Carling rebrands to reference original name Black Label

Consultancy BrandOpus has designed a new visual identity for lager brand Carling, ditching the slanted logotype and adding a black label emblem.

carling logo

Consultancy BrandOpus has designed a new logo for Carling, with the aim of giving the lager brand a “simpler” identity.

The new branding sees Carling’s slanted logotype swapped out for a straight one, alongside the use of a new typeface and the addition of a slanted black label on top. This is a reference to Carling Black Label, the original name for the brand’s lager when it was first introduced in the UK in the 1950s.

The red underline beneath the logotype has also been removed, as have the slanted lines crossing through the logo. The colour red has now been incorporated into the corner of the black label.

The lion crest has been removed from the main logo lock-up, and has been given less precedence on packaging.

The previous Carling branding, by Echo
The previous Carling branding, by Echo

The slanted split colour effect on packaging has been kept, but brighter colours have been incorporated for imagery and words used on beer cans and bottles.

It will be rolling out across the whole Carling range, including Original Lager, Cider, Citrus Twist and Premier, with the aim of making the range more “consistent”, according to BrandOpus CEO Nir Wegrzyn.

The new design aims to be more “modern and striking” than the last one according to the company, but also aims to be “recognisable” as Carling, adds Wegrzyn.

Carling was last rebranded by consultancy Echo in 2011. The new brand will start appearing on shelf and behind bars from March 2017.

Carling is owned by Molson Coors Brewing Company, and was founded in Ontario, Canada in 1818, then was first sold in the UK in 1952.

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Comments
  • Iain Thomson February 1, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    Me and craig fink its shit much prefer fosters

  • Harrison Reed February 1, 2017 at 8:33 pm

    Sorry, but this is a really bad rebrand – that black tab above the logo is visually very disturbing and looks like its hiding something. Also reminds me of those dodgy reader’s wives photos with black bars across the eyes… What happened Brandopus? you used to be good!

  • Dušan Tadic February 2, 2017 at 9:05 am

    Just No. Without going into the painful details as to why, this may be the worse rebrand I’ve ever seen. I’m astounded at the quality of Brandopus’ recent output and this is the cherry on top of a terrible cake. I assume the strategic department employ an ‘Emperors new clothes’ technique to sell this in. I’d like to think it’s a grower but I very much doubt it. Just abysmal. Their competitors have just been given a massive leg up.

  • Paul Johnson February 2, 2017 at 10:14 am

    ‘I bet he drinks Carling Redacted’

  • Brandon February 2, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    Well Chris and I ‘fink’ it’s actually quite good. We like it.

  • Sam Davies February 2, 2017 at 12:54 pm

    Leveraging an awkward black lozenge makes no sense and communicates nothing. Ugly overpriced design from a dinosaur of an agency. A terrible brand for a terrible beer I suppose… about as ‘modern and striking’ as a drone attack.

  • Robb Hood February 2, 2017 at 3:11 pm

    I cannot understand that black blank angled box. It makes no sense, it is an empty, life sucking graphic that holds your eye but offers no reward.

  • Mark February 3, 2017 at 9:13 am

    It looks like a piece of black duct tape stuck to the side of the can!

    I’ve always thought of Carling as cheap (and a bit nasty) and at least it now looks cheap and nasty. So at least the design is ‘truthful’.

  • Will February 5, 2017 at 12:43 am

    This is total shit

  • Ted Norman February 14, 2017 at 1:57 pm

    I think this is the first time a premier league footballer has commented on an article in Design Week, good to have you on board Dusan Tadic.

  • Cody March 7, 2017 at 12:04 am

    I mean it’s not as Bad as Gaps almost rebrand but it’s up there.

  • simon March 20, 2017 at 10:29 am

    Utilising an equity that is as unownable as a skewed rectangle is strategically quite poor. On top of that it is quite jarring, visually

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