Say what you will about business and media mogul Kim Kardashian, but if there’s one thing she undoubtedly excels at, it’s building a personal brand so recognizable that all of her ventures scream “Kim.” She’s done it once again with her new energy drink brand Update, which looks like it could’ve organically spawned in the walk-in fridge of her sleek Los Angeles home.

Update is a four-year-old energy drink brand founded by CEO Daniel Solomons. On February 24, the brand revealed a full packaging and design overhaul and introduced Kardashian as a cofounder in its new era. In an interview with Fast Company, Solomons said that Kardashian had been a steady customer since 2023 and began offering feedback on the brand’s formula and packaging, which ultimately led to her formally joining the team. In addition to Kardashian’s sign-on, Update also announced a 4,000-store distribution deal with Walmart, which will begin on March 1.

This isn’t just a celebrity brand endorsement. Since joining Update, Kardashian has worked closely with the team to completely rethink Update’s branding, taking it from what Solomons describes as a “masculine tech bro” look to a can that feels perfectly natural in Kardashian’s hand. This shift taps into the refined personal brand that Kardashian has built over the past several years—one that’s perhaps most exemplified by her ultra-successful apparel company Skims, which embraces simple, minimalist shapes; a color palette of neutrals offset by pops of pastels; and a futuristic yet grounded ethos.

For Kardashian, Update is essentially Skims in a can: a drinkable version of the aspirational aesthetic that’s at the core of all of her business ventures.

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Onboarding the right agency for the job

Designing a modern energy drink is no small task. The energy drink aisle is notoriously crowded, and it’s only getting busier as functional beverages take off among wellness-focused young consumers. According to the agency Grand View Research, the global energy drinks market was estimated at $79.39 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $125.11 billion by 2030. 

To design a beverage that would actually stand out on shelves, Update turned to an agency with a healthy background in thinking up breakout brands for saturated markets: Day Job, the design wizards behind brands like Fly by Jing, the adaptogen drink Recess, and the viral protein bar brand David, which recently exploded in popularity in no small part due to its ultra-minimalist, refined look. 

“The lesson we take from the success of naming and branding David is that a brand doesn’t need to be your friend,” says Rion Harmon, Day Job’s executive creative director. “It just needs to be very, very good. People want excellent products. And it’s okay for your branding to reflect that.”

© Fast Company