Key Dates
Image Credit : Photographer: Hwang SangSeop
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Project Overview
Since 2011, Head Brewer of MoonBear Brewing, Rob Titley, has been responsible for pioneering the local Korean craft beer scene and has been an advocate for raising its global profile. In 2015, he and a group of passionate beer enthusiasts embarked on a journey to put Korea on the global brewing map – their vision was to create a unique destination experience where nature, beer and food collide.
Team
Founder and Brand Ambassador: Ross Gregory Head of Strategy & Executive Creative Director: Amber Bonney Design Director: Brian Rodrigo Llagas Finished Artist: Matthew O'Connor Marketing Consultant: Andrew Phelan Architect: Frank Chiu Head Brewer: Rob Titley
Project Brief
The MoonBear Brewing story centres around Gangwon Province on the North East Coast of South Korea, home to MoonBear’s state-of-the-art 4.5 million litre (per year capacity) brewery and tap house which is set to open in June 2019.
In a market dominated by global European and Asian beer ‘giants’, MoonBear is the first genuine brewery experience of this scale. When Indulge Co Korea approached The Edison Agency to bring to life their vision, Edison was immediately attracted to the idea of being part of an international collaboration of designers, marketers, writers, architects and brewers. Leveraging previous experience in the Korean FMCG market, Edison undertook an extensive research phase seeking expertise and insights from both local market consumers and international cultural experts – synthesising the learnings to inform the design outcome and creating a design system that brought to life the rich tapestry of local history and culture.
Project Innovation/Need
Indulge Co Korea was one of the very first pioneers of craft brewing in Korea, leading the way for the emerging craft beer community and helping develop the tastes of the market. In 2018,l they secured a unique regional property in the mountains of Sokcho with a vision to create a destination experience where unique craft beers are created and served in a progressive and modern taphouse for both the dynamic Korean market and to a global audience. With craft beer being the fastest growing alcohol segment in Korea, this was a prime opportunity to capture the imagination of passionate locals and tourists alike.
Design Challenge
Inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape, The Edison Agency shaped a design system and visual language that reimagines craft beer through the cultural lens of the distinctly Korean provenance and the global spirit of its founders. MoonBear Brewing is the newest craft brewery in Korea born from a pioneering spirit, grit, and determination. Being a heroic and powerful mountain totem, the moon bear is the brand’s visual symbol – made iconic by the crescent moon on its chest. The moon bear is also a strong cultural symbol of Korea and its majestic statue marks the entrance to the Seoraksan National Park – not far from the home of the brewery. Utilising both the strength and mysticism of the local Korean mountains — Hallasan, Baekdusan and Geumgangsan — the first series of brews have been crafted to compliment contemporary Korean food with an aesthetic underpinned by the natural texture and diversity of the brewery’s people and region.
The identity system is captured in an extensive brand book outlining the brand narrative, strategy, and unique design system enabling local market production execution through the tap-house, apparel, promotion merchandise, stationery, packaging, wayfinding, hospitality collateral, and on-premise promotional materials.
Effectiveness
This new craft beer start-up in Korea establishes MoonBear Brewing as a progressive, adventurous and collaborative brand that showcases the best of modern Korea to the world. The breadth of the identity solution captured in the brand book has enabled the brand owners to bring the brand to life in the local market with ongoing Creative and Strategic consultation from The Edison Agency. The brand launched on-premise in late 2018 with their key bottled variants and their tap-house soon to launch in June 2019.
The design strategy to hero local semiotics has created strong cultural resonance with the consumers. Engagement via social media has been strong with nearly 1,000 followers engaging with the brand in a short period of time. The depth and flexibility of the identity system has allowed local market to be creative in their execution - using the core MoonBear asset as a symbolic window into the brand - allowing weekly promotions and campaigns to build distinction into the identity system and increasing the brand's recognition in market to firmly establish itself in contemporary Korean culture.
Graphic Design - Identity and Branding - Lifestyle
This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the traditional or digital visual representation of ideas and messages. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching information style to audience.
More Details