Refreshing drinks packaging: Johnnie Walker, Glaswegin, Heineken and Carlsberg
Take a stark look at the drinks industry and you will see that it's going through a revolution. Alcohol brands are having to prove their worth and stand out in such a crowded space.
Refreshing drinks packaging: Johnnie Walker, Glaswegin, Heineken and Carlsberg
Re-branding and revitalisation were some of the trends coming out of The Drum Design Awards 2019 nominees, particularly in the Product Packaging category.
Here we take a look at four finalists; Johnnie Walker, Carlsberg, Heineken and Glaswegin who are creating huge waves in the alcohol packaging space.
Johnnie Walker
This legacy brand continues to deliver on being audacious. Bringing to life Johnnie Walkers personality, Bloom London brought in artist, Matt Murphy to capture the spirit of eight global cities, at night for the brand’s Black Label and Double Black.
The limited-edition collection celebrates the excitement of Dubai, Paris, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mumbai, Singapore and Delhi in which Murphy illustrated bespoke designs.
The complexity of the illustrations pulls you in immediately, to which you then take in the 360 stories of each city. With the evening colours, lighting and metallic finish were chosen with due care, it resonates a glow making them work as a collectable set but also individually.
Carlsberg
172 years in and Carlsberg has taken a giant step towards a modern, slick global brand while focusing on its founder’s brand purpose of a 'constant pursuit of better'.
The Danish company challenged Taxi Studio to create a master brand for its disjointed global portfolio. Rather than following trends, they revitalised the font, crown, hope leaf and signature, creating a brand that can travel around the world.
The logo is bold and simplistic, showing the progression of a brand that no longer needs to be big and brash to tell the world who it is. Its unique visual characteristics are used to great effect, creating a modern brand identity that is simply Carlsberg.
Glaswegin
Gin has never been so popular. In 2017, 43 million bottles of gin were sold in the UK alone and there are now over 100 gin-makers nationwide. So, entering such a saturated market is a risky move.
Glaswegin is new to the market and when designing this fresh offering, two key points were kept at the front of award-winning designer and Glasgow School of Art graduate, Paul Gray’s mind; to be unique and for it to have a powerful presence to stand out on the shelves.
A simple, straightforward, minimalist design (white black drop with bold black letters), it takes on the personality of the Scottish city; down-to-earth and no fuss. It also plays on the cities name while incorporating the common Scottish phrase, ‘wee’, meaning little.
Unlike many gin bottles, it’s straight edges and clean design is striking, setting it aside from the competition.
Heineken
There are so many types of beers out there and getting your voice heard in the crowd can be a crafty job. Brands need to tell their story, stand out amongs the rest and make sure their consumers understand why they’re the experts.
Wanting to explore new ways to express the Dutch brand via its packaging, Heineken partnered up with creative agency VBAT. The beer brand has been around for almost 150 years, so stripping away the corporate messaging and focusing in on its most recognisable features was a natural progression.
The team at VBAT developed the new look to create space for a word mark which wraps around the can. By zooming in on Heineken’s wordmark and red star, the iconic typographic stands out boldly reverberating the brands renewed self-confidence.
The design comes in classic green as well as the ‘Light’ and ‘0.0’ variations, showcasing different colour schemes.
The Drum Design Awards finalists have been announced. The awards ceremony will take place on June 5 at the Emirates Stadium in London. You can purchase your ticket for the black-tie event now.