Chipotle: Global Brand Refresh
Chipotle Creative Team
Role: Digital Design Lead
2014 - 2016
Role: Digital Design Lead
2014 - 2016
As digital design lead for Chipotle, my work spanned a wide range of brand and product touchpoints. This included the redesign of Chipotle.com and the app, multiple rounds of packaging, and a full overhaul of social and photography systems.
The focus was building a cohesive visual language that could scale. From illustrating a cup by hand to directing global external teams, Chipotle’s star ingredients and iconic hand drawn style were carried through every surface.
The result is a more unified, craveable brand that feels true to the food and consistent across the entire ecosystem.
In-House Creative Team:
Anna Tou, Dakyung Lee, Michael Talese, Heejin Suh, Nick Ceglia, Jaime Padilla, Jonathan Taub
The focus was building a cohesive visual language that could scale. From illustrating a cup by hand to directing global external teams, Chipotle’s star ingredients and iconic hand drawn style were carried through every surface.
The result is a more unified, craveable brand that feels true to the food and consistent across the entire ecosystem.
In-House Creative Team:
Anna Tou, Dakyung Lee, Michael Talese, Heejin Suh, Nick Ceglia, Jaime Padilla, Jonathan Taub
1. Photography Refresh
When I started working with Chipotle, the existing imagery lived in two extremes. Clean, sterile menu shots or lower quality images that lacked appetite appeal.
This refresh focused on what actually makes the food craveable. Texture, mess, and the handmade nature of each ingredient. Nothing over-styled or over-corrected. Built shoot by shoot, this established a warmer, more consistent photo library. I selected and directed photographers and food stylists, guiding the overall visual approach.
Photography: Vanessa K. Rees, Lucy Schaeffer
This refresh focused on what actually makes the food craveable. Texture, mess, and the handmade nature of each ingredient. Nothing over-styled or over-corrected. Built shoot by shoot, this established a warmer, more consistent photo library. I selected and directed photographers and food stylists, guiding the overall visual approach.
Photography: Vanessa K. Rees, Lucy Schaeffer
2. Social Content Direction
The social direction evolved to feel more playful, youthful, and rooted in current culture.
Food moved outside of the store and into the real world, showing up in everyday environments and reflecting how people actually experience and share it.
I defined a clear creative direction and established and direct a partner system that allowed content to be continually created while keeping the work appetizing, consistent, and culturally relevant.
Food moved outside of the store and into the real world, showing up in everyday environments and reflecting how people actually experience and share it.
I defined a clear creative direction and established and direct a partner system that allowed content to be continually created while keeping the work appetizing, consistent, and culturally relevant.
3. Packaging Design
Packaging evolved while holding onto one of the brand’s most recognizable assets, the hand drawn illustrations that have been part of Chipotle for over 20 years.
Updated creative explored different thematic territories, from author-style storytelling to highlighting the real origins of ingredients.
These ideas helped elevate the system while making the illustrations more visible, intentional, and central to the brand. I contributed to illustration and design, along with ideation for new concepts.
Updated creative explored different thematic territories, from author-style storytelling to highlighting the real origins of ingredients.
These ideas helped elevate the system while making the illustrations more visible, intentional, and central to the brand. I contributed to illustration and design, along with ideation for new concepts.
4. Digital Experience Redesign
The website and digital ordering experience were refined to better reflect the updated visual language.
Photography played a larger role, bringing appetite appeal into the product experience. Layouts became simpler, more intuitive, and designed to move quickly from browsing to ordering.
The result was a more seamless connection between brand and utility.
Photography played a larger role, bringing appetite appeal into the product experience. Layouts became simpler, more intuitive, and designed to move quickly from browsing to ordering.
The result was a more seamless connection between brand and utility.
