King’s Hawaiian, maker of the Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, has updated its identity and expanded into new products, including a line of barbecue sauces. The history of the company dates back to the 1950s when Robert R. Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrants opened his first bakeshop, Robert's Bakery in Hilo, Hawaii. Renaming it King's Bakery, in the '60s, it became known for the Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls.

“We realized as we started to think about expanding our product line, that our visual identity wasn’t going to translate well. We also wanted it to stand out in new TV ads as we share the Hawaiian way with a broader audience and new products," said King’s Hawaiian CMO Erick Dickens.

For this they turned to the brand design experts at Flood Creative NY (www.floodcreativeny.com). According to Stuart Whitworth, Flood’s chief creative officer, “We soon realized that the entire design of the flagship bread bag was the brand icon, versus any particular element on it. That didn’t exactly translate effectively to other products. The original logo was mainly typographical and lacked a symbol that would boldly connect with the King’s Hawaiian spirit. So we pursued a new identity that would embody the heritage and create a new authentic and proud badge for the growing business.”

Flood Creative focused on the brand’s biggest equity, the bright orange color, but took the crown, which was a tiny element on the bottom of the original logo, and made it big and bold. Rather than an actual crown, it represents a stylized version of the top of a pineapple, one of the most popular and recognizable fruits grown in Hawaii. “It’s proud, bold and suited for application across a wide variety of new products,” said Whitworth. To further reinforce its origins, Flood framed the crown with hibiscus, Hawaii’s state flower.

Barbecue sauces are the first line extension, products that fit in with traditional Hawaiian cuisine. A shrink-wrapped cap covered with images of hibiscus compliments the bold new logo on the label.