Hartwall is one of the oldest companies in Finland, with a history dating back to 1836, when Victor Hartwall opened a mineral water plant in Helsinki, the first of its kind in the Nordic countries. Nowadays Hartwall is the growing leader in the beverage industry in Finland, with the product portfolio including beers, ciders, long drinks, bottled waters, soft drinks, juices, and specialty drinks, as well as wines and other alcoholic beverages.

Over the decades, the company has invested in developing its strong products and brands, which have been very successful among Finnish consumers, while the work to develop their own mother brand has remained a bit secondary, with an outdated visual identity, and without coherent and consistent implementation and guidelines.

Together with the strategic agency Wonder, we helped Hartwall to upgrade their brand identity, working extensively from the brand strategy to the new visual identity, guidelines and also some brand applications.

For Hartwall, it all started in 1836 at a mineral water plant, with various waters still forming the backbone of the company's product portfolio. It was a natural source of inspiration for the color palette, as well as for the patterns we created. The color palette was defined to include a few different shades of refreshing blue tones inspired by water. The palette was complemented with energetic orange derived from the color of Jaffa, an iconic carbonated soft drink brand by the company. Bright green and pink, which are used as accents, bring the joy needed to the whole.

For the patterns, inspiration came from fountains (a motif also present in the very first logo of the company in 1836), which refer to the history of Hartwall and its roots in the mineral water business, as well as the life bursting attitude of the company and the refreshing effect its products have on people. The fountain pattern, inspired by the traditional Japanese patterns, was created to be used in the backgrounds of the layouts.

The brand photography concept was designed with the photos presenting people, from employees to customers and consumers, with a positive approach to life. The photographs were taken by excellent Maija Astikainen and Niklas Sandström.

With the typography, we wanted to convey the message of the company’s positive approach to life, and chose Sharp Grotesk for its wide range of styles, from the super condensed cuts to the enjoyable wide shapes, to be mixed and used playfully together. As a contrast to typography, the new logo was designed with a touch of history, bringing out the heritage and the long history of the company. Inspiration for the serif style and custom-made logo came from the typography found in the old product labels and wooden beverage crates of the company.