Sir Kensington’s Brand Guidelines: Premium Condiments & the Vintage Crest

Sir Kensington’s dressed condiments in heritage.

Sir Kensington’s is a lesson in using a persona to premiumise a commodity. Founded in 2010 by Scott Norton and Mark Ramadan (Brown University), it started with premium ketchup — less sugar and salt, no high-fructose corn syrup — as a differentiated alternative to mass-market brands. Its range grew into mayonnaise (including the aquafaba-based vegan Fabanaise), mustard and dressings.

Its brilliance is character. The brand is named after a fictitious British merchant, “Sir Kensington” — a tongue-in-cheek mascot representing its quirky, refined sensibility — and wrapped in vintage, apothecary-style packaging with a crest and portrait and classic typography, a deliberate contrast to loud modern condiments. In 2017, Unilever acquired Sir Kensington’s, which continues to run as a semi-autonomous subsidiary.

(Honest notes: Sir Kensington’s began with premium ketchup as an alternative to mass-market brands; “Sir Kensington” is a fictional character, not a real founder or historical figure; Fabanaise is a genuine aquafaba (chickpea-brine) vegan mayo; it was acquired by Unilever in 2017 (terms undisclosed; a ~$140M figure is press-reported, not official); and Norton and Ramadan led a founding team of four. No official brand hex is published.)

Sir Kensington’s lives in a vintage refined palette. Click a swatch to copy the hex.

Sir Kensington’s identity is refined, old-world and premium — a deep navy, a heritage red, a cream, an antique gold, and a sage olive. The palette reads like a vintage apothecary label: navy and cream with gilt detail, classic and restrained. It signals heritage and refinement rather than loud modern branding. The honest caveat: with no published brand hex, these tones are an original, unofficial interpretation, not first-party values.

The lesson is a vintage refined palette signals premium, characterful condiments. Sir Kensington’s world reads as classic and considered. For designers, it is a reminder that navy, cream and gilt convey old-world refinement, matching a brand built on a witty heritage persona. The takeaways: use navy, cream and gold for an apothecary-refined feel; let character and heritage lead; and treat any single hex as unofficial — using the deep navy for small text, where it reads well.

The wordmark spirit is a classic serif — refined and old-world.

Sir Kensington’s identity carries a refined, old-world, witty spirit — a “SIR KENSINGTON’S” wordmark and crest whose classic forms match a vintage-apothecary brand. A classic serif captures the mood: it is elegant and heritage, the register of an old-world merchant persona rather than a loud modern condiment. Set against a vintage refined palette, the classic serif feels refined and old-world — exactly the fictional-gentleman, apothecary personality Sir Kensington’s carries. It is considered rather than shouty, mirroring premium, characterful packaging. (Sir Kensington’s real wordmark and crest are trademarks we describe but do not reproduce, and the exact typeface is not something we assert.) Because the specific mark is not ours to use, the honest description is “a classic serif spirit,” not the Sir Kensington’s logo. The type behaves like the brand: refined, old-world and witty.

Sir Kensington’s stands for character in a commodity.

Sir Kensington’s is a lesson in giving a commodity a character. Ketchup and mayo are as generic as food gets; Sir Kensington’s made them premium and memorable by inventing a witty fictional gentleman and a vintage-apothecary world to match, so a better-ingredient condiment felt refined and worth choosing. That persona-led design, plus real product substance (no HFCS, the aquafaba Fabanaise), is what made it stand out — and drew a Unilever acquisition. The differentiator is character: a story and a look that lift a commodity.

For designers and brand-builders, Sir Kensington’s offers a clear takeaway: a strong persona can premiumise a commodity. The lessons: invent a distinctive character and world (the fictional Sir Kensington); back it with genuine product substance so the story holds; and use vintage, refined design to signal quality. It is also a reminder to stay accurate: it began with premium ketchup, “Sir Kensington” is fictional, and it has been Unilever-owned since 2017 — with the palette here an unofficial interpretation. Sir Kensington’s gave condiments a character — proof that persona can be the difference.

Keep Sir Kensington’s’s identity on hand — save it to a board in the Made Good inspiration library.