Oatly! Design Review.
Introduction
Oatly! is an up-and-coming milk alternative brand for those who simply can’t have it or are vegan. I have a severe dairy allergy, and this brand has been by my side for a year now, and I love it. My journey started with an admiration for the package design; I was genuinely speechless with the way they made it fun, informative, and eye catching.
A little about Oatly!, they are a Swedish company created in 1990s, based on a Swedish research from Lund University. It is stated that Oatly!’s patented enzyme technology copies nature’s own process that turns fiber rich oats into nutritional liquid food that is perfectly designed for humans. Oatly! dedicated to upgrading the lives of individuals and the general well being of the planet through the originality of oat drinks. The company operates outside of the southern region of Sweden with Headquarters in Malmo, and other centers in Landskrona. They are available in 20 countries across the globe. Oatly! helps those who are vegan, or simply cannot have dairy in their system. They are a very contemporary brand with reviews that are positive, along with being conversational and pertaining to the younger generations.
Now let’s get into the design aspect of this brand and how it has been so successful and why I am obsessed with it. First off, the use of different elements of design is super cohesive and genuinely well thought out. Some elements I see that are used are Hierarchy, Typography, Color, Illustration, Icons, Components, use of negative space, the 3 font maximum, alignment, and layout of each bottle/container. I listed those because as a user and designer, I am able scan and analyze the packaging and UI design if available.
Pros and Cons
PROS
Color palette, language, taste, define notice of uniqueness, Font choices, use of natural art to advertise, packaging noticeability and design, brand motto, and Advertisements
CONS
Not enough negative space, Contrast test failed (some bottles), and some packages are hard to read
Design of Oatly!
Hierarchy and Typography:
Hierarchy is a part of design that can make or break your campaign or brand as a whole. I believe it is a massive foundation that needs to be perfected for it to flourish. Oatly!, I believe, has used it to get the consumer to relate and hit an emotional part of people, humor. They are able to use this bubble type to draw attention to the brand, then for the eyes to go down to read, I believe they created a navigation system for the consumer. Another thing is the use of font point difference from the body paragraph to the title; it is abnormal but in unison. They even used contrasting colors to be more elaborate. I really enjoy seeing the bubble type face as the header with the san serif as sub-headers or headers as well, and then the type for the body is typewriter. I think from a hierarchal perspective, it works better than a lot of brands I have analyzed in the past.
This is a part of design that I critique a lot when it comes to different brands by simply seeing if the type face compliments their secondary type. In this case they have 3 different fonts or more depending on the banner, gifs, etc. When analyzing this I saw a bubble like font with a type writer font and a serif font; these would be weird choices from anyone, but how they compliment each other is phenomenal. This is because they have a rounded edge san serif, the bubble letters, but they have two hard edge serifs and even a calligraphic font, to me that would be off putting but it works and balance each other. When you think about it and not visually understand until it’s mocked up in front of your eyes, they complete each other. It seems that they break the rules–that they have perfected, as designers, to create something organic and original. That to me is a very strong design team and creative thinking. When you are able to match fonts that you, as a designer, would think are impossible to match, you bend over backwards and create something organically, and that is a great design concept.
Color Palette:
I believe this color palette is phenomenal. I love that the primary color is the white, different blues, and natural brown. I like that the full fat is a darker blue than the regular is a light blue, then a fat free is white. Milk has always been associated with blues and reds; therefore, they have used that familiarity to bring joy, recognition, nostalgia, trust, and being identifiable. Each of these colors are added in a very intuitive way, meaning they place them with great detail on, for example, brown is coffee, espresso mixed, or chocolate oat-milk. Another part that I saw was the use of colors that contrast, like blacks and whites. Even different color indicatives for each mix they have. Which is a great way to differentiate within the brand.
Advertisements:
When I was researching this brand and their way of marketing, I was blown away. I love that they create a digital art on the sides of buildings like it goes with the vibe of industrial graffiti. They use contrasting colors like black, white, and blue to stand out to those who are driving/walking by. This marketing idea is targeted towards young adults, which is a massive demographic. The way they use conversational language, like how we converse with each other, makes it more personal for us. I think they are doing a great job with banners and social media presence; however, I would suggest a stronger presence in the USA (dabble in tik-tok and other social media platforms), which is a massive market for non-dairy supplements, and would get a lot of profit here. Another thing is that their color palette brings a home-like feel to the customers. Oatly!’s style is contemporary and fun for people to buy and enjoy life dairy-free. I also enjoy that they use massive hierarchy for the banners, posters, and CTA, which they thought through strategically to catch the eye before the milk bottle does.
Website:
I think their website is super well thought out and can be navigated through easily. The use of typeface is perfect of each range of texts. I like the clear but informative sections. Each page in the website has their own style, but it is purposeful. They have a reason for each that is very innovative for the reader. Color is a great way to section things while still staying on brand.
Packaging:
Packaging is one of the most important parts of a brand whether it is in food, e-commerce, etc. It is a big part of design. The use of contrast with the blues/browns with black or white, really makes the customer see and show interest in the product compared to the other brands sitting aside it. The packaging is fun, lively, and informative; which can lead the consumer purchasing the product. I am not going to lie to you all, but I was brought upon this brand because of the well thought out packaging and it’s style; it is unique compared to other non-dairy alternatives. I believe that Oatly! has changed the milk game with the vase variety of design within the packaging.
Summary
In summary of what I have been talking about, is that Oatly! is truly a revolutionary brand in the design world. The way they break the rules but it works so well is breathe taking; which means to me they have an amazing creative team that is not afraid of stepping up and thinking outside the box. When you have a boss or mentor that pushes you as a designer to think more than what you were programed to, is truly rare to find, and I give around of applauses to that creative team, designers and creative director as a whole, and wish them well as they continue to break barriers.