Identity | Nørrebro Bryghus

Here’s the latest haul from microbrewery Nørrebro Bryghus in Copenhagen. Now that’s an example of successful branding, and I thought it would be interesting to see how it works now – about six years since it was created by Punktum Design together with A2/SW/HK (whom I’ve mentioned before here) as well as being awarded the Danish Design Prize. They’ve continued developing the bottles and labels as you can see in the photo above, showing some of their current line. The Easter ‘bock’ ale was fantastic this year and I’m really looking forward to trying the La Granja Stout which is one of their flagship beers.

But back to the identity now. During my recent visit, what caught my eye was this ‘design wall’ hidden away in a corner down in the café (a section of it is below, click to enlarge). It shows the full range of the identity, incorporating everything from stationery and signage to interior design and bottles. Not to mention Henrik Kubel’s bespoke typeface.

It’s interesting because, although some of the branded objects in the pub are becoming a bit worn, the label design system still generates successful and unique labels. Sure, it may not suit the longer names some of the exclusive brews have, and the intended function of mapping the flavours and types of beer is probably lost on consumers (even when still sober). But the strength of the idea is enough, and even with a much smaller number of colours countless combinations are possible. The description of each beer can simply be printed along the bottom of the label, as shown above. What they really need now though is a better website.