Accessibility is mmm, mmm good. The Campbell's Soup Case Sudy
For over 50 years, Campbell’s Soup used the same old labels on their iconic red and white cans. Let’s be honest. Those labels weren’t winning any awards. In 2021, Campbell’s decided it was time for a change. Instead of just giving their labels a new coat of paint, they focused on making meaningful improvements, many of which had to do with accessibility. That’s right, accessibility—on a soup can, which is packaging, which is not legally required. This change was the first in a series of changes that culminated in September 2024, with Campbell dropping “Soup” from their company name as snacks and beverages became a larger part of their business.
1) Removed the Drop Shadow Around Campbell’s Logo
Campbell’s started by getting rid of the drop shadow behind its old logo. You might be thinking, “What does a drop shadow have to do with accessibility?” More than you’d think. Drop shadows can make text more challenging to read, especially for people with vision loss. They reduce contrast, making the text less crisp and clear. Removing it made the label easier to read and look cleaner for everyone.
2) Increased the Letter Spacing in the word “Campbell’s”
Next up, the spacing between letters in the word “Campbell’s” was widened. Here’s why that matters: people with dyslexia or other reading difficulties benefit from increased spacing because it helps them distinguish between letters more easily. When letters are too close together, they can blur or become harder to recognize, especially for people with processing challenges. By giving each letter more breathing room, Campbell’s made their label easier to read for everyone, not just disabled customers.
3) Added a More Three-Dimensional Feeling to the Medallion
Campbell’s gave their medallion a three-dimensional look, which enhances the label’s visual hierarchy. What’s a visual hierarchy, you ask? It’s the concept that certain visual elements should stand out more than others. For people with vision loss, a strong visual hierarchy helps them understand which parts of the label are most important. A three-dimensional effect creates a natural focal point, making the label easier to find.
4) Made the Trademark Logo Smaller
Customers absolutely do not care about trademark symbols. Although they are legally required to protect intellectual property, from the consumer’s perspective, trademark symbols are not the most important thing on the label. Campbell’s made the intelligent decision to shrink the trademark logo, putting more emphasis on the text that actually matters—like the product name and ingredients. This reduces visual clutter, making the label less busy and easier to understand.
5) Changed the Word ‘Soup’ from a Serif to a Sans-serif Typeface
Campbell’s switched the word “Soup” from a serif font to a sans-serif font. What’s the difference? This paragraph is in a sans-serif font, and the section headings are in a Serif font. Serif fonts have little decorations at the ends of letters, which can make them harder to read, especially for people with dyslexia. Sans-serif fonts are simpler, with clean lines, making them more readable. Changing this font was a minor tweak that greatly impacted readability.
6) Moved the Word ‘Condensed’
The word “Condensed” used to be front and center on the label, but Campbell’s realized that word wasn’t really the star of the show. Like the trademark symbol, moving “Condensed” to a less prominent location de-emphasized the less important writing and made the more meaningful information stand out. It’s a classic example of how prioritizing particular elements and text can make a product more accessible, especially for people with cognitive disabilities, vision loss, or those who struggle with visual clutter.
7) Added Graphics - but not just any graphic
Visual elements can be a game-changer for accessibility. Campbell’s added a graphic to their label, and here’s why that matters: not everyone reads well. It doesn’t matter whether the reading struggles are from a language barrier or a literacy challenge from a disability. Images provide clear, universal communication. A picture can convey the same information faster for people who can’t easily process text. This is Accessibility 101—make it easy for everyone to understand your product. More importantly, they didn’t pick a random picture of a spoon or a bowl of soup. They chose the ingredient most featured for that particular soup flavor - a mushroom for mushroom soup, a chicken for chicken soup, etc. They even got a little silly with the graphics for the kid-focused soup.
The Result: Sales Went Up, No One Complained
So what happened after Campbell’s made these accessibility changes? Their sales increased. That’s right—up. No one complained that the labels were different. In fact, no one really noticed that most of the changes were accessibility improvements. They just noticed that the cans were easier to read and understand. Given that the target market for pre-made soup includes an overrepresentation of people on limited incomes, people with disabilities, and older people, these groups benefitted from the design changes.
This is a critical lesson for businesses: accessibility isn’t just about doing the right thing for disabled people—it’s a smart business move that benefits everyone.
Accessibility and ROI: Even If You Don’t Care, You Should
Here’s a truth bomb: not everyone cares about accessibility, disability rights, or DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). Maybe you’re one of those who thinks, “That’s nice and all, but I’m just trying to run a business here.” Well, guess what? Improving accessibility helps your bottom line. You don’t have to pretend to care if you don’t. Just focus on the ROI, like all good business people do. But the chain reaction this:
When you make things more accessible, more people can use your products.
And when more people can use your products, they buy more.
It’s that simple.
Still not convinced? Let’s go back to Campbell’s. They could have stuck with their old labels, slapped a new logo on the can to represent their name change, and called it a day. But instead, they invested in accessibility improvements, and it paid off. If a 50-year-old soup label can benefit from accessibility upgrades, what’s stopping your business?
Accessibility Isn’t Just for the Digital World
When most people hear “accessibility,” they think of websites, mobile apps, and digital platforms. But accessibility isn’t just a tech issue—it applies everywhere. Packaging, physical products, store layouts, marketing materials, and even something as simple as a soup can label can be designed to be more accessible.
Campbell’s decision to focus on making their label more accessible shows that you don’t need a digital product to benefit from accessibility improvements. Every touchpoint your customers have with your brand, whether online or offline, should be easy for everyone to use. When you prioritize accessibility, you make life easier for everyone—disabled or not.
What could Campbell's do better?
Here are some free ideas, Campbell’s. I’m available to consult.
1) The contrast between the gold word "Condensed" and the red background isn't great and could be improved.
2) Campbell's could stand to improve its website accessibility.
a) Campbell's website does not follow the WCAG standard, and while not completely inaccessible, it certainly isn't keyboard-friendly. For example, it took me 27 presses of the tab button to process a search and look at the details of the first result.
b) There is no skip link
c) The keyboard focus indicators are dashed, thin, and really hard to see
d) The mapping function to locate stores that sell Campbell's products takes a lot of work to use via assistive technology
I found all of those in under two minutes. If I run into these others, I guarantee others are, too; they just aren’t using their platform to talk about it.
Accessibility Is Smart Business
Accessibility isn’t just about ticking boxes or meeting legal requirements. It’s about creating a better experience for all customers, including the disabled ones. As Campbell demonstrated, it’s also good for your bottom line.
Take a page out of Campbell's book the next time you’re working on a product update. Don’t just think about aesthetics. Think about making your product easier for everyone to perceive, understand, and use. Accessibility isn’t just a digital thing, and it’s not just a disability thing. It’s a business thing.
And if you still don’t care about accessibility, do it for the money. We’ll know the truth, but that’s okay—more people will buy your product, and that’s all that matters.