Strategic redesign to premiumise a south Wales staple

The challenge; To increase prestige, visibility and relevance
Hurn’s stout, lager and bitter products have a strong history in Mid and South Wales with solid, established distribution across pubs, bars and hospitality venues. Hurn’s felt their three beers had begun to lose visual impact and stand out on the bar however. Our task was to increase their relevance and elevate their status to a premium product through a redesign. This should maintain the heritage and provenance of the brand, while simultaneously modernising it. Proudly Welsh, without the dragons and mountains.

The context
A marketplace where visual impact is key
Hurn’s Beer Co is one of a portfolio of brands owned and operated by Welsh wholesale specialist Cellar Drinks. Improving the impact, purpose and perception of their Hurn’s beer products would both allow Hurn’s to compete with other market leading beers, and enable retailers within the Cellar Drinks network to raise the price point on sales and improve their own margins.
With more than 90 breweries operating across Wales, visual impact is key to success.
“We spoke to several agencies before choosing United by Design. They really understood what we were trying to achieve, and Owen’s background in the drinks industry gave us confidence they could create something that would work in the real world.”

The solution

Our redesign took into account the regional heritage associated with the brand. We reimagined the iconic shield shape from the original Hurn’s 1870s ginger beer bottle and used it as the structural foundation for the updated brand. It gave us a clear visual framework to use across packaging, bar presence and point-of-sale materials. We also updated the brand mark.

Another critical task was to support Hurn’s in renaming their lager 1879. The objective was to create a name that felt distinctive, modern and memorable, while maintaining a clear connection to Wales.

The result was High Tyde, a name inspired by the famous tidal range in Swansea Bay. It’s simple to recognise, easy to order and naturally aligned with the brand’s regional identity. We also restyled the word lager as ‘lagyr’ to echo the product’s Welsh roots.

“It feels like we’ve built a genuine relationship through the project – not just delivered a piece of work – and we’re excited about what comes next.”

The result

The project has transformed Hurn’s from a legacy brand into a confident regional competitor. The brand now feels clearer, more confident and more consistent across the range. Visibility on the bar has improved, product differentiation is stronger and the overall presentation better reflects the ambition of the business.

“What we have now feels more confident, more joined up, and gives us a strong platform as we relaunch.”