Bier Bier is located on the ground floor of a striking Art Nouveau building in the centre of Helsinki, and part of The We Are Group, alongside wine bar Vin Vin, restaurant Story and wine importer and wholesaler Viinitie. It has over 100 different types of beer and an interior of dark wood panels and carved frames, ocean green walls, light wood tiled flooring, tan and dark leather upholstered furniture, exposed bulbs and copper detailing. Bier Bier also features a new brand identity created by graphic design studio Tsto, which included custom typography and extends across coasters, neon and backlit signage.

Bier Bier’s new logotype is an unusual, slightly awkward, and disparate union of loosely rendered organic brush strokes and steady monolinear lines. This duality is complimented by, and emphasised using, a black and white colour palette, and the current and expressive qualities of radiating illustration applied to windows set within the context of an old building with a robust and unmoving exterior.

This fusion of line styles appears to form a connection with the identities of the businesses that make up The We Are Group. For instance, wine bar Vin Vin favours personable and energetic brush strokes, and wine importer and wholesaler Viinitie embraces the monolinear and geometric.

The logotype translates well into backlit signage but less so as neon tubes. It works well as black on white and white on black while the monolinear elements are drawn out by, or at least reference, the bar’s tap handles.

It is a small project but one that delivers impact through disparity and slight discomfort, which is grounded in the authority of the building and the quality of its interior, and secures distinction whilst remaining part of a broader network of bars, restaurants and retailers. More from Tsto on BP&O.

Design: Tsto. Photography: Mikko Ryhänen. Opinion: Richard Baird.