The Iron King Brewery is a micro-brewery in Ctineves, a historical town just north of Prague. Here they brew beer following traditional Czech techniques, using only water, hops, malt and yeast.


Spurred by a change in ownership in 2016, they approached Studio Lake for a complete rebrand of their company. We developed a new visual language, inspired by the brewery’s namesake, the Iron King. This was the nickname of King Ottar II, who reigned over Bohemia in the 13th century. We evoked this historical character through the creation of custom typefaces which recall traditional Czech beer labels. Combined with modern line illustrations, the identity celebrates the brewery’s heritage while placing it firmly in the 21st century.

For the product packaging, we emphasized the fact that each beer in the collection is named after a nearby location or historical event. Unique illustrations were made to visualise the story of every label. The result is a consistent, expressive brand identity which can easily be expanded with more products in the future.