2016 Winners & Shortlists

THE LANGUAGE OF WINE

Short List
BrandCHATEAU KSARA
Product/ServiceCHATEAU KSARA
EntrantLEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
CategoryIllustration
Entrant Company LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
Advertising Agency LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON

Brief Explanation

Château Ksara is Lebanon's oldest and largest winery, which for more than a century continues to pioneer the Lebanese wine making industry. Founded in 1857 by Jesuit Priests, Chateau Ksara is today a national icon. Its vision is based on three core values: tradition, nobility and modernity, all three of which are reflected within the craft of their 14 wine bottles. They produce over 3 million bottles a year in a saturated local market with over 50 wineries competing. Their wines are also exported to over 40 markets that include USA, Europe, Japan, with a strategy for further expansion.

The Brief

Chateau Ksara’s former brand image had aged and did not reflect the winery’s rich history, true character and its status as a national icon. The brand identity was inconsistent, incoherent and most importantly didn’t convey the brand’s full story. Hence, the agency took the initiative to rethink and recreate the entire identity in order to modernize the winery’s image by bringing back to life its rich heritage. Thus re-instating the brand’s iconic status in the eyes of Lebanese consumers as well as allowing it to compete abroad against the established household names.

How the final design was conceived

In order to bring to life the brand’s full story, its heritage and true image, we immersed ourselves in more than a century worth of history and identified the elements that are intimately linked to the winery’s visual universe. Elements such as the Roman influence, the Jesuit heritage, the terroir, the climate, the fauna and flora, the inhabitants of the Bekaa valley, the winemaking process, and the passage of time. To bring these elements to life, we utilized the hatching illustration technique and a fable-esque storytelling approach. Both were inspired by a tale of French origin where Jesuit missionaries cultivated the first dry wine of Lebanon. With each letter, digit and collage, a piece of the story unfolded. The isometric collages depict the life at night and day revolving around three iconic edifices of the land (the Chateau, the Observatory, and the church). Each of the alphabet letters and digits were designed to highlight, in ethereal fashion, the intrinsic relationship between all aspects of Ksara’s land becoming over and above all a language of wine. It took us over 30-crafted illustration pieces to rightfully represent the brand; this is a testament of the depths of the winery’s history and legacies.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Chateau Ksara had an identity crisis and an untold story. The new illustrations created a set of words and images that were rightfully representative of Chateau Ksara’s heritage, which were ultimately used on all of the brand’s collaterals. Beyond its new identity, Chateau Ksara was able to create an innovative form of communication within the wine community; a complete and exhaustive visual language built around the language of wine. What was once a chaotic and inconsistent brand identity today re-in states and reinforces to all major stakeholders of the brand its status as a national icon as well becoming an attractive player in the ever more competitive international wine market.

Credits

Name Company Role
Bechara Mouzannar Leo Burnett Beirut Chief Creative Officer
Malek Ghorayeb Leo Burnett Beirut Regional Executive Creative Director
Areej Mahmoud Leo Burnett Beirut Executive Creative Director
Nada Abi Saleh Leo Burnett Beirut Managing Director
Peter Mouracadde Leo Burnett Beirut Head of Communication
Caroline Farra Leo Burnett Beirut Creative Director
Davina Atallah Leo Burnett Beirut Creative Director
Diego De Aristegui Leo Burnett Beirut Communication Supervisor
Sarah Harfouche Leo Burnett Beirut Jr. Communication Executive
Marya Ghazzaoui Leo Burnett Beirut Senior Art Director
Christina Salibi Leo Burnett Beirut Art Director
Fabienne Weiszegger Leo Burnett Beirut Junior Art Director
Andrew Assi Leo Burnett Beirut Copywriter
Ugo Gattoni Freelancer Artist