DESIGNER & ULTRARUNNER
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GU ENERGY LABS

PACKAGING BRAND REFRESH
 


Gu Energy Labs is an athletic nutrition brand that I have been dedicated to for years as I trained from 5k road races to 50-mile ultramarathons. I took this opportunity to assess the brand’s current state and reimagine Gu’s visual system to embody both the competitive and community of endurance sports.

The new Gu presents its athlete-tested and approved formula with confidence yet maintains approachability. It is designed to inspire confidence and connection at every stage of performance.







DIELINE AWARDS
BEST OF PACKAGING 2025

CONCEPT EDITOR’S CHOICE
1ST PLACE CONCEPT, SUSTAINABILITY



Research


When examining my case studies, I focused on sport culture.

How design has crafted the culture of brand, community, 
and sport. 

They juggle practicality and style of products to resonate with the lifestyle and rituals of their customers.

These brands establish the trends that set the stage for the future of the industry.

RESEARCH EXPERIMENT:
50 MILES OF FUEL

I wanted to live the most extreme use case of Gu’s products to understand the potential value it could have to the average customer on the retail shelf.

I took on the training of a professional ultrarunner (10 hours a week) and raced in a 50-mile ultramarathon.

I conducted interviews on trail, examined sport fashion, culture, and kept logs of my mental and physical health.




AUDIENCE

GU Energy Labs fuels athletes who embrace challenges with strategy and grit, finding joy in their achievements and community without taking themselves 
too seriously. 

They stand out with an athlete-off-duty style, believing high performance and great style go hand in hand.





THE NEW IDENTITY



THE LOGO


DESIGN STRATEGY

Gu Products are designed to be consumed on a schedule before, during, and after exercise. The logomark has been designed with this same spirit of time in mind. 

This logo takes on several different forms throughout the packaging system, including a carabiner and the electrolyte tablet.

I started off with about 100 sketches, vectorized 20, and refined from there.



ENDURANCE NUTRITION WITH A TWIST
FORM DEVELOPMENT


The packaging has a physical and metaphorical twist. This breaks the rigid cube form and that represents the flexibility and mobility of a healthy body in motion.





QUANTITY 
YIELDS QUALITY

I have an extremely iterative process that involves constant physical prototyping and exploration of ways of making digitally and physically.

The final physical prototypes took nearly 3 weeks to prepare for photography



DIELINES AND DETAILS


 

I developed fully custom dielines for the product line



The energy gel has a littler leash built into the packaging

 to prevent tear-offs from falling to the floor and polluting the environment Colors for the on-the go products are bold and solid with simple type. This streamlines the process an athlete goes through when retrieving these products while exercising.
Infographics with specific use instructions, dosage, and purpose, for each product are explained with simplicity

THE REAL DEAL


I learned every skill needed to develop a fully customized packaging system. Throughout the project.:

SolidWorks 
Functional 3D prototyping
opening and closing mechanics. 
3D printing
Chromatech transfers
Art direction for photography

Want to see more? Full Process Book Here






Currently in, Pasadena, CA
©StudioG 2026