Refreshing the Boréale image meant combining a valuable heritage with new market challenges. The refreshed identity, deployed throughout the brand’s ecosystem, needed to stand out amongst the 175 microbreweries now in Quebec, so Boréale proudly kept the polar bear emblem, reminding fans of its origins in the Lower Laurentians, but freed him from his iceberg, allowing him to explore new beer-drinking territories.
The bear represents the rejection of the superficial and the thirst for freedom that is still so important to the founders of Boréale. The brand invites beer lovers to let loose their inner bears and celebrate life naturally. The bear in you should try it.
“We all have a hibernating bear inside of us.”
Marc-André Fafard
Vice-President, Design, LG2
Given the increasing demand for non-alcoholic beer, Boréale launched a line for those who wish to live without restrictions or boundaries. This is how Hors Sentiers (French for: off trails) came to life: non-alcoholic beers to avoid the beaten path while staying grounded. The clean design, timeless and anchored in the visual codes of Canada’s national parks, distinguishes the line from the illustrative style of other Boréale beers. The use of the can’s entire circumference maximizes the visibility of the line’s name, thus creating strong impact on-shelf.
The Boréale brand was refreshed everywhere, from the logo to the packaging and promotional items, so that younger consumers who didn’t grow up with the brand would be tempted to try it. The sleek typography contrasts with the bright colours used to identify the variety of brewed beers while the bear icon always remains in the spotlight.
The product information is also clearer in the new identity. By combining aesthetics and utility, the imagery developed maximizes on-shelf impact and contributes to greater awareness in the broader point-of-sale network.
Pioneers of the microbrewery industry in Quebec, Les Brasseurs du Nord has been innovating for more than 30 years. Emphasizing an artisanal approach, they produce all-natural beers, including Quebec’s very first red. They developed the Classic line, which includes a blonde, white and IPA, the Artisan series, with names such as India Session Ale and Beach Season, and the Episode series, specialty beers that are only offered for a limited time.