Taxi Studio designs stand-out identity for Carlsberg Elephant

Taxi Studio has revealed its work on Carlsberg Elephant, which was designed to communicate its new premium position in India's evolving drinks market.

With an incredible annual growth rate of 40%, Elephant is one of India's best-loved brews and an integral player in Carlsberg's growth strategy in this market. "India's beverage market is evolving fast, with strong beers and craft brands shaking things up," says Taxi Studio design director Will Duffy.

It was decided that positioning Carlsberg Elephant as one of the more premium options was the key to staying ahead, so the brand needed to match.

While the brand was already well-loved by consumers, it needed to stand out more on the shelf. According to Duffy, this was especially noticeable in dimly lit environments or from a distance—typical conditions in India’s "dark market" retail setup.

The design process began with a deep immersion in the market, which meant taking a trip to New Delhi to meet the local team in person. Insights from the Carlsberg India team set Taxi up for success, as they were made aware of their day-to-day challenges and fully immersed themselves in the brand's world.

"Our in-market visits and conversations with the Carlsberg India team were a huge source of inspiration, and these moments helped us understand what makes Carlsberg Elephant so loved and what customers expect from a premium beer in this space," Duffy explains.

One of the brand's central elements is the Elephant itself, which needed to be brought to life in a new way. It is one of Carlsberg's most significant brand assets in Denmark and holds a deep heritage and meaning.

Duffy says: "The challenge was to transform the Elephant into a bold, distinctive, and instantly recognisable symbol that would dominate not just shelves but all key touchpoints.

"With such an iconic product and name to work with, our goal was clear: create a bold and unforgettable identity that would elevate the brand and make it unmissable."

In collaboration with illustrators, Taxi meticulously recrafted and refined the symbol to ensure it aligned with Carlsberg's global identity while standing out in the Indian market.

Duffy describes how they blended "the iconic curves and strokes of the Carlsberg logo with bold, modern elements to create something truly memorable". Every step of the redesign process was validated by customers to ensure that it would resonate with its audience.

He recalls that one of the most interesting challenges came from the way people buy beer in India because shoppers often wait outside while the shopkeeper retrieves their order. Making a connection with buyers is made even harder by dimly lit store environments, which is where the visibility challenge came in.

"To tackle this, we created a striking, supersized elephant illustration that grabs attention instantly as, since cans are often stacked individually, a significant portion can end up rotated and displaying bland mandatory information," says Duffy. In the new design, all the necessary information is displayed in a more creative way, freeing up valuable space for the Elephant.

"We also leaned into the aspirational qualities of gold, a colour that commands attention and symbolises status in the market," Duffy adds. The gold hue paired with a bold, striking resulted in a new and confident expression of the brand that could stand out in any environment.