End-to-End CPG Brand Creation: Bare Minimum, a Dessert Cereal for Adults

As Bare Minimum reimagined cereal as a dessert for emotionally tapped-out adults, the challenge was to build a brand that felt indulgent without pressure, funny without being gimmicky, and comforting without leaning on traditional health narratives. Cereal had lost cultural relevance, often seen as either kid food or a diet relic. We needed to create a product and experience that resonated with burnt-out millennials and Gen Z consumers, prioritized emotional truth over nutrition claims, and stood out both on shelf and on social.

I led the development of a visual and verbal identity rooted in emotional intelligence. Through qualitative research, trend mapping, and iterative prototyping, we created a design system that treated cereal like a mood-based treat, not a routine. Flavor names mirrored emotional states ("Oof.", "Not Today"), while packaging used muted pastels, bold serif type, and affirming microcopy to communicate softness, humor, and permission. Every detail, from the unboxing experience to the Instagrammability, was crafted to reflect and validate the way people actually eat: chaotically, inconsistently, and with feeling.