Spear helps Carlsberg relaunch Xide range

Carlsberg’s design agency Nine had the objective to ‘bring the X to life’, and Spear helped to achieve this by working closely with designers throughout the process to identify the optimum printing processes and finishes for each piece of artwork.

Spear utilized a combination of screen/flexo and foil processes to enrich each individual design. For example, Raspberry Blossom was created using a simple, four-color process but, by substituting the black flexo for a screen black the label gains a visual and physical tactile appearance.

The Mandarin Chilli variant has a ‘layered and vibrant’ appearance, achieved using multiple screen ink colors. Another interesting effect can be seen on Xide Bright, which was constructed combining two hot foils – silver and holographic.

The logo-type is printed with a foil finish for each design allowing it to suitably accompany the illustrative detail.

Andreas Linnell, design director at Nine, said: ‘The redesign of Xide was a complex project, with unique and intricate artworks requiring completely different printing techniques for each flavour in the range.

‘Essentially each SKU was a project in itself and the technical knowledge, experience and support provided by Spear proved invaluable in translating the original vision to an award-winning range of beverage design.’