian

Introduced: May 2018

Distribution: National

Suggested Retail Price: $3.39

Product Snapshot: King’s Hawaiian has updated its brand identity. The history of the company dates back to the 1950’s when Robert R. Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrants opened his first bakeshop, Robert's Bakery in Hilo, Hawaii. Renaming it King's Bakery, in the ‘60s, it became known for Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls.

According to King’s Hawaiian CMO, Erick Dickens, “We realized as we started to think about expanding our product line, that our visual identity wasn’t going to translate well. We also wanted it to stand out in new TV ads as we share the Hawaiian way with a broader audience and new products.”

For this they turned to the brand design experts at Flood Creative NY. According to Stuart Whitworth, Flood’s chief creative officer, “We soon realized that the entire design of the flagship bread bag was the brand icon, versus any particular element on it. That didn’t exactly translate effectively to other products. The original logo was mainly typographical and lacked a symbol that would boldly connect with the King’s Hawaiian spirit. So we pursued a new identity that would embody the heritage and create a new authentic and proud badge for the growing business.”

Flood Creative focused on the brand’s biggest equity, the bright orange color, but took the crown, which was a tiny element on the bottom of the original logo and made it big and bold. Rather than an actual crown, it represents a stylized version of the top of a pineapple, one of the most popular and recognizable fruits grown in Hawaii. “It’s proud, bold and suited for application across a wide variety of new products,” notes Whitworth. To further reinforce its origins, Flood framed the crown with hibiscus, Hawaii’s state flower.

Adds Whitworth, “It was an honor to work with a family-held business that was open to change.”