Agency Life

Following the successful relaunch of the classic Chantré Weinbrand and the new product launch of Chantré Crème, echd has now also successfully revamped Chantré Cuvée Rouge, the third product in the range. With a gentle facelift and a slight modernization of all elements, the fruity spirit presents itself more elegantly than ever before. Chantré Cuvée Rouge not only rounds off the brand portfolio in terms of taste, but the three products now also fit together perfectly visually. Chantré Cuvée Rouge is distilled from 100 percent red wine and harmoniously combines the typical softness of Chantré with the full, fruity taste of selected red grapes. Soft like brandy - fruity like red wine: Chantré Rouge is the ideal spirit for aromatic long drinks and sparkling aperitif recipes.

For the relaunch of Chantré Weinbrand and the product launch of Chantré Crème, echd received the prestigious German Design Award just this year.

Let’s talk about Bahlsen. Just a few days ago, the brand announced it would walk back its 2021 redesign and return to a more traditional look. And suddenly, many pointed fingers at the packaging as the reason for disappointing sales. But I don’t think it’s that simple. In fact, I personally thought the 2021 rebrand by Auge Design was excellent – bold, elegant, and refreshingly modern. Yes, it probably alienated some long-time customers who associated the brand with tradition and nostalgia.
But I highly doubt the design alone was the cause of declining sales.

So what is?
In my opinion, the real issue lies in the product itself. Decades ago, Bahlsen’s cakes and biscuits felt convenient, fairly priced, and tasty. But consumer expectations have shifted dramatically – especially in the age of social media.We now live in a world of gooey New York-style cookies, flaky pistachio croissants, and handmade cinnamon buns from Zeit für Brot. In that environment, Bahlsen’s ready-made cake slices feel outdated – no matter how good the packaging looks.

And that brings me to the new 2025 look:
I’m not here to tear it down. The design is technically well executed, and I’m sure the team behind it did a great job. But no redesign – no matter how polished – can make a product feel relevant if the product itself hasn’t evolved.

At some point, we need to ask the harder question:

👉 Is the product still right for the time?

We are absolutely thrilled! With the relaunch of Chantré Weinbrand and the launch of Chantré Crème, we were honored at this year's German Design Awards in the category Excellent Communications Design - Packaging.

Three years ago, we were entrusted with the reworking of the classic brandy while at the same time designing the new product Chantré Crème - a new product aimed primarily at a younger and predominantly female target group.

When relaunching Chantré brandy, it was important for us to retain the existing core brand values while integrating its USP - the soft taste - into the design. We achieved this with a new label form, a gentle logo optimization and a warm cream tone in the label. A total of 4,300 entries from 59 countries were submitted for this year's German Design Award.

We dedicate this award to our recently deceased colleague Noam Katz. He accompanied this project in the Print Production department for many years and, with his 100% accuracy and expertise, ensured that the realization worked out so beautifully. Thank you Noam 🩵

Sometimes there are moments in life that you never expect to happen - and this is one of them. Our long-time colleague Noam sadly passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last Saturday.

We are not just mourning the loss of a colleague - Noam was so much more to us: he was a friend, an advisor and always there when we needed support, and he shared with us his dream of sailing his own boat around the world. He firmly believed that we could hit the big lottery jackpot together and encouraged us to take long walks during our lunch break. His precise eye, his passion for good design and his enormous sense of duty and at the same time relaxed manner, characterized Noam.Noam, we miss you so much.our thoughts and our deepest sympathy are with his wife, his two children and his whole family, to whom we now wish a lot of strength.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Since November, there has been a change in the management at echd: Max and Lisa Wenzel have both decided to take a new direction and step down from the management of the agency. We would like to thank them both for seven years of passion, creativity and strategic development that have made echd what it is today.

Our success story will continue - with Nadine Hartmann, who will continue to lead the agency as Managing Director, and Paul Valentiner, who has been part of the management team since July 2024. Together, they have ambitious plans for the future:
➡ Expanding our offering beyond packaging
➡ The expansion of our “Future Media” department

We are particularly proud of what we have achieved together recently, such as the realignment of Dentinox, the modernization of the Chantré brand and our success at the German Design Award.

One thing remains clear to us: change is an opportunity to continue to grow. We look forward to writing the next chapters together with you and our great customers!

We are delighted to have impressed the high-caliber jury of the German Brand Awards 2024 with our Schaebens packaging relaunch! Schaebens and echd were honored in the discipline “Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation - Packaging”. The German Brand Award is THE award for successful brand management in Germany, judged by an interdisciplinary panel of experts from brand management and brand science. It discovers, presents and honors unique brands and brand makers.

Many thanks to Johanna Botzem and Sarah Goldschmidt for their trust in our work and the great collaboration on this project!

Time to party! 🎉🥂

You can find the whole case study here

Under the motto “Unleash your creativity”, the Forward Festival recently brought together the creative and design community in Amsterdam. Who was there? echd of course!

Our colleagues Ramona, Anna and Maxi were inspired and share their highlights and biggest learnings with you below:

✨ Dutch 3D illustrator Eva Cremers made a lasting impression on us with her talk, making it clear how important it is to make time for your passions. If logo design is not your thing, there is little point in forcing it. Instead, you should focus on what really excites you. Because passionate work leads to excellence, and the right clients will follow.

🤖 London-based design agency Builders Club brought another important topic to the stage: the integration of AI into creative workflows. Instead of seeing AI as a replacement or a threat, we should see it much more as an extension that supports and simplifies our work. Incorporating AI can lead to more efficient processes and create new creative opportunities.

💞 Another highlight was the comparison of client-agency relationships with the dating world of w+k Amsterdam. This presentation was not only humorous, but also insightful. Just like dating, building a successful client relationship is ultimately about mastering the competition, a phase of knowing

Photo Credit: Alex Heuvink | Forward Festival

In the current issue 3/2024 of creativ verpacken, our Creative Director Paul talks not only of our work for the relaunch of the Chantré brandy, but also introduces the new cream liqueur, Chantré Crème, which appeals to a younger and particularly female target group.

You can find the whole article here