Nine in 10 adults in the UK are not getting the nutrients they need, with more than half of daily meals consisting of ultra-processed foods. In theory, the supplement category should provide solutions, but instead, it often creates confusion.
“There’s a lot of noise,” said Equality founder Emily Jeffrey-Barrett. “Bold claims, big promises, are not always backed by a lot of evidence. While everyone is shouting, no one is listening.”
This insight became the starting point for Between Equals’ latest project: a complete rebranding of Tonic, a UK-based supplement company with a mission to provide “everything you need and nothing you don’t.” Rather than opting for more visual wellness metaphors, the studio opted for an entirely different strategy—lighting.
“There’s a trust issue in the supplementary space,” explains Jeffrey Barrett. “What impressed us about Tonic is that the product really has the substance to back it up.
“Evidence-led, well-formulated, no filler. So the challenge was not to create credibility. It was to ensure that the brand stood out in a category that trained people to be skeptical.” The concept of light began as a provocation. What if, instead of adding to the noise, the brand simply revealed what matters?
“The original idea of it was clarity as a superpower,” Emily added. “In a space full of smoke and mirrors, Tonik would just turn on the lights.”
Light evolves from metaphor to practical design system rather than through the decorative gradients or ethereal glow that have become common in wellness brands. Instead, Among Equals developed a high-contrast visual language that behaves like lighting, highlighting key components, guiding the eye and eliminating distractions.
“It gave us discipline,” said design director Fei Walter. “Every design decision must pass a simple test: Will this illuminate or add noise? If it doesn’t clarify, it won’t stay.” Throughout the package, gradients are functional rather than decorative, creating hierarchy and focusing the focus on the essential message. When it comes to digital, the same principles apply to wayfinding.
An important part of this work involves actively resisting category conventions. As the team mapped out the competitive landscape, a pattern quickly emerged.
“It’s so homogeneous,” Emily said. “Soft pastels, ‘natural’ greens, soft ambient light. It’s everywhere – which means it’s everywhere. It all blurs into one.”
Equalizers deliberately push in opposite directions. Ombre colors are bold and impactful, designed to hold their own and compete with bigger rivals. The goal is not to appease but to stop.
Typographically, the studio also avoided the safe geometric sans serif typefaces that dominate the space. Instead, they retained the authority of the sans serif typeface but expanded its scale, giving it presence and voice.
“It reads less like a medical label and more like a brand that knows what it’s saying and wants you to understand it, too,” Emily says.
Small details mark the shift, such as the removal of the original atomic “o” from the wordmark in favor of a cleaner, more confident expression developed in collaboration with designer Rob Clarke. Restraint becomes emblematic of a broader system in which trust is earned through clarity rather than cleverness.
Balancing scientific credibility and accessibility is at the heart of the project. In an in-depth study of the category, Among Equals found two extremes: ultra-clinical brands that feel cold and incomprehensible, and aspirational wellness brands built on emotion rather than evidence—neither of which fit Tonic.
“Sunna and the team have built something that is truly evidence-driven,” explains Emily. “Our job is not to prove the science, but to make it feel engaging. Trustworthy, but warm. Confident, but not exclusive.”
This philosophy shapes information architecture and visuals. The studio worked closely with Tonic to understand dosage, ingredient interactions, and the difference between meaningful claims and marketing nonsense.
“There’s a lot of technical language in this field that sounds believable but doesn’t actually tell you much,” Emily said. “Impressive percentages. Long ingredient list. Claims that are technically correct but actually meaningless. We want Tonic to do the opposite.”
Both packaging and digital content are built around hierarchy and simple, clear explanations, with nothing hidden in small print or embellishments.
The new identity now spans packaging, digital platforms and wider brand communications, but beyond its visual uniqueness, what makes the project unique is its ideological stance. These supplements are not ideal enhancements or biohacking shortcuts. Tonic positions itself as democratic and important, or in other words, providing optimal health.
