KD Brand World

Integrated Award Winner – Rebrand/Refresh

Rethink

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

KD isn’t just another brand of mac and cheese—they’re the original, but after decades of defining a category, their brand identity grew stale. They needed to reclaim their spot, while capturing the hearts—and mouths—of Gen Z. To do this, Rethink went all-in on what made KD, KD in the first place, giving the brand an unapologetically cheesy glow-up. They supercharged KD’s signature blue and yellow, dialing up the energy to pop off shelves and screens. From there, they crafted a custom typeface inspired by their one-of-a-kind cheesiness.

With over 200 characters and two sets of stylistic alternatives, it gives KD an ownable voice, no matter what or where they say it. They paired this with a vast suite of hand-drawn doodles—like iconic cheese swirls and street-art-inspired starbursts—to inject a dose of raw individuality into every touchpoint. Finally, Rethink reinvented KD’s photography style around authentic moments, giving them a craveable, modern aesthetic completely ownable to KD. The brand refresh didn’t just reignite passion from KD loyalists; it ushered in a new generation of KD lovers. Gen Z purchases climbed 4% YOY, while brand loyalty surged as customers spent 11.5% more annually and 12.8% more per trip just one month after launch.