Again within the early 00s – the period when arguably Hollyoaks was at its zenith, and bellybutton piercings their most bejeweled – Botox was progressively rising from the hushed clinics of Harley Avenue and LA to turn into a part of frequent parlance. As such, manufacturers cottoned on to the phrase’s ‘everlasting youth’ connotations: I distinctly keep in mind a shampoo advert promising that amongst its elements was one thing referred to as ‘boswellox’. Or certainly, an absolute load of bosllox.
The place the 00s had boswellox, 1 / 4 of a century later we have now ‘adaptogens’ – a imprecise nomenclature that means an ingredient that’s most likely, certainly actually good for you. Maybe a superfood, however a bit extra fashionable? Even scientific papers are unclear on what these truly are: ‘Adaptogens are outlined as non-toxic substances of plant origin which might be claimed to… normalise physique capabilities’, reads one on the Nationwide Library of Medicines website. It continues, ‘The broad and imprecise definition of the time period renders it of little scientific worth.’
Nonetheless, as a buzzword, it definitely hits that candy spot between sounding scientific sufficient that it appears fairly credible, and imprecise sufficient for its credibility or lack thereof to really feel unimportant anyway.
However for those who’re a twenty first century health-conscious kind, certainly given the selection you’d go for a drink bursting with adaptogens over one which has no such magical properties, proper?
A brand new contender for stated drink is Rolus – a reputation as complicated to pronounce (like ‘bowl us’ or ‘doll us’? No clue) as it’s chock-full of guarantees of not simply well being, however relentless good instances.
The branding was created by design company Re (Mr Yum, Sydney Design Competition & Ridley), which labored throughout the model technique and id; packaging; artwork path; expertise design; and web site. Re – a part of the M&C Saatchi Group, with places of work throughout Sydney, Melbourne, London, Stockholm and Dubai – units out its stall relatively undoubtedly on the subject of its strategy to Rolus’ branding: ‘Let’s face it, the world doesn’t want one other self-important drink… promising to remodel your life.’ Effectively fairly.
The company goes on to recommend that Rolus matches right into a sector it’s dubbed ‘braincare drinks’, which we will solely assume is one thing to do with these enigmatic little adaptogens once more. As a tender drink, it’s concurrently billed as a really zeitgeist alcohol different, however it’s additionally – so we’re advised – much more than that as well. ‘It’s refreshing sufficient to have after yoga, over a protracted brunch, or on a ship’, Re continues.
‘You possibly can even combine it along with your spirit of alternative…’ In brief, ‘Rolus is a challenger in a really crowded house.’ As such, the branding needed to do loads of exhausting work to face out.
The place a lot of the burgeoning wellness drinks panorama has come to be awash with cliches of pastel hues (like this, or this, or this, or this); there are a number of outliers who’ve taken a extra stark, nearly Swiss-style strategy – a wholesome however rigorously [pseudo?]scientific seriousness performed out in huge sans letterforms and uncompromising black and white.
Rolus veers much more in the direction of the latter, however does stand out on this bizarre little drinks class: it really doesn’t appear to be its opponents, however – dare I say it – definitely has resonances of among the newer power drinks that promise one thing to do with efficiency and demand they’re nothing just like the Monsters, Relentlesses et al earlier than them.
Maybe as one other riposte to the type of model that guarantees chakra realignment or aura enhancement, the tone of voice right here is easy– messaging is brief, punchy, and by no means takes itself too significantly. However at instances, it’s patchy.
The principle Rolus tagline, ‘By no means nonetheless’, is powerful; succinctly explaining that it’s each fizzy and doubtlessly will preserve you going because of its ‘secret botanical mix’ and capability to hydrate. However in a number of locations, I’m not satisfied the copy actually lands: perhaps I simply don’t get the joke in slogans like ‘Sip It. Combine It. Electrolyte It’, however it simply appears a bit complicated.
For Rolus, Re opted for unapologetically stripped-back packaging, utilizing simply white, black and purple. It positions Rolus because the type of model that doesn’t have to shout to be heard; it nearly appears like a deliberate rejection of Goop-era woowoo – intentionally slightly dry in tone and extreme in pack graphics, whereas nonetheless speaking refreshment.
Except for the primary wordmark – a really direct however by no means confrontational sans serif in all caps, spaced superbly – the branding makes use of Montreal-based foundry Pangram Pangram’s relatively pretty PP Neue Montreal and open supply font Geologica for the bolder all-caps lettering.
The ticker-tape fashion copy that seems in white on the big purple Rolus ‘R’ on every can is an outstanding contact, reinforcing the ‘by no means nonetheless’ concept in a method that works simply in addition to a static graphic as it’d in movement, which isn’t any imply feat.
A standout touchpoint is the big multipack bins: given the house, the branding actually comes into its personal in a method that doesn’t fairly hit on-pack – and the way in which the barcode turns into a central a part of the model design appears like a masterstroke.
The Rolus web site has some barely unusual selections (specifically that scratchy hand-lettering font, which feels prefer it barely cheapens the entire thing), however away from such gripes the design is absolutely good in its merging of character and product. There’s some actually fascinating layouts in the way in which that content material is layered and overlaid; mixing gifs, stills and movies which vary from aspirational poolside vibes to straight up product photographs to some barely complicated aerial photographs of what I feel is likely to be the nice wall of China, with a number of mountainous pics à la screensaver thrown in for good measure.
There’s lots that feels complicated about Rolus, from the title to the copy to the picture selections, however total there’s little doubt that is some robust branding – unapologetic, category-defying, and typographically rigorous. If solely we knew methods to truly say ‘Rolus’.
