General Mills’ fruit brands enjoy a burst of 90s flavor

The Future. When General Mills hired the design agency Pearlfisher to rebrand Fruit Roll-Ups, Fruit by the Foot, and Gushers, they got a throwback vibe: the bright colors and graphic aesthetic of the 90s (the snacks’ glory days). While nostalgic branding can appear dated, it can tap into positive emotions if done right — and bring back the consumers who grew up with the products.

Look back to look forward
Pearlfisher’s rebrand was guided by the tastes of young consumers today and by the team’s familiarity with the snacks as kids. Each colloquially dubbed “fruit brand” is marketed toward a different age group.

• For Fruit Roll-Ups (middle schoolers), Pearlfisher rolled with the idea of a blank slate of creativity and playfulness and infused the brand’s existing white background with pops of colorful imagery.
• With Fruit by the Foot (high schoolers), the agency ran with the concept of stressed-out students unwinding, which the “F” literally does in the new logo.
• And for Gushers (later teens), Pearlfisher refined the classic “gushing” backdrop and added a black, hand-lettered logo — a drastic change for the brand.

Unlock the sweetness
After the pandemic, Hamish Campbell, Pearlfisher’s executive creative director, says people are now craving a freedom of expression seen in the 90s… and hoping a colorful rebrand will help them rediscover the deliciousness of simpler times.