CamelBak

Brand identity, strategy, and implementation for a true category originator.

Mid-2025 i was brought on to reimagine the CamelBak brand - both the visual expression and the brand repositioning and purpose. Collaborating closely with the internal team and an array of collaborators (including my friends at Hella with a crucial assist on the strategy) we landed on a platform that delivers on a realignment to performance and sport.

The updated visual brand was built taking influence from the core innovation - the hydration tube - and translated into a bold bespoke wordmark that is engineered for scale and impact while being mindful of the needs of product engineering.

Strategically, we drew inspiration from the birth of the brand and centered it around the simple statement that planted the initial flag in the ground for this category originator:
Hydrate Or Die.

CamelBak enables athletes to push harder, go longer, and perform at their best — in competition and in the quiet work no one sees. They remove barriers between the human body and peak performance – so those who push further, higher, and longer can perform with confidence, resilience, and intent.

We launched the rebrand with a video that captures the spirit of the renewed voice: we create a product for the pinnacle performers, those truly mad enough to push themselves to the brink - it competition and in training.

The CamelBak design approach is centered around a few key words: impact, clarity, dynamism and scale. Our goal is to support and reflect the specificity and detail with which our products are engineered and the effort and diligence expressed by the athletes that use our products.

To help bring the brand to life, we captured (in the hands of photographer Cole Barash) three CamelBak athletes - Max Jolliffe, Kate Courtney and Cole Houshmand - in their training and preparation for their individual sport.
 

Contact

67 West St #326
Brooklyn, NY 11222

917 609 5817
justinthomaskay@gmail.com

@justinthomaskay

© Justin Thomas Kay 2026