Pilsner Urquell vs. Visual Pollution
Roughly a year ago, I was approached by the Plzeňský Prazdroj team (the company that makes the world famous Pilsner Urquell and owns several other breweries) that is in charge of advertising at Pilsner establishments: parasols, awnings, exterior signs, LED exterior signs.
Simply put, this team is in charge of everything that has to do with the brands associated with this huge company, meaning several thousand establishments. They turned to me as they felt partly responsible for the visual condition of these establishments because it is Pilsner who supplies the branding objects.
I was taken aback — it rarely happens that a client knows exactly where the problem is and that it needs to be addressed. From the beginning it was clear that this was going to be a tough job. So I decided to invite the branding specialist, Lumír Kajnar, to cooperate on the project with me. As the project developed, it turned out that having someone with opposing views and a buddy all in one person was a good move.
01 | Research
As we hit the streets during the initial research to photograph the occurrences of Pilsner logos, it became evident that there was more than just one problem to tackle. Helena Dobrá, Pilsner’s POSM specialist, flooded us with photographic material. We saw that we needed a lasting tailor-made solution. I didn’t merely want to propose a redesign of signage since teams at Pilsner had already been working on a more economical and architecture-friendly design. Instead, I focused on restructuring the internal system. Although I used my know-how and various graphic design tools, the result was not a signage design per se. Instead, we created a comprehensive instructional guide for sales reps on how to offer, design, and install elements of visual branding.
02 | Typography
The redesign of all signage types was well under way at Pilsner when we joined the project. The design and marketing departments jointly came up with a newer, greener and more effective design which simplified both the design and manipulation of menus, outdoor signs, A-signs, etc. Pilsner used to supply custom plastic signs, which was rather expensive and not very eco-friendly. The new system uses individual letters that slide into a backlit board so that after renaming the establishment, Pilsner doesn’t have to produce a new sign. In addition, the board is lit up by LED lights, which save up to 50% on electricity every year. Lumír and I, however, had an opportunity to collaborate on the new typography.
After testing out various fonts and their respective limitations and possibilities, we suggested cooperating with the amazing Rosetta Type Foundry. They adjusted Sláva Jevčinová’s Avory font for us in order to meet the needs of this project. The font is easily legible and is quite narrow, which saves space on the facade. It’s universal yet distinctive and easy to remember. The new font will therefore become the new design trait and trademark of Pilsner establishments. At the same time, it will have a different visual context and style every time as the sign is made up of individual letters and does not cover up the facade.
03 | The Probe
We knew for sure the human factor played an important role here. So we didn’t only investigate the design, but also the approval processes inside the company. We analyzed all subjects that have a say in installation, decision-making, and approval of signage and advertising. Why does a sign say what it says? What does it look like? Where on the establishment will it be installed? Is the sign necessary at all?
We asked ourselves questions like:
What is it that creates the brand of a typical Czech pub or bar?
What role will beverage suppliers, such as Prazdroj, play in the future?
How much of the signage can be removed if we want to eliminate excessive visual clutter but still represent the brand?
What is a quick and effective way to select the right type, size, and placement of each signage type?
04 | The Manual
Pilsner had also requested extensive research into how customers react to the condition of establishments in terms of their responses on the ground and the psychology behind their decision-making. This provided us with enough material to specifically identify our client’s problems. It soon became evident that the answers would have to be presented in a comprehensive document that would serve as an instructional manual for all of the people involved. There would be a brief manual. This was my cross to bear. Lumír was always there for me, ready to scrap my ideas, which turned out to be beneficial to the whole project. Pilsner employees also played an indispensable part — all those tireless people who worked hard on the manual to ensure that its implementation would be flawless: Markéta Blahová, Helena Dobrá, Míla Medová, Míša Kelarová, Aneta Hájková, Petra Koštová, Michal Miklánek, Vladimír Žváček, and the boss of the design, Vladimír Přibil.
Designers generally like to stress what they have done, but often forget to mention the importance of cooperation from the company itself. Without the support of the company’s employees or management, not even a simple visual redesign, let alone bigger structural changes, are going to be successful. A great deal of work was done by the dedicated employees themselves.
Naturally, the brief manual shortly got out of hand and turned into this monstrous, 136-page behemoth packed with information. It became the ultimate information hub, the know-how for the top and most ambitious sales reps, the stepping stone for the new internal specialist who will be responsible for the overall design of Pilsner establishments. From my perspective, the manual provides a unique opportunity to define all the basic and premium principles and apply them where they are most needed. The client demonstrated enthusiasm and a willingness to make a change.
The main point of the manual is to simplify the customer’s sense of orientation so that they can easily identify from the street the name of the pub, what’s on tap and on the menu. The type and placement of signage is always highly individual and reflects the nature of the surrounding area and the style of the establishment. However, some aspects are universally applicable, such as the reduction of signage and logos and the elimination of window decals that can in effect put the customer off rather than attract them.
The manual, among other things, deals with these areas:
Signage in terms of marketing, typography, and color.
Fast and effective way of selecting signage types and their placement (3 key factors).
The difference between orientation on the ground and the support of sales.
Facade clutter — how many signs are too many?
Finding a way into the establishment, directional and outdoor signs.
Colors in restaurants, their subjective and objective aspects.
Fixing walls after de-installations.
Installation of temporary signs such as posters and stickers.
Pilsner Urquell is a leader on the market. Honestly, I am very pleased that they approached me and wanted to tackle their problems in a systematic way. I appreciate their thorough and patient approach that did not settle for a quick fix or a halfway solution. What they have at their disposal now is a brand new set of signage and a new system for its conscious placement. From their employees and external partners, Pilsner is still receiving feedback and information about various experiences and new ways of implementing the changes, all of which will provide countless Czech pubs, bars, and cafés with a fresh look and might even eventually raise the standards of the Czech hospitality market as a whole.
It’s going to take some time and it won’t be easy: at the beginning, 91 Czech and 35 Slovak pubs were redecorated. This is a long-term project and the changes it brings will be implemented gradually and will become natural over time.
With similarly large projects, there are always many people whose ideas and opinions differ. What’s crucial is their mutual relationships and a willingness to make a change. They might make mistakes. The progress might be slow and gradual. But they are part of a huge step forward and I respect them all for their courage. I believe I did the best I could to save them time and money, to streamline mutual communication, and to set up a working system.
