Mothernutter peanut butter embraces 1970s “flower power”

Brand design studio Analogue has created a 1970s-inspired visual identity and packaging for new peanut butter brand Mothernutter, with bespoke illustrations for each flavour.

The current market for peanut butter products was saturated with unhealthy options or “natural offering that felt a little dated and homogenised”, says Mothernutter founder and digital production lead Thierry Ngutegure.

After seeing some of Analogue’s previous projects, Ngutegure says he employed the studio to create a “bold, characterful, innovative” identity that reflects Mothernutter’s respect for the planet and the quality ingredients that they use.

All branding, illustration and motion design was done by Analogue’s in-house team. The studio’s managing director Barry Darnell says that “tapping into an overcrowded market of natural and sustainable products with something original and relevant” was the most challenging aspect of the project.

Wanting to add “a hint of retro” to the brand, Darnell says the studio created a typeface and colour palette that nods to “the positivity and vibrancy of the fun-loving ’70s”. Mothernutter also wanted nature to inform the brand to convey their company values.

Using “psychedelic illustrations”, Analogue sought to differentiate Mothernutter SKUs by giving them their own character, according to Darnell.

The crunchy range features a character drawn with more angled lines cracking a peanut and the smooth version uses a soft-edged illustration, each representing the qualities of the products.

Other SKUs include the Ultimate Jam – made to go with the peanut butter on a PB&J sandwich – and the crunchy maple bacon offering, which was a collaboration with sauce company Tubby Tom’s.

The font was “a key design element”, says Darnell, as the studio wanted the bespoke wordmark, featuring a nut within the ‘o’ of ‘mother’ to be a focal point on the packaging and throughout the wider brand.

“We chose a modern retro font which not only taps into the flower power aesthetic which runs through the brand, but also resembles the soft and creamy nature of the product itself”, Darnell explains.

Its “organic” forms also make it seem “aesthetically friendly”, which link to nature and the brand’s values, he adds.

For the colour palette, Analogue opted for “rich, natural” hues. Darnell says this helps to “solidify a sustainable aesthetic”, while also appealing to “the modern-day consumer”.

In a bid to “elevate the static renders of the packaging”, Darnell says the studio introduced animation to the characters. The motion design adds “life and personality” to the brand world, “creating a window into the world of Mothernutter”, he adds.