Brand | CHATEAU KSARA |
Product/Service | CHATEAU KSARA |
Entrant | LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON |
Category | Typography |
Entrant Company
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LEO BURNETT BEIRUT, LEBANON
|
Advertising Agency
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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. We re-interpreted each letter of the alphabet, as well as the 10 digits, into a new typeface that would come to define the language of wine.
Each letter and digit was designed, in ethereal fashion, to tell different stories of the intrinsic relationships between all the different protagonists found on the Ksara land.
As letters and digits coalesced into sentences a greater number of stories were revealed illustrating the deep-rooted legacies these stories have left behind.
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
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 |