BRU redesigns packaging around the dining experience

Belgian sparkling water brand BRU has introduced a new packaging identity developed by Antwerp-based studio WeWantMore, shifting the focus away from conventional supermarket shelf impact towards a more refined presence at the dining table.

The redesign reflects BRU’s long-standing association with restaurants and fine dining, where the bottle functions not only as a container but also as part of the visual environment surrounding the meal.

Rather than making the packaging louder or more visually aggressive, the new system uses restraint, heritage and stronger brand coherence to create a bottle intended to feel appropriate in premium hospitality settings.

Design moves beyond traditional shelf impact

Packaging design is often built around the assumption that products have only a few seconds to attract attention in crowded retail environments.

BRU’s positioning creates a different challenge. In restaurants, the bottle remains visible on the table for much longer and becomes part of the overall dining experience.

WeWantMore therefore approached the project by considering how the packaging would look alongside glassware, tableware and food rather than focusing exclusively on differentiation against competing bottles on a supermarket shelf.

Deep navy creates a more premium visual language

The refreshed identity uses a deep navy blue as its dominant colour, replacing a more visually complex approach with a calmer and more disciplined system.

The colour references water while also creating a premium appearance that can integrate naturally into restaurant environments.

Greater use of white space around the brand elements further simplifies the label and gives the bottle a cleaner, more contemporary presence.

Historic stag remains central to the identity

BRU’s leaping stag emblem has been retained but redesigned with a more sculptural and streamlined appearance.

Rather than abandoning an established visual asset, WeWantMore modernised it while preserving enough of its original character to maintain recognition among existing consumers.

This approach allows the brand to evolve without losing the heritage accumulated around its packaging over time.

Heritage is updated rather than removed

BRU traces its origins to natural spring water from Stoumont in Belgium’s Ardennes, with a history extending back several centuries.

For established brands, such heritage can become both an advantage and a limitation. Familiar visual elements support recognition, but unchanged design can gradually begin to appear dated.

The redesign demonstrates how packaging can modernise historic brand assets through proportion, typography, colour and composition rather than replacing them completely.

Packaging becomes part of hospitality branding

The project highlights an increasingly important distinction between packaging designed primarily for retail and packaging that continues to communicate after purchase.

In hospitality environments, beverage bottles can remain visible throughout a meal and influence perceptions of both the product and the venue serving it.

This means factors such as silhouette, label restraint, colour and material finish can become particularly important when packaging is expected to work as an object within an interior environment.

BRU builds a more coherent premium identity

The redesign is supported by the positioning “Some things just belong on the table”, reinforcing the idea that the bottle itself should feel like a natural part of a shared dining occasion.

By aligning packaging design with the context in which the product is consumed, BRU is moving beyond the traditional objective of attracting attention and instead focusing on relevance, longevity and visual compatibility.

The project shows how beverage packaging can create differentiation not by becoming louder, but by understanding where the pack will actually be seen, handled and experienced.