Pearlfisher brews new traditions with the redesign of Eichhof

Pearlfisher has redesigned the brand portfolio for Swiss brewing icon, Eichhof beer, to take the brand forward with a new balance of brewing tradition and creativity and engage audiences by crafting unique stories and new ideas into every bottle.

Brewed in the heart of Switzerland, Lucerne, for more than 185 years, Eichhof is now owned by Heineken but remains a proud beer of a proud region boasting something for every person and every occasion with thirteen different varieties. Heineken tasked Pearlfisher with evolving the Eichhof brand and driving consistency across a disparate brand portfolio to reinforce a feeling of community and locality.

Kristoffer Fink Parup, Head of Strategy, said, “Eichhof is legendary in the Central Switzerland region but its current aesthetic was inconsistent and there was little distinction across the portfolio and on shelf. We wanted to reinforce the sense of community, locality and brewing tradition that makes Eichhof so special and take this out to the wider world with a modern creative idea that allows people to taste and experience all that Eichhof has to offer. We were inspired by the brand’s name and how it evokes a strong sense of heritage and provenance but wanted to balance this with the brand’s pioneering attitude and new ways of working. Our brand positioning, ‘Neue Traditionen’, introduces a fresh new narrative that communicates both the history and innovation of Eichhof.”

“The bold styling of the redesign is about moving the brand back to its strongest depiction, modernising and imbuing each equity with more context and historical meaning, to reinforce the craft, quality and expertise at the heart of this cultural icon.” said Sam Lachlan, Pearlfisher Design Director. Sam continued, “As the main symbol of pride, craft, togetherness and brewing excellence, we have given the brand’s guild greater stand out as well as modernising and strengthening the iconic Eichhof squirrel – undoubtedly the brand’s most ownable asset. By recreating the word mark to match the styling of the squirrel and creating a distinctively repetitive squirrel pattern across the Eichhof can, we are opening up this aspect of the narrative to potential new audiences. The highly recognisable yellow brand colour is retained with the label boasting the details of the beer’s founder and the date it was founded, cementing a sense of quality and already well-established tradition and visually propelling the brand forward to become a proudly modern icon.”

Talking about the brand design for Eichhof’s speciality beer range, ‘Craft Legends’, Sam explains, “To bring a sense of mystery and intrigue to the label designs, we worked with Lucerne-based artist, Amadeus Waltenspühl, to create a line-up of striking illustrations. Across six variants, the black and white illustrations complemented by hits of colour include a windswept looking “Barbara” and startled “Pony”. Each drawing represents the rich history and unique stories connected to the Eichhof brewery, its brewers, and the beer – for people to read whilst enjoying the drink.

Stefan Steiner, Brand Manager at Heineken, commented, “Eichhof is a loved and highly-respected beer with a proud past and its sights set on a bold future through continued experimentation with new brews. Pearlfsher’s design now pulls all these elements together in a cohesive identity and design system that connects the community of beers across the portfolio with the intention of building a new community of drinkers by attracting them to the quality, heritage and taste experience of one of Switzerland’s most iconic and long-standing beer brands.”

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Credits:

Founding Partner Group & Creative Director: Jonathan Ford, 

Pearlfisher Founding Partner & Group Chairman: Mike Branson,

Pearlfisher Partner, Design & Experience: David Jenkinson,

Pearlfisher Head of Strategy, Kristoffer Fink Parup, Pearlfisher

Senior Designer, Dan Bowstead, 

Pearlfisher Design Director, Sam Lachlan, 

Pearlfisher Designer, Angus Meikle, 

Pearlfisher Gabriella Gill, Client Manager, 

Pearlfisher Head of Realisation, Jen Newell

  Beer, Branding, Brewing, Eichof, Kristoffer Fink Parup, Pearlfisher, Redesign, Sam Lachlan