ABOUT

Carling and Umbro are British brands with a deep-rooted association with ‘the beautiful game’, so a partnership between the two was a no-brainer from the get-go.

The idea; a Limited Edition can that was hidden in selected multipacks. Those lucky enough to find the cans were given a collectible Carling x Umbro football shirt that emulates the cultural and visual synergies between the brands. The shirt celebrates the iconic Carling ‘Black Label’ iconography, reimagined by BrandOpus in 2017, and creates a disruptive and dynamic layered design that extends to the limited-edition black can hidden in select packs.

For the outer packaging, we have designed a full look and feel takeover inspired by football’s rich associations with poster and street art. Building on this visual language, we call out key information with hand-drawn arrows and typography that mimic the team tactics board. The mechanic; find the black can and claim the swag.

And we haven’t stop there. We commissioned a shoot to bring our creative to life both on pack and across Carling’s social channels. Tapping into football’s emergence as an influential force in both culture and fashion, we feature models wearing the shirt in a studio shoot that evokes the current fascination with limited edition streetwear collaborations.

The result is a design and activation that strikes the right balance between disruption and familiarity for both brands, perfectly encapsulating the shared spirit between Carling and Umbro whilst enhancing their relevance in a distinctively authentic way.