Design Bridge NY has revamped the visual identity for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s to look as good as the food tastes and guide customers to the bites they crave.
The new visual identity is inspired by Carl’s Jr.’s mission to “Feed Happiness” and aims to remind customers at every touch point of the burger chain’s unique food.
The new logo maintains the modern cursive font from the 2017 redesign and rotates the star to a straight position.
The ‘Happy Star’ icon has a more prominent red shade with a charred texture and has become a more active element of the brand with a range of emotions.
Across all applications, the revamped ‘Happy Star’ leads the way in satisfying all cravings by leaving a “flavor trail” made of tasty grill marks like the brand’s famous burgers.
The grill marks and charred texture are also present in the new iconography and illustrations that represent the different food items and ingredients the fast food chain utilizes.
I thought grill marks were Burger King’s thing! They have used them for years as their differentiator! (See receipts below 👀)
Carl’s Jr is also introducing a new bold color palette inspired by its menu: Charbroil Black, American Cheese Yellow, Flame Red, and Biscuit Cream.
The brand’s new typeface, called Arpona and designed by Floodfonts, features wedge serifs that mimic the shapes and angles of Happy Star.
These design changes will be rolled out in restaurants, uniforms, in-store signage, food packaging, and advertising.
There is no doubt that Carl’s Jr.’s new identity is consistent and has a strong concept, but I have to question if this is the right concept.
I love the idea of the star leading the way to tasty food, it aligns with their mission and gives the star a purpose. However, is Carl’s Jr really known for its grill marks? I’m 99% sure that customers don’t think of grill marks when they think of Carl’s Jr.
Where are those juicy burgers, crispy bacon, and crispy chicken tenders? How can they translate the essence of their food into their identity?
I would have loved to see all the flavor and indulgence of the chain’s food in the visuals so that they could have actually achieved the goal of looking as good as it tastes.
TBI