Derek&Eric embraces the chaos with a joyfully bold brand for The Glorious Mess

Nobody can quite agree on how Eton Mess came about. One version says a meringue dropped at an Eton College picnic; another says a pudding was accidentally squashed during a cricket match. Either way, someone made a mess, ate it anyway, and a British classic was born.

It's one of our most-loved desserts, especially at this time of year, and yet it belongs to no one in particular. So how do you build a brand around something everyone already owns?

That was the puzzle given to independent branding studio Derek&Eric, which has just unveiled a colourful new identity for The Glorious Mess, a bold dessert brand created with British meringue makers Flower & White. Rather than invent an origin story (groan), the studio chose to own the spirit behind it all and lean into the chaos.

Broken meringue pieces scattered on a bright blue background with pink text reading "Don't cry over split meringue

A bottle of The Glorious Mess strawberry meringue sauce with a pink label tilts over a dark blue block, dripping red sauce, against a sage green background with the headline "An Eton Mess Waiting to Happen

Colourful illustration featuring playful text about Eton Mess origins, with cricket equipment, strawberries, a labrador and a meringue dessert in a bowl against a purple background

The new brand is built around that accidental moment that gave the Eton Mess its name, celebrating the glorious mishmash of broken meringue, fruit and cream. Expressive typography, juicy fruit illustrations and energetic photography all play up the mess. The brand world feels unmistakably British without being twee. It launches across a range of meringue bites and playful twists on nostalgic puds... a category traditionally rather short on distinctive branding.

"The challenge was to own the story behind a dessert everyone already knows and loves," says Adam Swan, creative director at Derek&Eric. "Rather than fighting that heritage, we embraced it. Every version of the Eton Mess story celebrates a happy accident, so we built a brand narrative that embraces those gloriously messy moments. It's joyful, distinctive and impossible to ignore."

The Glorious Mess product range displayed in a colourful arrangement featuring boxes, jars and packets with bold typography, fruit illustrations and playful branding in pink, yellow and purple tones

Hand holding a messy spoonful of Eton Mess with melting vanilla ice cream and red fruit sauce dripping down against a bright blue background

Five colourful illustrated cocktail glasses filled with different desserts topped with meringue, fruit and cream, arranged in a row against a dark blue patterned background with the text "Infinite Sweetness

The identity is flexible, giving Flower & White a scalable platform to build on while ensuring every product feels part of the same world. Which is handy, given the planned flavours and formats they've got up their sleeves.

"The Glorious Mess is all about joyful indulgence," says Leanne Crowther, co-founder of Flower & White. "Derek&Eric captured that spirit perfectly. They've created a brand full of warmth, personality and shelf impact that feels unlike anything else in the category." The brand's own invitation puts it best: "Embrace the mess".