Studio Output's Marshmallow branding aims to 'squeeze character into car insurance'

Studio Output worked with Marshmallow on a new identity and digital designs to build a brand that visually reflects the company's conscience-led stance and "the experience Marshmallow gives its customers: simple, supportive and on their side".

While the Marshmallow team already had the foundations of a strong design system, Studio Output was brought in as the company was rapidly growing and looking to "think bigger." It now needed that system to reflect Marshmallow's evolving product experience and ambition to take on the industry and change it for the better.

"Marshmallow choose to engage with people positively," says Studio Output. "We built a visual identity toolkit to capture that approach...The necessities don't have to be dull – they can be welcoming, feel-good and even fun."

The revised logo, redesigned website, and new illustrations work together to create "charm and delight" throughout the identity. Studio Output adds, "We warmed up the system with a playful toolkit of illustrations as inspiration for the Marshmallow team to iterate on, adding all the character that makes the business so different."

The redesign looked to "remove noise, not add to it," and so every element has a clear purpose rather than simply being there to make things look a bit different or as serving a purely decorative purpose.

"While the brand is capable of humour and lightheartedness, it never makes light of insurance and Marshmallow's mission," says Studio Output. "To be a viable alternative to traditional insurance companies, we had to create a brand worthy of people's confidence. We did this by infusing a feeling of safety through the visual identity with a clean feel, a grounding navy and the soft cushioning of the logo and 'mallow' shapes."

Georgia Kent-Braham, Design Manager at Marshmallow, adds, "Our new brand elements allow us to be more consistent and faster with our design."