Tied with a bow: Designing M&S Christmas 2025
- Jan 6
- 2 min read
Christmas means something special at M&S Food - and 2025 was no exception. So when Whippet were invited to help shape their latest Christmas campaign, it was an opportunity to raise the bar once again. Our task was to introduce the refreshed brand identity at the most important moment in the retail calendar and firmly position M&S as the home of Christmas.
The challenge behind the magic
At the heart of the brief were three clear strategic asks:
Seamlessly weave the refreshed M&S Food brand identity into a Christmas world
Build on last year’s much-loved snow motif, without repeating ourselves
Create a bold, unmistakable symbol of gifting that could cut through a crowded festive marketplace
Together, these led us to a clear ambition: create a visual scheme that immediately signals Christmas, carries real emotional warmth, and presents every product as a gift waiting to be given.
Choosing the right visual language
To work across M&S’s vast category range - from food and hampers to clothing, accessories and home - the campaign needed a unifying visual thread.
Rather than using bows and ribbons as decorative flourishes, we elevated them into the hero of the scheme. A strategic design device that does the work:
One bold bow and ribbon motif to stitch every category together
A visual language that gives every product a distinctly festive feel, from indulgent food to everyday treats
A consistent signal of festive occasion, desire and generosity
Bringing it all together
Scale demands cohesion, but never at the expense of charm. We created unity through:
Evolving familiar themes: Snowfall made a return, but not as a repeat performance. The snow became a subtle, atmospheric backdrop, grounding the campaign in festive familiarity while giving space for new ideas to shine.
Colour and structure with purpose: Festive reds weren’t chosen just for tradition, but for impact. They helped key moments pop in busy retail environments, while M&S’s refreshed grid system brought structure and consistency across every execution from in-store to digital.
Tone of voice as a design tool: Words matter just as much as visuals. A warm, generous, inviting tone ran throughout the campaign, echoing the joy of giving and making every message feel personal, celebratory and connected.
A system designed to scale
By anchoring the campaign in a single, strategic idea, we created a system that’s instantly recognisable and endlessly adaptable. Whether on a shop floor, a screen or a seasonal touchpoint, the idea holds strong while flexing beautifully.
“The Whippet team is an absolute joy to work with,” said Lauren O’Kelly, Head of Seasonal Events & Partnerships Marketing at M&S Food.
“They listen carefully, challenge us in the right ways, and always bring fresh thinking to the table. Their ability to understand our brand so deeply while pushing us forward creatively is exactly what we need. We couldn’t ask for better partners to bring our Christmas vision to life year after year.”
Every detail - from bows and colour to language and photography - was chosen with intention. Not just to feel festive, but to create emotional connection and bring every category together into one unmistakable Christmas moment.
For shoppers old and new, the message is simple: at Christmas, M&S has it wrapped.
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