Refreshing the playful spirit of a worldwide food favorite

As one of the world's most recognizable brands, McDonald's has maintained its position as a global fast-food leader for decades. However, in response to evolving consumer preferences and increased competition from both traditional and emerging quick-service restaurants, McDonald's partnered with Pearlfisher to refresh its packaging identity and create a more contemporary, unified brand experience across its vast global footprint.

McDonald's needed to modernize its packaging identity while preserving its unmatched brand recognition and heritage. The design challenge was multifaceted: create a system that would work across thousands of restaurants worldwide, appeal to increasingly diverse consumer segments with varying expectations, and unite McDonald's expanding menu offerings under a cohesive visual language—all while ensuring the brand remained instantly identifiable from competitors in the crowded quick-service restaurant category.

Pearlfisher developed a simplified, bold visual system that honored McDonald's iconic golden arches while introducing a more contemporary aesthetic. The renewed packaging design brings a sense of joy and ease to the brand through bold graphics. Transitioning from a design system with prominent on-pack messaging, the graphic representations of menu items help make each of the structures more connected and evocative of McDonald’s’ playful approach.

Our ambition was to create a fundamental shift in the way McDonald’s uses packaging, including improvements in functionality for the McDonald’s crew members making each meal.

“Across every menu item, Pearlfisher helped to ensure that this redesign enhances the McDonald’s identity, highlights the specialness of our menu, and delivers on our commitment to quality.”
–Barbara Yehling, Senior Director of Global Menu Strategy at McDonald’s Corporation

The packaging creates an expressive visual system linked to the food inside and also improves efficiency within the restaurant. This is because each wrapper, clamshell, and pack is designed to be identifiable in the overhead racks and counters where order assembly occurs. The easy-to-understand graphics also drive recognition, regardless of where in the world orders are being assembled, shared, and enjoyed.

Everything in this system has a purpose and helps activate McDonald’s brand positioning to make delicious, feel-good moments easy for everyone.