Gousto is a UK recipe box delivery company founded in 2012 and headquartered in London. Its visual identity has evolved through at least two documented phases: an early logo built around a cooking pot motif, and a 2017 rebrand that introduced a new logo and design system aimed at families.
Design and History
Gousto’s original brand identity was developed in-house. According to a project case study by Jess Xyla, a designer who worked on the brand, the Gousto name combines the Italian word “gusto” (meaning “flavor”) with the food-related word “gourmet.” After sketching various ideas, the final early logo featured the “Gousto pot,” a cooking pot motif chosen because it was familiar and had a humorous feel that reflected savouring and the cooking experience. The choice of red as the brand colour was made to represent fresh food, happiness and love. The early identity also included hand-drawn iconography designed to support the playful and quirky aspects of Gousto’s personality.[1]
In September 2017, Gousto unveiled a new brand identity built around offering good food to busy families. The revamped brand featured a new logo, design and photography, with a television advertisement airing on 16 September that year.[2] The rebrand was part of a marketing programme designed to strengthen the brand’s appeal among families.[3]
Later brand development focused on evolution rather than a full identity reset. According to a case study by creative director André Harris, Jr., a brand refresh was undertaken as Gousto entered a period of hyper scale-up. The stated challenge was to evolve the brand without losing recognition, creating freshness through system, expression and touchpoint behaviour rather than a complete identity overhaul. Harris led the creative development of the refresh, shaping the colour system, pattern language, photography direction, recipe card design, packaging and unboxing experience.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
Gousto’s brand personality was built around three C’s: confidence, colourfulness and creativity, which the company describes collectively as its “Gousto swagger.” In advertising campaigns, the company references its “red hot swagger” to grab attention.[5]
According to an Attest case study, Gousto identified that customers associated the brand with “inspiration.” The subsequent brand evolution focused on improving the elements customers already loved rather than reinventing the brand entirely. This included overhauling the unboxing experience, testing new logo variations in different environments with accessibility in mind, and changing photography style to feel more personal.[6]
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