All in the family
Carlsberg is an easy brand to recognise. 100+ years of being served all over the world will do that.
But these days, Carlsberg is more than its founding brand-it's a Group of companies. Each member is a successful organisation that adheres to Carlsberg quality standards. Yet each also has a name and history that is important in their market. They are distinct from Carlsberg beer, but still very much Carlsberg family.
"Carlsberg had very clear goals with their corporate visual identity," says Kontrapunkt co-owner Bo Linnemann. "Of course, a big part was finding ways to build real pride and a company culture everyone wants to be part of. That meant a solution allowing brands to retain some aspects of the visual equity they'd already created, but building in the Carlsberg touches that unify the brand."
There was also the matter of ensuring the corporate visual identity would be distinct from the brand visual identity, but still with a strong link. Speaking with investors or employees is very different from speaking with the public. The new corporate visual identity had to reflect that at a very practical level.
The solution developed by Carlsberg and Kontrapunkt included all aspects of a corporate visual identity, from business cards and letterheads to web solutions and interior design.
"Carlsberg's corporate visual identity programme is a success in my eyes, because it creates visual consistency rather than mathematical consistency," says Bo. "There's room for individual brand distinctions, yet a clear and unified corporate Carlsberg look and feel." ///
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