The Asahi Beer CI was introduced in January 1986, and was launched as New Asahi Beer. One of the driving forces behind this was a new package design which firmly placed the corporate logo at the center. In order to construct a new image for Asahi Beer, the package – which represents the largest point of contact with the consumers – was understood to be a form of media, and a design which prominently featured the corporate logo was adopted for the first package designs upon introduction of the CI. This also determined the direction for future package designs. When the corporate logo was used on the package, fine outlines were added to the logo to generate a greater “beer” feel.

The rapid rise of Asahi Beer began the following year with the appearance of Super Dry. Previous beer names were distinguished only by their production method, such as lager beer or draft beer, and the name Super Dry was a new attempt to promote the taste of the product to the consumers. Naturally the package design also needed to express newness, and the key was deciding how to express a product concept that was designed to appeal to the popular “dry culture” and a new taste unlike anything that had come before it. The answer was a design with the sharp metallic feel of aluminum, a rigid-looking frame without curves, and points of red among the black letters. Providing support for this proposal was the increasing rate of can use among households, as the transition from the age of bottles to the age of cans took place. This provided support for this campaign because the design on the metallic cans was more eye-catching than the bottle label. Although there were persons at the time who complained that the cans looked like oil cans, when I went on the first day of sales to a shop and saw the cans stacked in the refrigerator case, I felt that the design produced a powerful sense of presence in the shop, with the metallic silver that was lined up among all the conventional beer designs created a modern, almost futuristic, atmosphere. The fine layer of water droplets on the cans and the cool feel when a person picked up one of the cans would make one thirsty. This, I was sure, was the effect of the package design. Package design is not only about the effect when the product is lined up on the shelves; the feeling in the moment when you take the product in your hand is also very important, and a sense of story is also needed. In the case of Super Dry, metallic silver is the core of the design. A Danish designer who saw Super Dry for sale in Europe told me, “This beer is very cool!” Metallic silver is a forward-looking color. It conjures images that are sharp, modern, and urban, gives a sense of the dry taste, has become a symbol of cold beer, and makes a strong impression in the minds of the consumers. I think what helped support the success of Super Dry were that it incorporated a feeling of New Asahi Beer as it entered a new era and also of its dedication to quality, as well as the way the packaging reflected the sense of expectation people had in Asahi Beer.

In that sense, package design is an extremely efficient means of branding, and an important support for a brand.

Super Dry took the top single brand share of the beer market in 1996, a position which it still holds today. In order to create a design that is more than just a transient phenomenon and lasts for a long time, it is important to securely build up the brand asset. Maintenance of the package design can be thought of as the work needed for building up the brand asset. For example, the can design has evolved in tiny amounts according to the times, for example by adding a gray stripe to the background. Also for the 20th anniversary of the brand, a limited-edition re-closeable bottle can was released, offering a new way to drink beer. In order to be a brand that is loved and used over many years in this age when new products are being introduced one after another, it is important to always look fresh in the customer’s eyes. The fact that designs can evolve with an awareness of the trends that come and go in the market is one of the reasons that design is important.