Inspired by the original heritage bottle, the new bottle form with bold embossing becomes a loyal tribute to the honesty of the brewery. Finished with a neck label alone, each flavor with its unique motif tells a timeless story that is signed off with a message from the brew master.
A complete change in mindset, BRAND beer has shifted its perception and status from an old factory beer to a desirable timeless craft beer that creates appealing disruption in the mainstream segment.
A brand that once just was, it has gained social traction and engagement by both beer fanatics and design enthusiasts.
BRAND beer has migrated from the traditional slow beers, to a desirable benchmark of contemporary craft.
BRAND has seen a boost on awareness and purchase intent with a 31% increase in sales of the specialty beers and is projected to double the overall market share within the year.
Whilst understanding and respecting what BRAND stands for both locally and regionally the new design has taken the recent familiarity and shaken it on its head.
In developing the new identity we identified the need and value to break the standard mold, not only in decoration but in the bottle form as well.
The brewery invested in a new mind-set and approach, moving away from the standard local returnable system, to a more economical and sustainable brewery owned bottle, which offers not only uniqueness but also complete control in return and recycling.
In departure from the factory beer perception, the identity and style goes to a handcrafted, illustrated piece, completely integrated to tell the rich stories of beer from the house of BRAND. The simplified lockup is harmonized with quirkiness, characteristic to the local town Wijlre, Limburg.
The BRAND (family-named) brewery is the oldest active brewery of The Netherlands, with a premium perception in a mainstream market. Over the last 30 years, the gradual design migration of iteration upon iteration served well until recently, however the brand was now facing a make-or-break state.
The brief was to develop a new identity to reposition BRAND (family-named) brewery, brewed in the quaint location in the south of The Netherlands, as the timeless authentic beer with the personality of unpolished perfection.
The new identity should reflect the long- standing heritage and original ideals of a small brewing mentality. Fitting this to the standard returnable bottle and carrier formats.
The challenge is in changing mindset of a conservative local audience in Limburg and the familiar codes of ‘their’ true beer bottle.