Branding agencies: the keys to forging iconic brands in 2025
- Upgrade your skills within a communications agency: from graphic designer to creative director
- Strategy, image or both? The reality of customer demand in France
- How does a beverage design agency react to a customer brief?
- premiumize a beverage brand with a specialized branding agency
- AI in the creative process: the approach of a specialist beverage branding agency
- Rebranding established brands: major challenges for agencies
- The future of specialist beverage branding agencies: transparency, authenticity and AI
- FAQ
The beverage sector, with its craft beers, local wines and spirits The world of innovation is an exciting but fiercely competitive one. To stand out, a brand can no longer be satisfied with a good product; it must tell a story, embody a strong identity and create an emotional connection with its customers. consumers.
This is where specialized communication and design agencies, brand architects. This article explores what goes on behind the scenes at these agencies, and how they build brands of the highest quality. drink and the challenges they face in 2025. It is based on an enlightening discussion between Ludovic Mornand, founder of specialist beverage branding agency Studio Blackthorns, and Alexandre Arzuman, co-founder of Studio Boam, two recognized players in this niche.
Upgrade your skills within a communications agency: from graphic designer to creative director
The careers of the founders of specialized design agencies like Studio Boam illustrate a notable evolution in the profession. Alexandre Arzuman, for example, after classical training in graphic design and formative experience in the Netherlands, initially set up a studio in his own name before co-founding Studio Boam. This transition is not insignificant; it reflects a shift from purely graphic expertise to a more global approach integrating all aspects of the business. brand strategy as a foundation.
Ludovic Mornand, of Studio Blackthorns, shares a similar trajectory, having also started out with a dual approach: a global agency identity and a freelance graphic design offering to capture different types of customer. Over time, the need to position yourself It's no longer just a matter of executing, but of being a strategic partner. «You end up choosing your warhorse,» emphasizes Ludovic Mornand, indicating a maturing of the role towards more consulting and strategic vision, a philosophy he applies on a daily basis at Studio Blackthorns.
Cette évolution est cruciale. Un designer graphique peut techniquement produire une belle image, mais la véritable valeur ajoutée d’une agence branding boisson spécialisée réside dans la capacité à traduire une vision d’entreprise en a coherent, powerful brand identity. This means moving on from simply creating logos or labels to defining a brand platform, positioning and narrative.
First, we sell a strategy.
Alexandre Arzuman, co-founder of Studio Boam
Strategy, image or both? The reality of customer demand in France
One of the central debates in beverage brand creation is the eternal question: does strategy take precedence over image, or vice versa? For Alexandre Arzuman, while image is often what initially attracts the customer to an agency, strategy is the indispensable foundation. «We sell strategy first,» he asserts, even if the visual portfolio is the first showcase. He concedes that «making something beautiful is almost a given for many,» but a «real strategy, a real concept» are rarer and more decisive for long-term success.
The branding and packaging Studio Blackthorns, directed by Ludovic Mornand, tackles this issue with the concept of Brand Exorcism, highlighting the need to purify and clarify a brand's core identity before any visual creation. This approach highlights the fact that many customers, especially in France, may be initially reticent about the word «strategy», preferring to focus on the label or the logo. And yet, as Ludovic Mornand points out, «the brand strategy, It's the gateway that costs 10 to 15K», and that determines everything else, a strong conviction at Studio Blackthorns.
The challenge for specialized branding agencies is therefore twofold: to educate customers on the importance of this upstream phase, while adapting to a market that demands speed and agility, sometimes to the detriment of in-depth strategic thinking.
Transforming an operational constraint into a creative opportunity is the very essence of strategic design.
Ludovic Mornand, founder of Studio Blackthorns
How does a beverage design agency react to a customer brief?
For a design agency specializing in beverage building an iconic brand, The quality of the initial brief provided by the customer is decisive. A clear, comprehensive brief enables us to pinpoint expectations, objectives and constraints. Studio Boam, for example, uses a detailed questionnaire to initiate collaboration.
Alexandre Arzuman insists on the importance of understanding the customer's vision, budget, target, and ambitions in terms of volume and positioning. Questions like «How much should your 10,000 bottles cost?» or «What is your maximum budget per bottle cost?» are crucial in guiding creative and technical choices. A frequent paradox is that of customers wanting a «luxury» positioning on a limited budget.
The essential elements a brand must prepare before contacting a specialized branding agency include :
- Brand vision and values.
- The precise target.
- Desired positioning.
- Sales objectives.
- The allocated budget.
- Technical and legal constraints.
A well-prepared brief is the guarantee of a fruitful collaboration, a step that Ludovic Mornand considers essential at Studio Blackthorns to avoid setbacks.
premiumize a beverage brand with a specialized branding agency
The impact of bold branding and design by a communications agency can be illustrated by the transformation of a common product into a premium offering. Let's imagine a syrup initially presented in a basic container, with a brand identity brand. The objective of a specialized agency could then be to «premiumize the brand».
The transformation brought about by this specialist design agency will be global:
- Choice of container : Switching to a more noble material, such as glass, is essential to move upmarket and improve the perception of quality.
- Redesign of the’visual identity : Meticulous illustrations, pertinent typographic choices, high-quality label paper: everything has been rethought to create a desirable object.
- Working on the product experience: Improvements to corking or other aspects of packaging to enrich the serving ritual and user experience.
The result? The consumer no longer buys a simple product, but «a nice little bottle», an object that is a pleasure to show off and keep. The brand gains in desirability, and can position itself against the giants of the sector, not on volume, but on perceived value and experience. This kind of success is not due to chance, but to a carefully thought-out strategy that integrates product design and communication, an expertise cultivated by agencies such as Studio Blackthorns and Studio Boam.
AI in the creative process: the approach of a specialist beverage branding agency
Artificial intelligence is increasingly infiltrating the creative professions, and beverage design is no exception. Generative AI tools are now integrated into software such as those in the Adobe suite, opening up new possibilities but also raising questions for a specialized beverage branding agency.
For Alexandre Arzuman, AI is a tool that, when properly mastered, can be powerful. However, he points out that AI «still requires you to master prompts, it still requires you to be a very good technician» and to have a solid visual culture to guide the tool effectively. Ludovic Mornand of Studio Blackthorns shares this view, insisting that while AI can produce stylish visuals quickly, the risk is of losing the initial concept if we settle for what AI proposes without thinking critically. He warns against superficial use leading to generic designs.
The real added value of a communications agency specializing in beverages will therefore lie in its ability to integrate AI as a tool at the service of a human strategic and creative vision. Prompting becomes an art, and the ability to mix AI creations with cutting-edge graphic design and art direction will be key. At Studio Blackthorns, AI exploration aims to increase efficiency without ever compromising originality and strategic relevance.
Rebranding established brands: major challenges for agencies
Visit brand identity redesign is a particularly delicate exercise for a specialized branding agency. The greatest challenge, according to Alexandre Arzuman, lies in «getting the creative right»: how far can you go without distorting the essence of the brand or losing its existing clientele, while at the same time attracting a new target?
Sometimes customers want radical change, and the agency has to temper this impulse. Conversely, the agency may propose daring ideas that meet with the customer's reluctance. A successful rebranding for an established brand like Glenmorangie shows that a bold but relevant change can be very successful.
The stakes for a specialized branding agency are many:
- Maintain brand recognition.
- Modernizing without denying our heritage.
- Seduce a new target.
- Justify change through strategic evolution.
The success of a rebranding will therefore depend on a detailed analysis of the brand's DNA and its market, and on close collaboration between the agency and the customer, an approach that Studio Blackthorns favors to ensure the relevance of the proposed evolutions.
The future of specialist beverage branding agencies: transparency, authenticity and AI
For the next few years, several major trends are emerging in beverage design and the role of a specialized branding agency. Alexandre Arzuman highlights the transparency and the storytelling genuine. Face à la prolifération de contenus générés par IA, les consommateurs rechercheront de plus en plus la vérité derrière les marques. Le « personal branding » des fondateurs deviendra un atout majeur.
Far from being a threat, AI will become an essential tool if it is properly managed by a specialized branding agency. However, the human element will remain central. Ludovic Mornand of Studio Blackthorns imagines « hybrid human-IA teams »as the future of agencies, where AI assists humans but doesn't replace them in strategic vision.
Ultimately, the specialized beverage branding agencies that will succeed in 2025 will be those capable of :
- Mastering brand strategy as a foundation.
- Combining bold creativity and precision.
- Integrate AI tools intelligently.
- Guide their customers over the long term.
The beverage market will continue to evolve, However, the quest for authenticity and memorable experiences will remain at the heart of expectations, an exciting playground for a specialized beverage branding agency like Studio Blackthorns.
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FAQ
A specialized beverage branding agency has in-depth knowledge of the sector (beer, wine, spirits), its codes, its regulatory constraints (Loi Évin), its products and services. trends and distribution networks. This cutting-edge expertise, like that of Studio Blackthorns, enables us to develop more relevant strategies and designs, optimizing success in a competitive market.
Brand strategy is fundamental for a specialized beverage branding agency. It defines the brand's DNA, positioning, target and history. Without this foundation, design risks being disconnected from objectives. A good strategy guides all creative decisions to ensure consistency and relevance.
AI is used by a specialized branding agency as a tool to assist creative staff (visual lead generation, process optimization). It does not replace human expertise in strategy and art direction. Agencies like Studio Blackthorns are exploring AI to increase efficiency while retaining creative control.
The main challenge for a specialized branding agency is to find the right balance between modernization and respect for heritage. The image needs to be refreshed to appeal to new target groups without alienating loyal customers, and this requires careful strategic analysis.
Aesthetic design may be attractive, but lasting success for a brand supported by a specialist branding agency depends on a combination of quality product, relevant strategy, clear positioning and authentic storytelling. Design must serve the strategy and convey the essence of the brand.