When tasked to redesign the ‘Åbro Original’ range, the flagship product of Sweden’s oldest family brewery, we focused on the element customers most associated with the beer – the lion – and set him free. The rest was stripped away to better reflect the product’s status but, importantly, without losing its heritage. The result: a stunning 44% increase in sales in just one year.

Åbro is the oldest family brewery in Sweden. It was founded in Vimmerby in the heart of Småland in the 1856. The location was chosen for its fresh and tasty water. The perfect conditions to create a high quality beer. The brewery’s flagship product Åbro original was launched in 1992, and hadn’t seen a major update in 21 years.

Our brief was to redesign the entire Åbro Original range, to better reflect it’s heritage and proud status as the flagship product of the brewery. We surveyed what design elements most customers associate with Åbro Original. We retained these elements but stripped away all the rest. This way we strengthened and clarified the product.

The green color has slightly been darkened to give an more exclusive look, the wordmark has been adjusted and given a 3D effect to better stand out against the background, and the most important element, the lion, has been given more life and movement. The new design doesn’t have a traditional front and back, but rather two fronts.