Fetishizing Simplicity

PERUSE A RACK OF PROTEIN BARS at any grocery story and they all blend together: claims of what the food does (or does not) contain, promises of protein, and some stamp of approval by the latest fad diet. Rxbar, founded in 2013 by Peter Rahal and Jared Smith, used to be one of them. But 18 months ago, the Chicago-based company gave its protein-bar packaging a radical overhaul, and they soon began landing in retailers including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, and Kroger. Rahal talks Inc. through logo shrinkage, packaging noise, and graphic-design enlightenment. 

- Stephanie Schomer

PACKAGING

 

OLD The original design was hardly intentional. “We were 25, broke, and naive,” says Rahal. “We didn’t have any resources, so Jared and I designed it ourselves. We did it on PowerPoint.”

NEW After two years in business, the brand had enough stability to let Smith and Rahal catch their breath. “We took a step back and had a humbling moment,” Rahal says. “We realized our baby was ugly.” The pair consulted with branding experts and hired an outside design firm, Chicago-based Scott & Victor, to help them rebrand.

INGREDIENTS

OLD The pair spread the word about Rxbar by providing samples to their target audience—athletes, primarily Cross Fitters. “We used whole-food ingredients, so we would pitch it by saying it’s like eating three egg whites, two dates, six almonds,” says Rahal. “When we commercialized, we were like, we have to put this on the back.”