In the middle of 2012 there was a severe imbalance between the visual identity of the "King of Beers in Romania", and the brand's sheer scale. While Ursus' brand iconography was universally recognised, it was in desperate need of a facelift that would elevate it to new heights.

Studies showed that the brand's strongest visual differentiator by far was the bear icon. This had appeared from the beginning of the brand and had gone through a number of avatars over the years. The latest incarnation, which had been in existence for around two years at the time, didn't fit the nature of the brand. The bear appeared somewhat docile, and even sedated. The new bear needed to be manly and charismatic, and had to work well together with the wordmark as well as by itself. It also needed to look directly into the eyes of the onlooker, rather than dodging their glance.

We started with a search for the most fitting gaze for the bear. With this in mind we selected portraits of some of the most coveted men on the planet and printed them on cards, which we then spread over the walls of our office. Rather than looking for a specific gaze, we wanted to understand how these symbols of masculinity work with their eyes. This experiment helped us greatly in our opening discussions with the client.

Once we had solved the question of the bear's gaze, the rest came by itself. We were so sure that we had come up with the correct solution, that any other graphic attempt seemed pointless. Our design won the pitch, and currently Ursus' new bear icon announces with an abundance of personality and charisma that you are not far away from one of Romania's most celebrated beers.