72andSunny
Design Director
Shantanu Sharma
Designer
Inwoo Baek
Brand Identity
Campaign World
2025-26
Brand New, Brand Inquirer
RECOGNITION
Typography: Display Typeface - Merit
As we embarked on the assignment, a clear truth emerged: Panera doesn’t sell fast food— it serves real meals, made for how people actually live. This truth became our north star, inspiring a new brand platform designed to flex: “IT JUST MEALS GOOD.” Guiding everything from national broadcast, packaging, OOH, to digital experiences, it reframed “meal” as more than just a menu item, but into a moment you make yours.
A platform this fresh needed a visual identity refresh. Enter our updated design system – including a new bespoke typeface, a brighter palette, vibrant and immersive photography, and a new motion language to pair with fresh new layouts and product stickers. Because “food fit for a meal” deserves a visual world that JUST MEALS GOOD.
We left no bread bowl unturned.
Starting with a new bespoke typeface: Panera Bravo, created in partnership with Monotype. This gooey, craveworthy new typeface is at the heart of Panera’s refreshed identity. The lettering was inspired by the hand-lettered bakery signage of Panera’s roots, weaving together the nostalgia of the brand’s past with the warmth and vibrance of its future. The name itself borrows from one of Panera’s most popular items, Bravo sauce, infusing the type with that same saucy, decadent feel.
Then we turned up the volume on our color palette – taking what we loved about the old system and opening the aperture to something new. Dialing up our vibrant secondary colors to reinforce the freshness of our ingredients, showing up bolder than ever before. We centered our photography on what we do best: quality food. Leaning into textures, natural light, and macro shots that you can get lost in. And where we can, we’re embracing the perfectly imperfect - a crumb here, a drip there – all to give that authentic representation of the Panera experience.
Lastly, we applied a new motion language – injecting energy and dynamism into our type design system. It's bold, drives crave, and showcases our definition of a meal with pride.
Finally, we rolled out the updates across every touchpoint, from employee uniforms and digital experiences to Panera cafes. And taken as a whole, they’ve modernized the brand’s look and feel while maintaining the warmth people know and love. We found our future by embracing our past.