1st Place Beer, Malt Beverages, Karhu
To be an effective competitor in pubs and bars dominated by big international brands, Karhu, a well-loved beer brand in Finland for almost 100 years, needed to find a renewed, inner confidence and leave behind the gloomy, industrial image it had become associated with.
People must love a brand as if they have its logo tattooed onto themselves – and Karhu bear is the most tattooed brand mark in Finland. A direct translation of the brand name itself, the bear is what Karhu is best known for, and was Design Bridge's inspiration. This distinctive icon needed to step out of the woods and take centre stage.
'Our new on-trade bottle embraces what’s at the heart of the brand – the confident, tough inner strength of the bear. We engrained the iconic marque into the fabric of the bottle with a striking emboss, which adds tactility and reinforces the brands masculinity.
'We’ve given Karhu’s previous badge-like icon a powerful, self-assured new attitude. The bottles crown cork features the first presentation of an edgy close-up crop of the bear’s face, a distinct move on for a brand that has never strayed too far from it’s traditional roots.'