ABOUT

Created with Gatorade electrolyte science, Propel has been a hardworking brand for over 20 years, and it has a credible USP in the water and hydration markets.

Other water brands have joined the collective race for consumer share and the category is drowning in a sea of blue, drawing on classic, expected semiotics. Lacking distinctive assets, Propel was getting lost.

The challenge? Stand out, and stand proud. Propel needed to get serious about water.

The word "propel" literally cues movement, progression, and reaching the next level. Combined with the brand’s electrolyte science credentials, unlocking this insight gave us permission to reposition Propel as a fitness lifestyle brand with hydration at its core. With a focus on fitness-oriented consumers, this set the tone for our design strategy.

Technology has enabled fitness to play a larger role in transforming people’s lifestyles, and it’s no longer seen as just physical activity. In that space where tech meets fitness, there was an opportunity to disrupt the hydration category and align with consumers’ desire to bring heart, body, and mind together to reach higher and go further.

Reflecting that energy and drive for people to push themselves and live life to the fullest, our dynamic new design language has been crafted with absolute precision.

Inspired by Propel’s literal meaning, we’ve put the iconic Gatorade lightning bolt – and brand USP – at its core. Adding “Fitness Water” to our re-crafted wordmark reinforces this new brand positioning. The wordmark sits inside a new athletic tape-inspired graphic language, which is woven throughout the brandworld to reflect the brand’s “Sweat. Propel. Repeat.” ethos.

Our new, ownable visual identity system is set out in a brand book and includes everything you’d expect – key brand assets, a reinvigorated color palette, clean typography. To celebrate Propel’s bold new graphic language, we’ve introduced an aspirational “You Earned It” photography style that captures the moment – and joy – in sweating. Using real fitness enthusiasts for authenticity in our lifestyle and product photoshoot, this new imagery builds a genuine connection with the Propel audience.

With packaging as Propel’s primary touchpoint, we have completely overhauled the entire portfolio – from core bottles to powders, tablets and beyond. Optimizing pack architecture and messaging hierarchy, the packaging now balances masterbrand consistency with shelf disruption to elevate Propel further, and our 360 brand experience extends across physical and digital touchpoints including POS and a full website redesign.

Hardworking design for hardworking hydration, Propel now has a dynamic, iconic and completely ownable new brand identity and design system that proudly communicates its point of difference as the only water that works harder to propel your body and mind.