PopTart’s Reverse Mood Board
When you open the PopTart website, you’re instantly hit with happy, nostalgic energy. The colors, the playful typography, even the small details all make you feel like a kid again. It’s carefree, exciting, and makes you ready for breakfast.
I created a reverse mood board, a design exercise where you work backward to analyze an existing brand or website to uncover the visual and emotional choices behind it. Rather than building a board from scratch, you deconstruct the experience to understand what makes it work.
PopTart’s branding design immediately sets a bright, fun tone through color. The brand’s signature blues and pops of red and yellow create a mix of energy and warmth. On Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, these hues align with feelings like joy and anticipation, that same rush you get when your toaster pops. A soft “icing” white ties it all together, adding balance and comfort.
Typography plays a huge role too. The big, bold, rounded fonts in all caps shout phrases like “WHAT’S POPPIN” and “CRAZY GOOD.” It’s playful, casual, and loud in the best way, perfectly reflecting the brand’s cheerful tone of voice.
Finally, textures and imagery bring everything to life. Think frosting swirls, jelly filling, rainbow sprinkles, and people laughing over breakfast. These sensory details make the brand feel tangible and human. Add in the retro diner graphics and comic-book flair, and it’s clear PopTart is leaning into nostalgia just as much as fun.
Overall, PopTarts.com doesn’t just sell a snack, rather it delivers an experience. The site is designed to spark happiness, energy, and a sense of childlike joy. My reverse mood board captures that blend of playful color, type, and texture to celebrate what makes the brand so irresistibly “crazy good.”
Visit the official site: PopTarts.com
Hey, I’m Ashley!
I am a graphic & interactive designer passionate about creating purposeful, fun, and engaging design. Whether it’s a brand identity, a responsive website, or a social media campaign, I love connecting ideas with strategy to make work that’s not only beautiful, but effective.
