As Warburtons turns 150, the Bristol-based studio has delivered a sweeping packaging redesign that finally puts the brand’s iconic orange to work. And it’s been rolled out confidently, across every loaf, crumpet and roll in the range.
There’s something deeply reassuring about a brand that’s been around for as long as you can remember. Warburtons, with a family still at the helm for five generations, is woven into the very fabric of British life in a way that few brands could ever hope to match. And this year, as the Bolton-born bakery marks its 150th birthday, it’s getting a rebrand fit for the occasion.
Established in 1876 by Thomas and Ellen Warburton as a modest grocery shop in Bolton, the brand has grown from Lancashire roots into Britain’s biggest bakery. There’s something of the mill town spirit about it – unpretentious, industrious, genuinely proud of what’s made here. That character, which is warm, hardworking, and quietly steadfast, is what Bristol-based Taxi Studio has sought to honour and amplify in its major redesign of the company’s 70+ product portfolio.
Baked Orange, and proud of it
The most immediately striking change is the confident, full-throated embrace of what Taxi Studio calls “Baked Orange”. It’s a rich, warm hue that’s been synonymous with Warburtons’ fleet of delivery vehicles and out-of-home advertising for years, but was never quite applied cohesively across the whole product range. Now it is, and the effect is remarkable. Walk down a supermarket aisle, and Warburtons will stop you in your tracks. You’ll spot it right away, and that’s the whole point.
It’s definitely a confident colour decision that takes nerve. Not every brand would lean so hard into a single, distinctive tone. But when your orange is that recognisable – when people have been watching it roll past their front door since before their grandparents were born – it kind of makes perfect sense.
A smile hidden in plain sight
Taxi Studio’s work goes beyond colour, though. Central to the new system is a curved graphic device inspired by the shape of the Warburtons wordmark itself, creating consistency across the portfolio, and forming what the studio describes as visual “hotspots” at shelf… moments that draw the eye in. And if that curve looks faintly like a smile? It’s entirely intentional. The warmth and togetherness that the Warburton family has built over a century and a half are quietly embedded in the geometry.
To complement this, Taxi Studio brought in Studio DRAMA to develop a bespoke type family for the brand – designed, they say, with “the softness and elasticity of baked goods in mind.” The result is typography that balances structure with flexibility, giving individual products their own personality while keeping the masterbrand front and centre. It’ll roll out far beyond packaging, too, across the whole brand ecosystem.
The Warburtons wordmark itself has been refined and optimised to sit seamlessly within the updated system, and the Family Seal of Quality – featuring Jonathan Warburton’s own signature – has been elevated as a mark of heritage and genuine craft.
Food photography that makes you hungry
The redesigned packaging system features new food photography that shows Warburtons’ baked goods prepared and ready to enjoy. The imagery is expressive and appetising yet integrates naturally with the pack design rather than feeling bolted on.
Stu Tallis, creative director at Taxi, describes the challenge: “Warburtons is one of the most recognisable brands in Britain, and this redesign was about ensuring that strength translates consistently across every product and every shelf. We’ve created a packaging system that makes the brand more visible, more navigable and more impactful – wherever and however it appears.”
Chairman Jonathan Warburton puts it in the broader sweep of family history: “As we celebrate 150 years of baking excellence, this bold new packaging marks a pivotal moment for Warburtons. It embodies the warmth, quality, and consistency Warburtons is known for, and sets us up for another 150 years of success.”
It’s not hyperbole when you think about what that actually means. In 1876, Thomas and Ellen Warburton were running a corner shop. Today, the fifth generation of the family oversees 11 bakeries, 16 depots, and a fleet of almost 1,000 vehicles delivering to 18,500 retail customers every single day. That’s a lot of loaves dished out on many Lancashire mornings.
The new packaging began rolling out across the full portfolio today.
