Marks & Spencer has rolled out two new own-label beer ranges with drinks-branding agency Thirst – a Continental line built on vintage postage-stamp storytelling, and a craft range that puts its brewery partners front and centre.
Be honest: how much thought do you usually give to the design on a supermarket own-label beer? Ok, maybe I’m asking the wrong audience here. But for most, it’s a quick grab off the shelf and into the trolley. And “continental” lager, in own-label terms, tends to mean nothing more than a bit of foreign-looking styling on the can. Perhaps a wink towards somewhere sunnier, with not much thought behind it.
Marks & Spencer wanted to change that. It’s just rolled out two new design-led beer ranges, both created with drinks-branding specialists Thirst, and together they’re a proper rethink of what own-label beer can be on shelf. One is a richly detailed Continental range; the other a bold, modern craft line-up. Both move well beyond functional packaging into something with a lot more character.
Special delivery
The Continental range came with a clear challenge. In a category where “continental” is usually just a styling cue, how do you show a beer’s provenance is the real thing? Because in this case it is: every lager in the range is brewed in its country of origin, and the design needed to prove it, while standing apart from both the usual own-label look and the big global names.
Thirst’s answer was to build a storytelling system inspired by vintage postage stamps. Each beer becomes a destination, celebrating where it comes from through distinctive typography, bold colour and its own illustrated mascot. The stamp device gives the range a structure that still flexes, so every beer has its own personality while clearly belonging to the same family. It also brings a sense of collectability, nudging us shoppers to explore the range as a whole set.
The illustration is a core part of the refresh. Animals from each country have been drawn in a modern etched style, which gives a lovely nod to the intricate detailing of traditional stamp engravings. It has a crafted feel, and it does the job of hitting home where the drink comes from.
But it wasn’t easy getting here. Printing is split across four different countries, and there are limited finishing options, so the team couldn’t rely on foils or embossing for a premium feel. Instead, they got there through composition, detail and illustration alone. I guess sometimes, the constraint calls for more creativity. And that’s certainly the case here.
“For the Continental range, we leaned into storytelling and detail to celebrate where each beer comes from,” says Matt Burns, executive creative director at Thirst. “The craft range is more direct and expressive, built around partnerships, flavour and personality. Together, they show how own-label can be just as confident and culturally relevant as anything in the independent space.”
Craft, on its own terms
The craft range takes a more direct, contemporary route. The job here was to hero the brewery collaborations while keeping everything cohesive across the core, premium and alcohol-free variants.
At the heart of the system is a bold badge. This pushes the brewery partnership to the top of the can, with M&S becoming a consistent mark of quality. It’s a small shift in hierarchy that does two things: it adds clarity around who does what, and an extra sprinkling of credibility that helps the range feel part of the craft beer movement.
The design language is expressive and led by flavour. Colour reflects taste profiles, and the typography changes character with each beer style, for example, relaxed and easy-going for session beers, wavy and fluid for hazy ones, and classic Americana-inspired lettering for the US-led brews. Subtle tonal patterns and fine gold linework add depth without adding any fuss. The system works across all tiers, too: the premium range goes more tonal and restrained to signal intensity, while the alcohol-free variants bring in white and blue cues to meet category expectations without losing any of the boldness.
M&S, for its part, is thrilled. “Working with Thirst was a pleasure,” says Dave Bond, designer at M&S. “They were tasked with redesigning both our craft beer and Continental lager ranges simultaneously and delivered exceptional results across the board. From strategy through to final execution, the level of creativity and attention to detail was outstanding. Their use of colour in particular stands out, using palettes that feel fresh and contemporary while still rooted in the visual language of beer.”
His colleague Maddie Love, a product developer at M&S, is equally warm on the process. “Thirst has been a highly reliable and collaborative partner throughout,” she says. “The team is clear in their communication, well organised, and efficient at every stage. Their design presentations made it easy for us to review options and make confident decisions.”
Thirst, for the record, is a creative partner to some of the drinks world’s most ambitious brands, working globally out of Glasgow and New York. It’s nice to see how they’ve given M&S a beer offer with genuine range: one that balances storytelling with clarity, and craft with consistency.
The new ranges are rolling out across M&S stores now. And as Bond puts it, “the difference from the previous range is night and day”. High praise, which we think is more than well earned.
