Melbourne/Auckland, July 23, 2026: Craft beer brand, Panhead, has unveiled a major brand refresh and new packaging system created in partnership with independent brand design agency Weave, reinforcing the brewery’s position as New Zealand’s number one luxury craft beer brand, while creating a platform for future growth.
LION identified an opportunity to re-evaluate Panhead’s role in an increasingly competitive craft beer category appointing Weave to reinvigorate its brand strategy, refresh the identity and redesign Panhead’s packaging portfolio.
The result is “Beer, Engineered”, a new strategic positioning that reframes Panhead’s garage-built heritage through the lens of precision, instinct and quality. The new brand system will ultimately extend across all touchpoints, including packaging, communications, retail experiences and future innovation.
The redesign retains Panhead’s most recognisable brand assets while enhancing them to align with the brand’s new strategic positioning. A refined wordmark, redrawn winged pint icon, new typography and approach to colour plus a modernised design system create greater consistency across the portfolio, while a predominantly black can architecture strengthens shelf impact and improves brand blocking. The refreshed system also introduces a distinctive gradient treatment for the Hazy range, creating clear navigation while maintaining a cohesive family identity.
Dan Cookson, Executive Creative Director at Weave said the opportunity was to evolve rather than reinvent.
Cookson said “Panhead already had enormous brand equity. Our role was to sharpen what made the brand distinctive, creating a brand system that’s more confident, more consistent and better aligned with the way Panhead thinks, builds and brews.
“Beer, Engineered gives Panhead a strategic platform that can extend well beyond packaging while staying true to the grit and ingenuity that made the brand iconic.”
Kristin Paddy, Senior Brand Manager at Panhead said the refresh reflects both the evolution of the category and the strength of the Panhead brand.
Paddy said: ” Panhead has earned its place as New Zealand’s leading luxury craft beer brand through the quality of its beer and the strength of its personality. This evolution strengthens those equities, creating a more premium, cohesive brand experience that will help drive recognition and growth for years to come.
“The new brand system has been designed to improve navigation across the portfolio, strengthen shelf recognition and support premium pricing in an increasingly crowded craft beer category.”
Panhead’s refreshed identity launches nationally this month across the full brand portfolio, before rolling out across retail, brand communications and consumer experiences.
