Brand design to expand Clif Bar’s reach with performance-focused branding for endurance athletes.
Originally rooted in endurance sports, Clif Bar has become perceived as a lifestyle brand for casual hikers and bikers. With the post-COVID surge in endurance sports participation, reevaluating this target market offers an opportunity to reconnect with performance-focused athletes.
Research into Clif Bar’s history revealed its strong athletic roots and the opportunity to reconnect with performance-driven athletes. Introducing a sub-brand, Clif Pro, would enable the company to focus on high-performing marathoners, cyclists, and triathletes while maintaining appeal to its existing customer base.
Key Finding: Endurance athletes rely on multiple brands for fueling; a cohesive, natural, sustainable solution can drive loyalty and performance.
To address this opportunity, I designed a new visual identity system and developed a comprehensive product line tailored to every phase of the training cycle. The design was contextualized to highlight its relevance to endurance sports, building loyalty among this high-performance audience.
This rebranding elevates Clif Pro as the ultimate performance fuel for high-achievers. By aligning the brand with the needs of elite athletes, this project empowers users to design their training and recovery experiences.
The Clif Pro logo leverages the iconic Clif Bar typography with bold, clean lines, emphasizing reliability and strength. The addition of "Pro" in red highlights a focused, performance-driven sub-brand for elite endurance athletes.
The performance-driven focus of the brand is highlighted by dynamic triangular elements, a nod to the original Clif Bar identity. This is reflected in the product cap, an abstraction of the climber on the cliff from the original packaging. A gradient arrow adds a sense of building momentum, while a versatile pattern further reinforces movement and progression.
Endurance athletes fuel strategically, consuming specific nutrients at precise intervals to sustain energy, maintain performance, and aid recovery. The Marathon in a Box Fuel Kit simplifies this process, offering a complete system tailored to every phase—training, race day, and recovery—helping athletes stay focused and perform at their peak.
Below, the carousel shows the packaging design for each element of this fueling solution.
1. The exterior of the Marathon Fuel Kit.
2. The high carb liquid fueling solution.
3. Periodized fueling solutions.
4. A peek into the "Before" box.
5. Packaging of the Clif Pro bar.
Fueling is key for any performance oriented pursuit. These versatile design elements can be combined for any endurance sport, whether that's triathlon, running, or cycling.
Clif Pro’s presence on uniforms, ads, and gear reflects its commitment to supporting high-performance athletes both on and off the course. Partnering with elite endurance athletes embodies the brand’s mission to empower peak performance while inspiring a broader community to push their limits and achieve their goals.
This was the first time that I was able to have complete creative freedom with the direction a project took. In many ways it was exciting, but it was also daunting to have such a wide open space to play in. I attempted to strike a balance between objectivity and my own personal experience pursuing high performance in athletics.
Flexing my strategy muscles and allowing that to inform my growing skillset as a creator was really rewarding.