03 / Macro Mike
Case Study
Head of Design / Brand Transformation / Packaging / Retail Campaigns
Role / Head of Design
Macro Mike is an Australian plant-based sports nutrition brand known for its peanut-based protein products, bold personality and highly engaged customer community.
What began as a small freelance brief to design a Valentine’s Day email campaign quickly developed into an 18-month role as Head of Design. During this period, I helped shape the brand’s visual identity, packaging system and marketing presence as the business grew from an emerging eCommerce brand into a nationally recognised retail product range.
My role extended across brand strategy, packaging, digital campaigns, content, events and production, with responsibility for maintaining consistency across every customer-facing touchpoint.
The Opportunity
Macro Mike was growing quickly and required a more cohesive visual identity that could support an expanding product range, increasing campaign activity and entry into major retail environments.
The brand already had a distinctive personality and innovative product offering, but its visual system needed to evolve to support the next stage of growth.
Key priorities included:
Creating a stronger and more recognisable brand identity
Redesigning the complete product packaging range
Building a scalable packaging system for future products
Improving consistency across digital, print and retail touchpoints
Supporting major product launches and event campaigns
Creating clearer brand and marketing messaging
Preparing the brand for broader retail distribution
Establishing formal brand guidelines for internal and external use
-
Creating a stronger and more recognisable brand identity
Redesigning the complete product packaging range
Building a scalable packaging system for future products
Improving consistency across digital, print and retail touchpoints
Supporting major product launches and event campaigns
Creating clearer brand and marketing messaging
Preparing the brand for broader retail distribution
Establishing formal brand guidelines for internal and external use
-
Redesigning the complete product packaging range
Managing new and refreshed packaging from concept through to production
Establishing the brand’s visual identity and design system
Developing and implementing a comprehensive brand style guide
Art directing product and campaign photography
Designing digital and print campaign assets
Creating eCommerce and website creative
Producing email marketing and social content
Developing product launch campaigns
Designing event and exhibition collateral
Supporting brand and marketing messaging
Creating design work for affiliated businesses
Managing multiple projects in a fast-paced and highly reactive environment
Liaising with printers, suppliers and production partners
Reviewing final artwork for accuracy and brand consistency
-
Concept development
Range architecture
Product hierarchy
Flavour differentiation
Typography and graphic systems
Nutritional and regulatory information
Print specifications
Artwork preparation
Proofing and quality control
Printer and supplier liaison
Production-ready file delivery
-
Shelf visibility
Brand recognition
Product navigation
Flavour and range differentiation
Regulatory information
Print reproduction
Scalability across new products
Consistency between online and in-store presentation
-
Website and eCommerce
Email marketing
Organic and paid social media
Print collateral
Product launches
Promotional offers
Events and exhibitions
Retail marketing
Photography and content assets
Retail & Shopper Marketing
The packaging redesign needed to perform across both eCommerce and physical retail environments, supporting the customer from initial product discovery through to purchase.
This required a shopper marketing approach that considered how customers would recognise the brand, navigate the range, compare flavours and understand the product quickly across supermarket shelves, promotional campaigns and digital storefronts.
The design system considered:
Shelf visibility and brand recognition
Product hierarchy and range navigation
Flavour differentiation
Clear communication of product benefits
Promotional and retail campaign assets
Consistency between online and in-store presentation
Scalability across new products and formats
Regulatory and production requirements
The redesigned packaging and supporting shopper marketing assets created a more cohesive customer experience across retail, digital and campaign touchpoints, helping prepare the brand for wider distribution through Woolworths and Coles.
Content & Brand Messaging
My role also extended into strategic content development.
I worked to strengthen the relationship between the visual identity and the brand’s messaging, creating content that reflected Macro Mike’s energetic, approachable and community-led personality.
This included:
Campaign concepts
Product storytelling
Promotional messaging
Email content direction
Social media creative
Launch communications
Event messaging
Visual storytelling
The aim was to ensure that the brand’s words and visuals worked together as one cohesive experience.
The Outcome
Over 18 months, my role evolved from a single freelance campaign into full ownership of Macro Mike’s visual brand.
The work delivered:
A complete brand refresh
A redesigned and scalable packaging system
Greater consistency across digital, print, retail and event touchpoints
A comprehensive brand style guide
Stronger creative systems for campaigns and product launches
Production-ready packaging supporting national retail growth
A clearer and more recognisable visual presence across the brand
The project demonstrates my ability to lead a fast-moving consumer brand from strategic visual direction through to detailed execution, production and real-world rollout.
