The new look, created in-house with assistance from design agency Holmes & Marchant and Evolving Media, will appear on dispensers and glasses in all sites where the draft font is to be used. The font features Japanese lettering that will be backlit for effect.
The redesign follows the axing of the brewer's Kirin variant in favour of Ichiban at the end of last year. Kirin in Japan decided to promote the Ichiban variant as its flagship brand around the world in order to build on booming sales of premium lager.
The Ichiban brand roll-out is being supported by a £1.1m spend that will be used to promote the product in major UK cities. The new look will be introduced to pubs and bars backed by point-of-sale material. Kirin Ichiban is also hoping to drive take-up in the hotel and restaurant market.
The investment highlights the shift away from the original Kirin beer, which received the lion's share of the brewer's UK marketing support.
Brand director Justin Horsman, who is overseeing the changes, said that the campaign would feature the strapline "Brewed with ruthless inefficiency", highlighting the claim that it is the most expensive beer in the world to produce.
Kirin, which has been brewed under licence in the UK by Charles Wells since 1993, is the world's 12th-biggest beer brand and 10th-biggest brewer globally.
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