Malmgård

We humans are quick to assume things. Best porter in the world? Probably from Ireland. Brewers? Big men with big beards. Malmgård? Definitely something pretentious from Sweden. The thing is, though, these prejudices couldn’t be further from the truth and that’s exactly the core of Malmgård’s brand.

MBH Breweries tasked 358 to refresh the visual and tonal identity of their glass bottles, but at the same time look for something to anchor the brand to. Admittedly we too were slaves to our bias, but after a quick visit in the brewery, we were humbled. Now we know that the best porter in the world comes from Loviisa, their brewers are the kindest and hardworking women and Malmgård is as Finnish as a brewery can be. Thus, we had our assumptions shattered and our client had their slogan.

When it came to the bottles, we set to extend this idea and a vacuum was found: every wine brand had their food pairings, but no beer brand had leaned into the same idea. Breaking dinner drink assumptions, we created a visual identity that would sit on the table as beautifully as the finest chardonnay and messaging that encouraged people to switch from wine to beer by suggesting food pairings right there on the label.

Did we succeed? Well, let’s not assume anything. You be the judge.