Top Seedz
Top Seedz
Turning a hidden gem into an everyday snack brand
Turning a hidden gem into an everyday snack brand
How can a better-for-you snack brand move beyond “guilt-free”?
How can a better-for-you snack brand move beyond “guilt-free”?
Top Seedz is a fast-growing, women-owned snack brand known for their cult-favorite seed crackers and seriously satisfying crunch. But their current performance-fuel positioning limits the brand to a narrow set of consumers and occasions. As trust in the better-for-you health halo declines, I identified craveability as Top Seedz’s most ownable product truth and an opportunity to expand the brand into everyday snacking.
I dug into the audience tensions and cultural shifts driving macro change in the way we eat, then translated what I uncovered into a new strategy and identity built for everyday cravings.
Top Seedz is a fast-growing, women-owned snack brand known for their cult-favorite seed crackers and seriously satisfying crunch. But their current performance-fuel positioning limits the brand to a narrow set of consumers and occasions. As trust in the better-for-you health halo declines, I identified craveability as Top Seedz’s most ownable product truth and an opportunity to expand the brand into everyday snacking.
I dug into the audience tensions and cultural shifts driving macro change in the way we eat, then translated what I uncovered into a new strategy and identity built for everyday cravings.
Research
Research
Brand and positioning audit
Category and competitive analysis
Market research
Purchase-driver analysis
Cultural trend analysis
Audience interviews
Audience segmentation
Tension mapping
Retail and shelf audit
Visual culture and archival research
Brand and positioning audit
Category and competitive analysis
Market research
Purchase-driver analysis
Cultural trend analysis
Audience interviews
Audience segmentation
Tension mapping
Retail and shelf audit
Visual culture and archival research
Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy
Opportunity
Better-for-you shoppers are harder to win with health claims alone and less willing to sacrifice taste. Top Seedz is already loved for its craveable crunch and flavor, while still delivering the nutrition people want. By the old playbook, it’s practically the perfect “guilt-free” snack.
Insight
People battle guilt around cravings, and offer themselves grace when they “give in”. Better-for-you snack culture reinforces the idea that cravings need to be justified. But cravings are a normal part of being human, and don’t need a moral resolution.
Strategy
Reposition Top Seedz from performance fuel to everyday snacking by owning more craving occasions. The new brand purpose is to Celebrate Every Craving, stepping outside the guilt conversation entirely and reframing cravings as a an opportunity to enjoy something delicious, nourish yourself, or share a little joy with someone else.
Opportunity
Better-for-you shoppers are harder to win with health claims alone and less willing to sacrifice taste. Top Seedz is already loved for its craveable crunch and flavor, while still delivering the nutrition people want. By the old playbook, it’s practically the perfect “guilt-free” snack.
Insight
People battle guilt around cravings, and offer themselves grace when they “give in”. Better-for-you snack culture reinforces the idea that cravings need to be justified. But cravings are a normal part of being human, and don’t need a moral resolution.
Strategy
Reposition Top Seedz from performance fuel to everyday snacking by owning more craving occasions. The new brand purpose is to Celebrate Every Craving, stepping outside the guilt conversation entirely and reframing cravings as a an opportunity to enjoy something delicious, nourish yourself, or share a little joy with someone else.
Brand Identity
Brand Identity
The new brand sees every craving as an opportunity to enjoy something delicious, give yourself what you need, take a moment, or share a little joy. The voice is warm, spirited, and unpretentious, celebrating the everyday pleasure of good food and the people behind it. It pokes fun at diet culture, but never at people.
The visual identity is inspired by the mosaic-like pattern of the crackers themselves. Hand-drawn seeds bring warmth and human connection to the system, and typography inspired by pre-1980s food packaging gives it the analog simplicity that our audience feels nostalgic for. The whole system feels joyful, tactile, and full of personality without losing the simplicity that makes the product special.
The new brand sees every craving as an opportunity to enjoy something delicious, give yourself what you need, take a moment, or share a little joy. The voice is warm, spirited, and unpretentious, celebrating the everyday pleasure of good food and the people behind it. It pokes fun at diet culture, but never at people.
The visual identity is inspired by the mosaic-like pattern of the crackers themselves. Hand-drawn seeds bring warmth and human connection to the system, and typography inspired by pre-1980s food packaging gives it the analog simplicity that our audience feels nostalgic for. The whole system feels joyful, tactile, and full of personality without losing the simplicity that makes the product special.
Packaging
Packaging
The packaging brings the strategy to life by putting craving first. Bold color, playful language, and plenty of appetite appeal. We still give people the numbers they’re looking for but nutrition is secondary.
The packaging brings the strategy to life by putting craving first. Bold color, playful language, and plenty of appetite appeal. We still give people the numbers they’re looking for but nutrition is secondary.
Applications
Applications
I mapped the creative across the customer journey so the brand could tell its story a little at a time. Discovery touchpoints lead with appetite appeal and attitude. As people get closer to purchase, ingredients and nutrition show them the product lives up to their standards, while mission and community give them more reasons to fall in love with Top Seedz.
I mapped the creative across the customer journey so the brand could tell its story a little at a time. Discovery touchpoints lead with appetite appeal and attitude. As people get closer to purchase, ingredients and nutrition show them the product lives up to their standards, while mission and community give them more reasons to fall in love with Top Seedz.
The Team
The Team
This was a solo project completed as part of my graduate program at ArtCenter College of Design (MDes) for Brand Design and Strategy. This project is not affiliated with Top Seedz.
This was a solo project completed as part of my graduate program at ArtCenter College of Design (MDes) for Brand Design and Strategy. This project is not affiliated with Top Seedz.
Year
Year
2026
2026
Some images in this project were created using AI-powered image generation tools. Some visuals incorporate unlicensed imagery or artwork derived from existing media. All materials are presented for educational, illustrative, and non-commercial purposes only, with no intention of infringement.
Some images in this project were created using AI-powered image generation tools. Some visuals incorporate unlicensed imagery or artwork derived from existing media. All materials are presented for educational, illustrative, and non-commercial purposes only, with no intention of infringement.
