I'll begin by stating with all the best intentions in the world, I do try and eat healthy. That being said, there are the odd occasions where either I'm up against a client deadline or I'm stuck in traffic coming back from working on site and the option of a boneless KFC meal becomes really appealing!

So it was a pleasant surprise when I pulled into the local drive thru to see that KFC have changed their visual language to a cleaner, typographic approach designed by BBH London. Check it out below:

The posters draw on the recent new identity for the brand, created by Grand Army in New York, and pair it with some provocative use of text. In one ad, the brand’s key phrase ‘it’s finger lickin’ good’ is presented partly redacted, suggesting that it means, well, something else.

This campaign follows a recent trend in fast-food branding for simple styling and ‘authenticity’. For KFC, this involved reaching back into their history by re-introduced the stripes of the original packaging. With food imagery plastered all over sites such as Instagram, KFC is instead opting to use design, typography and its history (alongside the odd picture of its burgers) to stand out in an extremely crowded market.

As I ordered my boneless bucket at 9pm (which doesn’t actually come in a bucket anymore), it was great to see how this stripped back approach actually makes it clearer to see the choice of menu available to me, rather than the instantly forgettable mess that greeted me previously. Indeed, at night the neon signs illuminating the crisp white panel made it so much easier to read. Compared to the dingy Pizza Hut that sat directly next door, the branding certainly looked a lot more appealing which helps draw you in.

Also it nice to see a brand that is willing to have a little fun with it’s proposition. As I got home and served up the boneless pieces of chicken I did think to myself: “Yeah, it does taste f****n good!”