From fresh to frozen in the baked goods category
Industry
FMCG
What I did
Verbal Identity, Brand Guidelines
01 - THE CHALLENGE
When I first begun working with Griddle, they already had something special. Their frozen waffles were made with real ingredients, packed with flavour, and carried none of the guilt that comes with traditional breakfast indulgences. But their words didn’t match the product. The way they spoke didn’t fully capture the playful confidence or modern health-conscious appeal that was baked into every bite.
02 - THE OPPORTUNITY
I joined forces with creative studio 20-Something, who were leading the strategy and visual identity refresh. While they worked on creating a bold, distinctive look for Griddle, my role was to shape the verbal identity that would live alongside it — ensuring the brand sounded as good as it looked.
03 - THE PROCESS
We began with a brand personality workshop, bringing the team together to uncover exactly who Griddle was when it spoke. This was about moving beyond vague ideas like “friendly” or “fun” and finding the real character traits that would anchor their voice. Through interactive exercises, we teased out the tensions that made them different from every other breakfast brand — the balance of cheekiness and trustworthiness, energy and ease.
From there, I developed a full verbal identity system. This included tone of voice guidelines that went far beyond adjectives, defining how Griddle would sound across packaging, campaigns, and digital platforms. We explored the role of rhythm and play in their copy, the specific turns of phrase that could become ownable, and the language boundaries that would keep them distinct.
The result was a brand voice that matched the punch of their visual brand — bright, confident, and impossible to mistake for anyone else. Together, the words and visuals formed a cohesive identity that not only reflected Griddle’s product but also positioned them to grow in a category that’s crowded with both heritage brands and newcomers.