Elite Sports Nutrition, widely known as ESN, has carved out an authoritative place in Germany’s sports nutrition market, catering to elite athletes and committed fitness enthusiasts. As a legacy brand with a vast array of performance supplements, ESN has built a strong reputation for product quality, taste innovation, and scientific efficacy. However, with its growing catalogue and rapid market evolution, the brand had become visually fragmented and strategically unfocused. To restore clarity, coherence, and a competitive edge, ESN collaborated with internationally renowned brand design agency Robot Food to execute a meticulously planned brand evolution.
Strategic Brand Transformation Amid Retail Expansion
As the health and fitness sector rapidly evolves, digital-native brands like ESN must adapt not only to consumer expectations but to the changing dynamics of how and where their products are sold. ESN—Elite Sports Nutrition—had already secured a dominant position in Germany’s online sports supplement space, thanks to a scientifically grounded product line and a loyal base of high-performance consumers. However, as the brand transitioned into physical retail spaces, a pivotal challenge emerged: the existing brand system, which had grown organically over time, lacked the coherence and navigational ease demanded by competitive retail environments.
In a modern retail landscape, where first impressions on shelves or product grids can make or break a sale, it became critical that ESN present a unified and memorable brand experience. From packaging design to product segmentation and shelf visibility, every touchpoint had to communicate consistency, clarity, and credibility. This transformation needed to go beyond superficial styling—it required a complete strategic overhaul that could future-proof the brand across multiple platforms while deepening emotional resonance with consumers.
Ben Brears, Creative Director at global branding agency Robot Food, clearly outlined the scope of the challenge: while ESN’s products were already celebrated for their cutting-edge formulations and exceptional flavours, their presentation didn’t do justice to the brand's scientific precision or performance promise. The visuals were serviceable but not distinct. The pack hierarchy was inconsistent across ranges, and segmentation was unclear, especially when viewed in fast-paced retail environments.
The brand’s new strategic direction focused on systemic optimisation rather than starting from scratch. Rather than introducing dramatic aesthetic shifts, the aim was to refine and reinforce the existing visual language. This approach not only helped preserve the brand’s hard-earned equity but also made it more user-centric. A more cohesive visual ecosystem was developed—one that could unify the product catalogue, improve discoverability, and reinforce ESN's position as a market leader in high-performance nutrition.
The solution had to serve multiple goals simultaneously: improving the shopping experience, facilitating brand recall, enhancing range navigation, and projecting confidence in new markets. With this foundational clarity, Robot Food and ESN embarked on a transformational rebranding journey that would align visual storytelling with product integrity and strategic ambition.
Building a Purpose-Driven Brand System
Every successful rebrand begins with an understanding of what a brand stands for and how it can communicate its purpose more effectively. For ESN, this meant translating its leadership in scientific sports nutrition into a visual and structural language that could support its expansive ambitions. The rebranding initiative wasn't a vanity project; it was a response to real operational and strategic needs that extended across packaging, e-commerce, in-store merchandising, and beyond.
At the heart of this transformation was The Quality Group, ESN’s parent company, which understood the necessity of evolving the brand from an e-commerce powerhouse to a robust omnichannel presence. Marcel Henke, Creative Director at The Quality Group, acknowledged that the previous system no longer served the brand’s scale or ambitions. To him, the goal was clear: create a future-ready brand architecture that reinforces ESN's position at the top of its category.
The new design system empowers the brand in two critical ways. First, it enables better control across the brand’s extensive and ever-growing product range. Whether a product is designed for muscle recovery, endurance, mental clarity, or everyday wellness, the new system allows each category to maintain its individuality while still belonging to the same overarching brand identity. This clarity is especially valuable in physical retail settings, where consumers must process visual cues quickly and make confident choices with limited information.
Second, the brand architecture allows for dynamic storytelling across multiple formats. Whether through packaging, digital media, or in-store displays, ESN now operates with a visual and verbal identity that feels seamless and intentional. Product lines can expand or contract without disrupting the visual rhythm of the brand, making future launches more efficient and less dependent on ad hoc design.
One of the most impressive aspects of the rebranding project is the way it balances order and energy. The system is modular enough to adapt to new categories and innovations, yet rigid enough to ensure consistency and visual harmony. The result is a truly scalable brand framework—agile, enduring, and rich with potential.
A Cohesive Identity Designed for Modern Consumers
Modern consumers are not passive recipients of brand messages—they are informed, selective, and highly visual. In the sports nutrition sector, these consumers often have specific goals and sophisticated product knowledge. Whether they're professional athletes or dedicated fitness enthusiasts, they expect brands to communicate with clarity, authenticity, and purpose.
With these expectations in mind, ESN’s updated identity is deliberately constructed to meet modern consumer needs while elevating the brand’s emotional and functional appeal. Every design choice, from the logo’s enhanced legibility to the introduction of new packaging hierarchy, is meant to support rapid recognition and intuitive navigation.
The packaging now features clearer labelling structures that highlight product function, flavour, and nutritional value. Typography plays a leading role in establishing a visual tone of strength and credibility. The dominant use of Din Condensed signals power and intensity, while complementary typefaces provide balance and readability. These typographic choices are not simply aesthetic—they’re designed to deliver immediate clarity, especially on crowded shelves or mobile screens.
Colour also plays a critical role in the brand’s refreshed strategy. While ESN retains its signature black-and-white foundation to convey professionalism and legacy, an expanded colour palette adds vitality and modernity. Metallic silver, electric blue, bold magenta, and vibrant green help delineate product lines without sacrificing brand unity. These hues were selected not just for their visual impact, but for their psychological cues—each colour speaks to the energy, purity, or focus of the respective product.
Even the introduction of the ‘dynamic cut’ motif—a sharp, diagonal slash that runs throughout the packaging and digital media—reinforces the brand’s message of motion, ambition, and drive. This angular device adds a layer of visual cohesion while symbolising the brand's relentless push forward.
Future-Proofing a Market Leader
ESN’s rebranding isn’t just about looking good—it’s about building long-term value. The project succeeded because it addressed the core needs of a complex, fast-growing business operating in a competitive, high-stakes category. From a brand that once relied heavily on formulation quality to tell its story, ESN now speaks in a language of design, discipline, and dynamism.
The new identity provides the flexibility required for continuous innovation while anchoring the brand in a well-defined system. This balance ensures that ESN can respond quickly to market trends, expand into new health segments, or roll out limited-edition products without fragmenting its identity. It is an approach that respects both the logic of operations and the emotion of branding.
Furthermore, the entire system is built with global scalability in mind. Whether the brand continues to grow within Europe or extends into international markets, it now possesses a toolkit capable of translating across languages, cultures, and retail environments. The consistency, clarity, and confidence embedded in the new identity give ESN a platform for sustainable growth and deeper customer loyalty.
The transformation also strengthens the brand’s storytelling potential. ESN is now positioned not only as a purveyor of high-quality nutrition but also as a coach, companion, and catalyst in the lives of its consumers. It speaks to personal bests, to mental and physical resilience, and to the constant pursuit of excellence. It’s a brand reborn not through radical change, but through intelligent, intentional evolution.
As fitness, wellness, and sports performance continue to converge, the need for brands that communicate with integrity and innovation has never been greater. With this rebranding, ESN has positioned itself at the forefront of this new era—equipped with a bold visual identity, a powerful brand system, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Revisiting the Brand’s Essence to Reclaim Its Niche
In the highly competitive landscape of sports nutrition, differentiation is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. For ESN, a brand built on high-performance efficacy and scientific rigour, maintaining relevance required more than innovation in formulation. It called for a deep dive into its own DNA. With decades of consumer trust and a reputation as Germany’s premier sports nutrition brand, ESN stood at a crossroads where strategic introspection was imperative.
Robot Food approached the project by conducting an exhaustive deconstruction of ESN’s existing brand architecture. This wasn’t a surface-level refresh, but a forensic examination aimed at identifying what defined the brand at its core. Their analysis revealed a critical market insight: while many emerging competitors had adopted soft-focus, lifestyle-driven branding—with pastel hues, airy fonts, and influencer-aligned messaging—ESN's visual and emotional territory remained untapped. It was grounded in performance, precision, and a results-driven ethos.
Rather than being a limitation, this divergence presented a powerful opportunity. ESN did not need to mimic the conventions of lifestyle wellness brands. Instead, its strength lay in standing apart, representing the discipline, determination, and science-backed edge that defines elite athletes and serious fitness communities. Robot Food saw the potential to build a brand that wouldn’t chase cultural trends but lead with conviction and credibility.
This insight crystallised into a powerful creative platform: ‘For the Win’. This wasn’t just a tagline—it was a philosophy designed to guide every visual, verbal, and structural decision. It symbolised ESN’s refusal to compromise—on product quality, on visual integrity, or on its customer promise. Every element of the identity, from packaging to photography, would be aligned under this overarching principle. In doing so, the brand could create a stronger emotional resonance while remaining true to its heritage.
Designing a New Visual Language Without Losing Brand Equity
As the process evolved, it became clear that ESN's rebrand needed to walk a delicate line—respecting the legacy that consumers recognised while introducing a refined, future-facing identity. This demanded a visual language that could bridge those two worlds: honour the past, while projecting strength and clarity into the future.
Rather than discarding what already worked, Robot Food selectively enhanced the brand's recognisable elements. The previous colour scheme—dominated by a deep black and bright white contrast—was retained, but applied with greater discipline and purpose. This monochromatic base gave the brand an authoritative presence, evoking strength, precision, and discipline. To inject modernity and help differentiate product ranges, additional accent colours were introduced: electric blues, high-impact pinks, sleek metallics, and vibrant greens. These secondary hues brought versatility and energy without sacrificing coherence.
Typography also underwent a significant transformation. The brand adopted a sophisticated type hierarchy centred around Din Condensed, a strong, upright typeface that evokes structure and athleticism. Supporting typefaces were chosen for clarity and functionality, ensuring optimal readability across touchpoints, from retail packaging to digital screens. These fonts collectively communicated a tone of confidence and professionalism, underscoring ESN's positioning as a premium choice in sports nutrition.
Packaging layouts were streamlined to highlight hierarchy and usage cues. Consumers needed to understand the product purpose—whether it be recovery, endurance, or energy—at a glance. The new grid system and iconography achieved exactly that. The strategic placement of callouts, flavour identifiers, and ingredient markers helped declutter each pack while amplifying the most critical information. This functional clarity, layered with visual cohesion, made the packaging not only more shoppable but also far more appealing on both digital and physical shelves.
Reinventing the Logo for Impact, Clarity, and Ownership
Central to the rebrand was the reinvention of the ESN logo—an emblem that would act as the face of the brand across every product, communication, and platform. While the original logo was familiar, it lacked the refinement and distinction required in a modern retail context. It struggled to hold space among competitors and didn’t communicate the strength or intent of the brand’s offerings.
Simon Forster, founder and Executive Creative Director at Robot Food, recognised these limitations. He explained that inconsistencies in the original logo's geometry and spacing diminished its impact and made it less ownable. It was essential for the new logomark to carry the full weight of ESN’s identity, conveying both its heritage and ambition.
The redesigned logo introduced more deliberate geometry and visual symmetry. Internal angles were softened subtly, balancing aggression with approachability. The letterforms were re-engineered to improve legibility at various sizes, especially in retail and mobile environments where clarity is paramount. Despite the refinement, the new mark retained its density and weight, creating a presence that felt unyielding—true to the performance-driven nature of the brand.
What distinguishes the new logo is its kinetic energy. There’s a visible sense of movement in the way the characters are shaped and spaced. It feels fast, agile, and determined—characteristics that mirror the psychology of ESN’s core consumer base. Whether used on packaging, merchandise, or media, the logo now functions as a true emblem of excellence, aligning perfectly with the “For the Win” narrative.
The identity doesn’t rely on the logo alone to make an impression. The team introduced a graphic device—referred to internally as the "dynamic cut"—which slices across the brand world. This angular slash echoes the geometry of the logo and creates a unified visual system that appears across photography, layouts, and user interface elements. It’s a simple yet distinctive device that gives ESN a visual rhythm, one that speaks to the non-stop motion and momentum of peak performance.
Establishing an Enduring Emotional Connection Through Design
More than just visual transformation, this rebrand reflects a deeper emotional repositioning for ESN. While the brand had always stood for quality and science, it hadn’t fully communicated the emotional value it brings to the lives of its users. Through thoughtful storytelling and consistent visual cues, the updated identity now speaks not only to what the product is but also to what it means.
The tagline “For the Win” functions as a personal motivator, a mantra for self-discipline, and a rallying cry for anyone chasing excellence. It bridges the gap between aspiration and action, making ESN not just a provider of supplements but a partner in each consumer’s journey toward achievement. Whether that journey is about building muscle, increasing endurance, or improving focus, the brand now feels present, supportive, and aligned with individual goals.
Lifestyle photography was reimagined to support this repositioning. The images no longer focus on posed athletes or generic workout scenes. Instead, they showcase raw effort, intensity, and grit. Athletes are shown in motion—sprinting, lifting, pushing limits. Each photo tells a story of ambition, of pushing through thresholds, of winning in the moments most people give up. This aligns the visual identity with ESN’s core values: relentless effort, strategic precision, and measurable progress.
On the product side, the new packaging evokes crave-worthiness as much as functionality. Each pack features carefully curated visuals of ingredients and textures, subtly evoking taste, satisfaction, and reward. ESN doesn’t just fuel the body—it excites the senses and supports discipline with indulgence.
Ultimately, this rebrand achieves what few brand transformations manage to do: it refines without erasing, evolves without alienating, and inspires without overstating. The balance of science and style, strategy and substance, makes ESN’s renewed identity a powerful case study in intelligent, future-proof branding.
Crafting a Unified and Expressive Design Language
One of the most compelling aspects of ESN’s rebrand is the introduction of a distinct and integrated visual system—a cohesive design language anchored by a unique structural element known as the dynamic cut. This diagonal slash, used consistently across packaging, photography, and layouts, is more than a decorative detail; it embodies ESN’s forward-thinking brand ethos. The cut becomes a symbolic marker of direction, ambition, and energy, all aligning with the fundamental values that define ESN's identity in the sports nutrition space.
This signature element brings structure and continuity across the entire product family. It also allows each SKU to feel like a part of a broader ecosystem, regardless of category or format. Whether seen on a tub of whey protein, a sachet of pre-workout, or a digital banner, the dynamic cut connects every interaction with the same visual fingerprint—unifying the consumer experience across touchpoints. Importantly, this form also offers practical flexibility, adapting easily to pack dimensions and media placements without losing impact.
Craig Lindsay, Senior Designer at Robot Food, highlighted that this angular system was essential in creating a design framework that is both emotionally resonant and functionally scalable. The geometric sharpness offers visual dynamism, making the brand feel alive, focused, and constantly in motion. It's a metaphorical extension of the customer journey—one rooted in progress, momentum, and elevated performance.
To support this expressive structure, the base visual palette was redefined with both discipline and vitality. ESN retains its hallmark monochromatic base—predominantly black and white—used strategically to signify authority, purity, and trust. These hues also serve as a timeless backdrop that underscores the technical precision of the brand. To breathe modernity and versatility into the system, an expanded range of accent colours was introduced. Shades like electric blue, magenta pink, chrome silver, and kinetic green are employed not only for visual stimulation but also to segment products by function, purpose, or user need. This injection of colour differentiates categories, aids navigation, and increases shelf impact without diluting brand cohesion.
The result is a visual language that speaks with clarity, emotion, and direction. It's not loud for the sake of attention—it’s confident, strategic, and deeply intentional.
Elevating Identity Through Intelligent Typography
Typography is often an underestimated element in branding, yet it wields enormous influence over how a brand is perceived, especially in industries where authority, trust, and performance are core values. For ESN, typography wasn’t an afterthought—it was a cornerstone of the rebranding initiative.
Robot Food constructed a type system that combines visual power with readability. At the heart of this system is Din Condensed, a bold, structured typeface chosen for its ability to convey discipline, urgency, and clarity. This industrial-inspired font is used extensively in headlines, front-of-pack information, and key brand communications. Its condensed form allows for compact yet forceful statements, perfectly suited to environments where space is limited but impact is essential.
Supporting Din Condensed is a selection of complementary typefaces, including Sweet Sans Pro Regular—a versatile sans serif designed for body text and supplementary information. Sweet Sans Pro brings softness and accessibility to balance the strength of Din Condensed. It creates visual relief without undermining the brand’s high-performance posture. These typefaces work in tandem to create a hierarchy that is readable, adaptable, and aligned with the brand's essence.
Typography also plays a crucial functional role. Nutritional supplements require the communication of complex data—serving sizes, ingredient lists, nutritional values, usage instructions—all of which must be delivered with clarity. The chosen typefaces enable this level of communication while enhancing overall visual harmony. Consistency in font usage across all packaging and communication channels fosters familiarity and reinforces brand identity.
More than just legibility, the typography system encapsulates attitude. It is both disciplined and expressive, professional yet personable. It reflects ESN’s dual commitment to scientific rigour and consumer engagement, speaking directly to performance-minded individuals who appreciate both substance and style.
Designing for Clarity, Emotion, and Shelf Impact
In today’s saturated health and wellness sector, clarity is currency. Consumers navigating sports nutrition shelves—both physical and digital—are inundated with product options, each competing for a fraction of attention. This environment demands a packaging system that is not just beautiful, but strategically designed to communicate quickly, intuitively, and effectively.
With this in mind, ESN’s packaging now employs a clear hierarchy of information, guided by the new type system and graphic language. The most essential details—product type, flavour, use case—are immediately visible, enabling snap decisions by busy consumers. Strategic spacing, contrast, and repetition guide the eye and reduce cognitive friction, creating a layout that feels both calming and authoritative.
Yet beyond clarity, the packaging had to evoke feeling. Sports nutrition isn’t merely a transactional category; it's emotional. It speaks to self-discipline, transformation, and personal bests. Therefore, each element of the design—from the layout grid to the imagery and cut angles—had to reinforce the emotional promise of the product.
A key part of this transformation was texture. Through subtle printing techniques, foil accents, and matte finishes, the packaging delivers a tactile experience that mirrors the premium quality of the contents. These design choices turn each product into a tangible expression of progress, inspiring loyalty and reinforcing the brand’s credibility.
This attention to detail extends to how the brand communicates across formats. Whether seen on a protein jar in a retail setting, a shaker bottle at the gym, or a carousel ad on social media, the design maintains integrity, recognition, and emotional resonance.
Visual Consistency as a Platform for Brand Expansion
One of the defining goals of the ESN rebrand was scalability. As the company grows, expands into new markets, and develops new product categories, its visual identity must be robust enough to handle the evolving complexity. The new system achieves this by creating a modular framework—a brand architecture that allows for individual expression within a unified structure.
The dynamic cut, accent colours, and typography can be reconfigured across formats without losing brand coherence. This makes it easier to introduce new SKUs or limited-edition lines without creating visual dissonance. Moreover, it ensures that every product launch feels connected to a larger narrative—a narrative of consistent quality, trusted science, and unwavering performance.
This cohesion extends into digital experiences as well. The brand’s e-commerce interface, social content, and product pages now share the same visual rhythm as the packaging, helping customers move from awareness to purchase without losing brand immersion. The unified system enables seamless storytelling across channels, reinforcing trust and driving higher engagement.
Photography That Balances Science With Sensory Appeal
As part of ESN’s comprehensive rebrand, photography evolved from a supporting asset into a central storytelling mechanism. With today’s health-conscious audience demanding authenticity, emotional engagement, and transparency, visuals must do more than decorate—they must communicate purpose. Robot Food approached this with a renewed philosophy: every image should represent both the science behind ESN’s product formulations and the emotional, sensory experience that accompanies their use.
In its previous iteration, ESN’s photography leaned heavily on clinical product shots with minimal context. While technically correct, it lacked warmth, personality, and narrative strength. The new photographic direction repositions visuals as vessels of desire, action, and achievement—crucial elements in the brand’s promise to its performance-driven audience.
Product photography now features elevated compositional strategies. Ingredients are showcased in close-up, highlighting textures, colours, and states of transformation—from powdered supplements being stirred into shakes to raw components that hint at purity and nutritional depth. This approach fosters appetite appeal, connecting the consumer to taste and reward long before the product is opened. Serving suggestions are also introduced in an artful yet accessible way—emphasising how ESN products integrate into daily routines with ease and enjoyment.
Importantly, these visuals are grounded in scientific legitimacy. The lighting, composition, and styling create a sense of high-performance precision, reflecting the meticulous formulation and quality assurance ESN is known for. It’s a rare balance—one that doesn’t sacrifice emotional warmth for clinical accuracy, but instead uses both to reinforce the brand’s unique positioning in the sports nutrition industry.
This hybrid aesthetic not only enhances shelf presence and digital appeal, but also fosters trust. Consumers are able to see, feel, and nearly taste the benefits promised by each product. It invites participation, transforming static packaging into an experience that begins visually and culminates in real-world performance outcomes.
Capturing Peak Performance Through Lifestyle Photography
Alongside product-focused imagery, the brand’s lifestyle photography has undergone a complete transformation to better represent its core values of strength, momentum, and mastery. Instead of sterile gym environments or overly stylised workout poses, the new visuals embrace a sense of realism and intensity, capturing athletes in moments of genuine physical exertion and focused determination.
Each image is composed with intentionality, designed to tell a story of progress and perseverance. Subjects are shown mid-action: sprinting down tracks, executing lifts, or recovering between high-rep sets. There is a raw energy in these scenes, amplified by dynamic angles and movement-blurred backgrounds that convey speed, fatigue, and breakthrough moments. These are not idealised models posing for the camera—they are real athletes representing ESN's community.
By opting for this expressive realism, ESN’s visual storytelling becomes more aspirational without losing relatability. It allows the audience to see themselves reflected in the brand—not as spectators, but as protagonists in their own transformation. Whether captured on a rooftop training ground, industrial gym, or urban park, every photograph underscores a singular message: this is a brand built for those who show up, push through, and refuse to settle.
The lighting used in these images also plays a critical role. Low angles and directional lighting create visual contrast, highlighting muscle definition and the physical toll of performance. Sweat, focus, and strain are celebrated rather than edited out, reflecting ESN’s embrace of effort and authenticity over perfection. It positions the brand within the high-performance sphere while maintaining a sense of groundedness and humanity.
In digital formats—such as social media campaigns, website headers, and e-commerce platforms—this lifestyle photography acts as a high-impact engagement tool. It speaks directly to the aspirations of the audience, inviting them into a world where effort is admired, science is trusted, and every rep or routine is a step toward excellence.
Language That Motivates and Aligns With Purpose
ESN’s rebrand goes beyond the visual—it speaks in a voice crafted to resonate deeply with its consumer base. The brand’s verbal identity was redesigned to function as both motivator and mentor. It uses concise, assertive language to drive inspiration, while staying rooted in real-world performance language that appeals to athletes and committed fitness enthusiasts.
This recalibrated tone strips away the generic wellness vocabulary common in the sector and replaces it with focused, emotionally charged phrases that reinforce ESN’s philosophy. The language is practical, not poetic—engineered to deliver a direct call to action, whether that’s fuelling recovery, building muscle, or achieving mental clarity. Slogans such as “winning flavour,” “winning mindset,” and “winning results” aren’t just marketing phrases—they’re rallying points that align the consumer’s journey with the brand’s promise.
Every phrase is meticulously chosen to amplify the broader creative platform: For the Win. This ethos is embedded into the smallest details, from on-pack copy to email headers and in-app notifications. The language avoids over-promising or vague sentimentality; instead, it inspires through clarity, science-backed confidence, and an unwavering commitment to progress.
In packaging, the typography and layout support this messaging with clean segmentation and high contrast, ensuring every word is digestible at a glance. Whether on the gym floor, browsing online, or during a rushed shopping trip, the brand’s voice remains consistent and immediately impactful.
Beyond the literal function of conveying benefits, the tone humanises the brand. ESN doesn’t speak at its customers—it speaks with them. It acknowledges the highs and lows of training, the rituals of consistency, and the victories—large or small—that define personal transformation. It’s not a brand shouting from a pedestal; it’s a coach in your corner, quietly urging you to stay the course.
Aligning Sensory Appeal With Functional Value
One of the most sophisticated achievements of ESN’s rebrand lies in its ability to merge visual pleasure with product performance. Too often, sports nutrition brands lean heavily into either sleek design or scientific credibility, failing to bridge the two. ESN, however, succeeds in aligning sensory storytelling with functional delivery—ensuring that each product appeals to both the senses and the intellect.
This balance is evident in the visual presentation of flavours. ESN’s protein powders, amino blends, and functional supplements are presented with rich imagery that hints at taste while maintaining visual discipline. Fruity notes are depicted with precision and saturation, creamy textures with softness and depth. Each flavour is positioned as an indulgence earned through effort, tapping into the psychology of reward that drives repeat purchases in this category.
But while the visuals stimulate desire, the messaging reinforces efficacy. Ingredient callouts, benefit summaries, and functional indicators are always prominent, reminding users that these are products formulated with purpose, not just pleasure. This dual messaging reinforces consumer trust—positioning ESN as a brand that understands both what athletes want and what their bodies need.
On digital platforms, this fusion continues through micro-interactions, animations, and lifestyle integration. For example, flavour-specific animations might trigger during page scrolls, or short testimonials overlay dynamic product footage, blending real feedback with real results. These subtle enhancements further embed the connection between appeal and performance.
Ultimately, this holistic approach to brand presentation positions ESN at the intersection of rational and emotional value. It makes every product an experience—one that starts with compelling visuals, deepens through confident messaging, and culminates in proven performance. It is branding with depth, not decoration; design with purpose, not pretense.
A Brand Architecture Built for Growth
The hallmark of a successful rebrand lies not in aesthetic novelty but in the ability to deliver long-term utility. Robot Food has achieved precisely that by constructing a modular and adaptive brand system for ESN. This system empowers the brand to grow—whether by launching new SKUs, entering new markets, or introducing limited edition products—without losing cohesion.
Despite the complexity of ESN’s catalogue, each product now resides within a clear hierarchy and design grid. From protein powders to nootropics and amino acid blends, every item reflects the same strategic DNA while offering its own unique story and visual signature.
Respecting the Past While Forging the Future
Perhaps the most admirable aspect of the ESN rebrand is its respect for the brand’s legacy. Robot Food didn’t erase history—they built upon it. The redesign represents a confident evolution rather than a disorienting revolution.
Simon Forster described the journey as one of careful distillation: eliminating visual noise, strengthening core elements, and rebuilding from a clarified foundation. The result is a brand that feels both familiar and revitalised—perfectly calibrated for its ambitious future while honouring its origins.
Final Thoughts
The rebranding of ESN by Robot Food is a prime example of how thoughtful, strategic design can do far more than just refresh a brand’s appearance—it can redefine its market position, reassert its purpose, and resonate more deeply with its audience. In a category crowded with superficial aesthetics and short-lived trends, ESN’s transformation stands out for its substance, structure, and sincerity.
By returning to its roots while looking ahead with clarity, ESN has not only refined its visual language but also created a narrative that aligns powerfully with the mindset of its target audience: driven, ambitious, and results-oriented individuals who demand both performance and authenticity. The rebrand has enabled ESN to confidently move into new retail environments, create clearer product segmentation, and deliver a more enjoyable and intuitive shopping experience—both online and in-store.
What makes this rebrand particularly compelling is its restraint. Instead of chasing novelty or abandoning recognisable assets, Robot Food took the path of thoughtful evolution. The decision to retain the iconic black-and-white colour scheme, while injecting vitality with sharp accents and a signature dynamic cut, speaks volumes about the agency’s commitment to balance creativity with brand equity. These elements, combined with powerful typography and photography that evokes taste, movement, and energy, create a sensory-rich experience that transcends packaging.
Equally important is how the rebrand reflects ESN’s brand values through every detail. From the empowering language—such as “winning mindset” and “winning flavour”—to the refined product architecture, every element works in harmony to establish a brand system that is both consistent and adaptable. ESN is no longer just a functional supplement brand—it is a lifestyle partner, a source of motivation, and a symbol of high-performance culture.
In a market where authenticity is everything, ESN’s transformation proves that real brand power doesn’t come from shouting louder but from showing up with more focus, more clarity, and a deeper understanding of what truly drives your audience. This rebrand is not just a visual success; it's a strategic win that sets a new standard for the sports nutrition industry—one rooted in excellence, purpose, and forward momentum.
