Revolutionizing Beer Packaging: The Primator Brewery Label Design

Radoslav Dostal's Award-Winning Approach to Beer Label Design

The Primator Brewery label design breaks away from common practices, giving more prominence to the type of beer rather than the brewery's logo. This innovative approach has enhanced the product's recognizability. The labels, adorned with simply designed motifs and characteristic drawings, categorize beers into three groups - traditional, specialty, and top. This categorization makes it easier for consumers to find their preferred beer or explore other beers within the same category.

What sets this design apart is its successful marriage of the analogue and digital worlds. The analogue world is represented by a series of fine pencil-drawn motifs and lettering, while the digital world is represented by simple shapes and clean spaces filled with an unorthodox color-coded palette. This unique approach distinguishes the 15 beers and abandons the clichés of Art Nouveau ribbons, heraldry, gold, crimson and green colors, and the Schwabacher font.

The labels are printed on a special, heavier-weight stock that is reminiscent of handmade paper. This choice of material adds to the overall aesthetic appeal of the product. The labels are then glued to a 500 ml dark-glass beer bottle with a cap closure. The main label measures 82 x 87 mm, while the back label measures 60 x 89 mm.

Despite the new design being completely different from its predecessor, it was widely accepted by audiences shortly after its launch in 2018. Consumers appreciated the unique design, higher visibility, and recognizability on store shelves. The revamped product, which includes a new label and a new bottle with rich embossing, is now available in stores in 31 countries around the world.

With 28 awards in 2017 for quality and taste, Primator is one of the most decorated breweries in the Czech Republic, the Land of Beer. Their annual beer production is 120 thousand hectolitres. The client also has an unusually broad product range, with 15 established beer brands and 3 to 4 limited editions per year. Maintaining visual clarity and consistency across 15 different beers, while adding a new look centred on craft to a rather outdated design, was the biggest challenge. The result was a brand new approach to a tired-looking label and bottle, launched across 31 markets worldwide.

This design, which was awarded Silver in A' Packaging Design Award in 2019, is a testament to the innovative and creative prowess of Radoslav Dostal and his team. It showcases a remarkable level of excellence and introduces positive feelings, amazement, and wonder. This design is indeed a top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable design that illustrates outstanding expertise and innovation.