Disegno’s Sara Lee brand and packaging reboot has received a Black Mark at the World Brand Design Society Awards, one of four awarded globally this year, and the pinnacle achievement in this awards program.
The jury commended the work for “reasserting familiarity while modernising the category”, balancing heritage cues with contemporary clarity to reconnect Sara Lee with both existing and new shoppers, according to Disegno.
The redesign centres on a return to Sara Lee’s signature red, alongside a new pack architecture intended to improve navigation and updated food photography. Disegno says the graphic design replaces “artificial swirls” with food imagery to convey appetite appeal and emotional warmth.
The new look began rolling out across freezer cabinets in Australia in March 2025. Retailers reported increased visibility and stronger shopper engagement, while independent consumer testing via Mintel showed improvements in appetite appeal, quality perception and brand trust, the company said.
Aaron Turner, head of strategy at Disegno, said, “Consumers never fell out of love with the product, the brand just stopped showing up with the same clarity and pride. Our job was to bring it back with relevance, consistency and purpose.”
Natasha Pandji, creative director at Disegno, said the studio aimed to retain what Australians already associated with the brand while updating it for future growth.
“We approached this with equal parts respect and boldness,” Pandji said. “There’s something deeply familiar about Sara Lee that Australians connect with; our work was about protecting that emotional truth while creating an identity that can grow and flex across categories for the future.”
Sara Lee entered voluntary administration in mid-2023 before being acquired by Klark and Brooke Quinn in January 2024. The new owners appointed Disegno to lead a full brand and packaging rethink.
Following the redesign, Sara Lee expanded beyond frozen desserts into bakery, launching a croissant range carrying the new red identity.
“The bold red pack has become a springboard, opening up new categories, channels and possibilities,” Klark and Brooke Quinn said. “It’s instantly recognisable and distinctive enough to cut through, even in completely new retail environments. If we’d tried that with the old pack, we’d have faded into the noise of every other commodity bakery brand.”
Turner said, “This wasn’t a superficial facelift. It was a brand revival grounded in truth. Sara Lee feels like Sara Lee again but built to thrive in a new era.”
The Sara Lee project, which also achieved a Gold award in the competition, was recognised by WBDS alongside work from Boundless Brand Design, Van Heertum Design VHD and fellow Australian company, Studio Guild.
