Opinion BY Armin

B is for Blue, Beer and Bavaria

Brewing beer since 1719 — a good hundred years before its main competitor, Heineken — Bavaria is the second largest producer of beer in The Netherlands. I’m not a beer connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination but I drink enough of it and any kind of it, that I’m somewhat familiar with plenty of large brands but, for whatever reason, I had never heard of Bavaria. Or maybe I had and I may have even drank it, but the reality is that its existing look is so beer-generic and non-distinctive that I wouldn’t be able to pick it from a beer line-up if a party depended on it. Last month, Bavaria introduced a bold, cohesive new look for its range of beers that spans everything from the glass you drink it in to the crates you use to haul it home.

A sampling of the old Bavaria look.

Sexy product shots of the new look.

One of the main distinctions of the new look is its adoption of blue as the brand color, a decision probably aimed straight at gaining some territory against Heineken’s green and, as it attempts to grow in the 129 countries it is available in, it can sure use any kind of distinction. The other new element that plays a big role is a compass in a rounded-edge triangle — which is, apparently, a nod to the three Swinkels brothers that founded the brewery — that also points South. There must be something lost in translation, because the meaning of it is supposed to reflect the direction the business is going in. (Dutch readers, please correct me if I’m wrong). The typography is the same as the old one except that it has been carefully redrawn to be bolder and more consistent and it seems as if a whole custom typeface has been created around it.

New packaging in the real world. (Photos get less sexy the more real they are). Also, note the beer glass in the bottom picture, which features a triangle base to match the compass icon.

The new look is vastly more cohesive, striking and even the industrial improvements, evidenced by the badass crate, position Bavaria to be a much stronger contender in the World of Beer — which, let’s face it, is one of the best worlds.

Stills from video about the launch of the new look, where Bavaria employees went door to door giving away crates of their beer in exchange for whatever other people had in their house.

Thanks to Joost Galjart and Sieb for the tip.

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Brewing beer since 1719 — a good hundred years before its main competitor, Heineken — Bavaria is the second largest producer of beer in The Netherlands. I'm not a beer connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination but I drink enough of it and any kind of it, that I'm somewhat familiar with plenty of large brands but, for whatever reason, I had never heard of Bavaria. Or maybe I had and I may have even drank it, but the reality is that its existing look is so beer-generic and non-distinctive that I wouldn't be able to pick it from a beer line-up if a party depended on it. Last month, Bavaria introduced a bold, cohesive new look for its range of beers that spans everything from the glass you drink it in to the crates you use to haul it home.

Many thanks to our ADV @ UnderConsideration Partners