Activia is the probiotic yogurt brand of Danone, launched in France and Belgium in 1987 under the original name “Bio” before adopting the Activia name in France in late 2005 and early 2006. The brand is built around a proprietary mix of five live cultures, including the Bifidus strain Bifidobacterium, and is sold in more than 40 countries across five continents. [1] [2] [3]
Design and History
Activia’s visual identity has undergone several documented changes since its launch. The original 1987 product, then called “Bio,” was introduced in a bright green package, a deliberate departure from the blue and white packaging traditionally used for yogurt at the time. Danone chose green to represent the millions of living bacteria in each pot, including its exclusive Bifidus ActiRegularis culture, and to make the product immediately distinguishable on supermarket shelves. [4]
In France, the brand was renamed from “Bio” to “Activia” in November 2005, appearing first on lids and point-of-sale materials. By January 2006, all packaging carried a dual “Bio devient Activia” logo, supported by a broad advertising campaign. The name change was made to comply with a European directive on organic agriculture that restricted use of the term “Bio.” [3] [5]
An earlier US trademark registration from 2006 describes the mark as the word “ACTIVIA” in stylized white letters with a sun dotting the first “I,” which was extended below by an arrow constituted of yellow dots, placed over a green quadrangle. [6]
In late 2016, Danone launched a global relaunch of Activia with brand consultancy FutureBrand. The core of the redesign was a new brand icon made up of two interlocking shapes, one green and one gold, intended to represent efficacy and inner-balance. The new symbol replaced the previous arrow symbol, which FutureBrand’s Marie-Thérèse Cassidy said implied the product was a diuretic; the interlocking design was created to remove those connotations and draw associations with digestive health instead. The redesign also introduced a bespoke logotype, a refreshed version of the brand’s familiar green, and a new photographic style. [7] [8] [9]
Meaning and Symbolism
Danone has documented the reasoning behind Activia’s signature green color. According to the brand, green was chosen because of its strong association with life, representing the millions of living bacteria found in every pot, including billions of the exclusive Bifidus ActiRegularis culture. At the time of launch, yogurt was traditionally packaged in blue and white, so the bright green made Activia immediately distinguishable from other products on the market. [4]
The 2016 interlocking brand icon was designed to communicate synergy and balance, described by FutureBrand as “a symbol of synergy and balance, key drivers of the new brand storyline.” The design was intended to visually recount the synthesis of science and nature, mind and core, health and pleasure at the heart of the new Activia positioning. [10]
Typography and Design
FutureBrand introduced a bespoke logotype for Activia as part of the 2016 global relaunch. The custom lettering was created alongside the new brand icon and refreshed green packaging color. [7] [11]
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