InBev, the largest beer company in the world, found, in Pierini Partners, a strategic ally capable of strengthening its image.

Generating identity and subjacent value

When Adrian Pierini created his first beer design, he never imagined his studio would be responsible for the development of InBev’s main brands; Brahma, Liberty, Andes, Beck’s, Stella Artois, Quilmes, Iguana, Patagonia, Pilsen, Taquiña, Paceña, Huari, El Inca, Tropical Extra, amongst others are and continue being design challenges that Pierini Partners faces on an everyday basis.

Historias and wishes: Working with the category wasn’t a simple task; first of all, pre-existing histories had to be considered and an investigation regarding the brands link to consumers had to be done. Pierini Partners has always understood design as a precise and objective means of communication. Design creations cannot have double speeches or capricious visual resources based on personal taste, which is why a conjunct investigation, clear of any external influence, is the origin of pieces aligned to each particular target.

Liberty beer, health with grandness: Alcohol free beers have had good acceptance rates since their appearance; however, a small amount of consumers maintained the thought that a “healthy” beer has less body and flavour and also attempted against their masculinity. Even though these arguments aren’t based on actual facts (Liberty’s flavour is the same as any traditional beer), the way the category was understood affected, without a doubt, the beers appeal, and the challenge Adrian Pierini and his team had to face was how to maximize the beers credibility through its packaging, generating an image that was more in tune with premium beers in a market that isn’t used to non alcohol consumption.

The label that had to be redesigned was basic, composed by very few elements and even though it transmitted a certain classic air, it didn’t clearly transmit it’s positioning or its qualitative attributes as a whole. Pierini Partners recreated the existing shapes and gave them more quality and refinement by distributing the elements in a more cantered structure following traditional trends in beer design. The obtained result made Liberty a more appealing brand for consumers and transformed non alcohol beers in a good option for a cold beer at any time and any place.

Constructive grid for Paceña: coherence and elegance

Regional Beers: Andes is a regional beer from Mendoza, an important province in Argentina. This beer can be considered “emotional” since it carries with it a long local history that withholds a feeling of belonging that goes way beyond its quality and taste. Andes is Mendoza and if it should be removed from the market it would mean forgetting a part of the province’s history and heritage that carries feelings of pride from generation to generation. Pierini Partners took this job with a lot of care and consciousness, knowing what the beer means to its consumers and respecting its main characteristics. As a result a great packaging that shows heritage, elegance and tradition was presented to its consumers with great success.

Orden lógico para potenciar la imagen de línea: En las estéticas de Andes, como en las de otras marcas sobre las cuales el equipo de Pierini Partners debió actuar, existían serios problemas de proyección, en otras palabras, los antiguos diseños fueron creados a partir de necesidades específicas y han ignorado la generalidad de la marca. En ellas no hubo una búsqueda por establecer jerarquías visuales, no se contempló como podría afectar desde lo estético el nacimiento de nuevas variedades a futuro, en definitiva, fueron progresivamente sumergiéndose en un caos de lenguajes que confundían al consumidor e impedían la creación de estrategias que potencien la imagen global del producto. Adrián Pierini trabajó arduamente en este punto estableciendo recursos comunes y determinando zonas inmodificables de reconocimiento como punto de partida hacia layouts claros y vinculantes. Hoy, al hablar de Andes, Brahma o Quilmes se puede pensar en líneas sólidas capaces de proyectarse a futuro de manera integrada.

Pierini Partners recreates South American and European social imaginary: Designing foreign brands required the familiarization not only with the category, but also with the existing cultural diversity. Consumer behaviour varies, as do quality codes, and it is important to know what the brands limits are to be able to reach a design that isn’t counterproductive. Perini’s vast design experience with the category locally was essential for facing these projects, but it was the studio’s integrative methodology that made the international barriers fade away. Constant interaction with foreign marketing teams, the acceptance of their ideas and their local vision, the recognition of their suggestions and the swapping of ideas and visions throughout the entire process translated into great teamwork with surprisingly effective results. A diversity of countries such as Paraguay, Bolivia, Bulgaria and Belgium have deposited their trust in Pierini and all of them have made the studio well recognized for their innovative design ideas and exceptional work.

Care even in the smallest details: Unlike other products, beers call for buys based not only on contemplation, but also on impulse. A quick glance at consumers in front of supermarket shelves shows a vast difference between shopping for frozen foods or wines. In the first case, it’s a quick shop, considering the consumer already knows what to buy, compares prices and that’s it whereas in the latter, the thought process is much longer and thought out. When purchasing beer, consumers are in an intermediate place and it depends on the beer’s codes to create a strong impact on the consumer so that in a short period of time he or she chooses the brand we want them to. Facing this situation, standing out is vital. Typography must be carefully selected, the design must be unique and have strong emblems so that it can be easily recognised and it must be highly commercial, appealing strongly to the consumer.