Beer Label Design Strategy

“What do you think a beer label should be?” Folks know my passion for both beer and design and ask me this on the regular in regards to designing a beer label. What they don’t always know is that I have experience in print design and art direction. So I thought it was long overdue for an official answer and post here on ItsABrewLife.com where I often share my latest #LabelLoves with you all.

The short answer? There really isn’t a magic formula for designing a beer label. There just isn’t. “Well that’s no solid answer!” Hold on, though. Lots of approaches exist that have proven to be effective in beer label design. A cookie cutter set of rules will only produce designs that don’t stand out one from another. And, design trends change often just as beer styles come in and fall out of popularity. But there are things that need to be considered and evaluated before jumping into a beer label design project.

Things to Consider

So let’s dive in a little deeper. I’d suggest that first and foremost, a label designer needs to consider the audience – aka the beer customer. And, they need to take into account the distribution method for the beer. In other words, where will the beer be sold, how will it be sold, how will it be displayed and to whom?

Secondly, a designer needs to fully be immersed in the brewery brand personality. You have to know how the brewery’s brand sounds, what does it look like, how does it feel and how does it interact (attitude) with its consumers.

And, thirdly, what is the story or inspiration behind the beer? Knowing how or why the beer was dreamed up – what inspired its creation, the beer name, and the beer flavor notes are key.

The concepts are simple. No different, really, than any other type of product that needs to go to market. But what makes beer a little different than the rest is HOW and WHERE the beer is distributed. Here’s why…

Beer Packaged for Distribution

If the brewery depends on distributors to place their product in stores, brand visibility is extremely important. There’s a constant fight for shelf space at the retailer level. It’s highly competitive. And a brewery isn’t always guaranteed prime shelf space. That and the fact that the customer may not be familiar with every single brewery brand on those shelves makes it essential for a beer label to jump out and be noticed. I’m not saying slap on bright colors and bold fonts to catch attention. It’s all about differentiation.

Having the brewery logo on the main area of the bottle label or bottle neck is a no brainer. If it’s a can, then place the logo on the front or on one of the sides where you can still see it as you’re walking down an aisle. A consumer is often shopping by brand or by beer style. With that in mind, the logo itself should be simply designed and clear to read at small sizes. I’m always amazed at how many breweries get this wrong by having a logo design that is cluttered with too many style elements or uses typography that is difficult to read. At a glance, buyers need to be able to read the brewery name. Bottom line: The brewery logo must be legible.

The beer label not only needs to communicate a specific brewery brand but it also needs to be eye-catching in how the design communicates what beer is in the container. Some breweries go with a funny, bold or curious beer name prominently displayed. Others rely on illustrating flavor elements of the beer. Two growing design trends are designers using hand drawn illustrations while others go minimal with strong, colorful geometric shapes/patterns. It really depends on the breweries brand personality in terms of look and feel of a beer label design. Conveying THAT consistently across all of your labels is a winning approach.

Two great label design examples for distributed beers are Tröegs Independent Brewing Co.’s 2015 and South County Brewing Co.’s 2018 redesign.

Photo Credit: Tröegs Independent Brewing

I love the handmade look of the lettering and illustrations. Pen and paper as opposed to computerized-perfection. Notice how each label is similar but not templatized. Different fonts as opposed to limiting the labels to using 2 or 3 fonts gives it that “crafted” feel… just like the heart and soul that goes into making Tröegs beer. Their label designs match how they approach each beer creation project. The simplistic but bold Tröegs logo that pops up at the top of the main label also unifies the collection. Exquisite. You can read more about the redesign project and why it works so well.

Photo Credit: South County Brewing Co.

South County Brewing Co. just redesigned their can lineup of seasonal and flagship beers. Where’s the logo? Don’t worry. It’s on the side and in large lettering. You can’t miss it. The artwork theme plays on the name of each beer. The graphical style of using solid colors (not traditional shading) forms the objects in each composition. Plus, the ragged edges of the artwork as a whole unifies their look from can to can. Electrified and intense. Stunning.

Beer Packaged for Brewery-Only Sales

Many of the design tips I mentioned for breweries that distribute also work well for those breweries who sell packaged beer at their taproom through bottle or can release events. This tends to be a completely different target audience than the beer consumers who shop at various store types to purchase their brew.

This consumer knows all about the brewery they’re buying from. They’ve researched the specific beer that is being released. They expect new, different, unusual and often quirky.

That type of beer drinker wants to share with the world through social media what beers they just hunted and captured. With that in mind, the beer label can push the creative limits on what it is that goes into the design.

Because these bottles or cans somewhat become trophies or collectors’ pieces. The designs can be quite abstract or artsy. Works of art, if you will. I often refer to Tired Hands Brewing Co. beers as lovely works of art. And, their label designs are no different. I often can’t part with the can after I’ve consumed the beer. I have to save at least 1 empty can from each beer release I’m able to attend.

Aslin Beer Co. is another of those examples who excel at turning their beer can labels into works of art. These 4 cans were released together recently at the brewery – they do not distribute their beer at all.

For those of you who have not yet discovered Aslin, they are quite experimental and have a vibrant/energetic brand personality. Always evolving – pushing limits. And, rightfully so each can design is unique and different. Their design approach is “less is more” with the color scheme tying it all together. The warm energetic colors (red, orange, yellow) burst away from the contrasting cool colors (black, blue, purple) as if they can’t be contained. The beer names drive the artwork elements. For instance, the 3rd can in the photo is called Double Orange Starfish Double IPA and it shows two orange starfish-like elements. The first is the actual starfish while the second is a reflection of the real starfish.

The Beer Name Can Drive The Label Design

Hudson Valley Brewery on the other hand uses intricate and gobs of small bits of shapes compiled to make 1 bigger image. The complexity of their beers’ flavor notes is no different. Layers on layers of flavors. Just recently they released Plumage a Sour DIPA with raw wheat, malted oat, milk sugar, ruby red grapefruit, white chocolate & peppermint and hopped with El Dorado and Azacca. The beer label is intricate and plays with the plumage or feather theme. Gorgeous beer. Gorgeous label.

Photo Credit: Hudson Valley Brewery

You can read more about their label artwork in a recent interview I did with their designer/artist – Evan Cohen.

Beer Label Design: Tie In Brand Personality

Dogfish Head Brewing Craft Brewery is spot on when it comes to communicating their brand personality. The entire collection of labels from the 2016 redesign is cohesive with a unified look and feel. Dogfish Head is known for their creative beer recipes and bold flavors. It was calculated genius that they played up just that in their bold, colorful artwork. Showcasing the flavor elements ties all of the labels together. 60 Minute IPA is hoppy so there’s a hop on the label. Seaquench Ale Session Sour packaging prominently displays limes, sea salt and other flavor ingredients to quickly communicate what the drinker will taste. It’s appetite appeal really. “Do you like these flavors? Then you’ll like this beer.” This approach carries through all of the artwork used to market the brewery – even the chalkboard at the Milton, Delaware brewery seen below.

Dogfish Head’s tagline “Off-centered ales for off-centered people” communicates their bold, quirky personality. And, that philosophy even trickles down to the font style and “off-centered” letter alignment. It’s a type style used on their beer packaging, advertisements, website and all of their brand and marketing touchpoints.

The Art of the Beer Can

I’m fascinated by the ‘Art of the Can,’ aka #LabelLove if you will. It’s a fairly new genre in the world of craft. In the U.S., the popularity of craft beer in cans has just started taking off in the past few years. Cans were previously shunned or frowned upon because it was most commonly used by macro beer brands (the arch enemy) – as if to say beer in cans were poor quality.

Here are a few of my personal favorite can designs from my beer can collection:

I think you can see a common theme here. Many are hand drawn illustrations that could be hanging in an art gallery. Just so very different from what the nationally distributed craft breweries are doing. These smaller brands are re-inventing what should be on the can. Each design begs you to stop what you’re doing and explore the can in it’s entirety and the contents therein.

Who’s Doing It Wrong?

Lots of folks. But for me, I can’t understand why Russian River Brewing Co. hasn’t worked on a beer packaging facelift (shown at far left in photo below). I highly respect their beers. They’re an iconic craft beer brand and are often sought after. Their beer labels, however, don’t communicate that. They feel a bit dated to say the least. Much of the type design is hard to read and often times used as small as a whisper. Your eye isn’t engaged and therefore your mind just drifts off to other beautiful labels on the beer store shelf.

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project is another example of a beer label in need of a redo (shown at far right in photo below). Again, very dated looking.

Beer Label Design Matters

There are hundreds of labels that make me cringe. Sometimes marketing and design is an afterthought for some breweries and isn’t a priority for them. With droves of new breweries coming online here in the U.S., drab design isn’t going to cut it anymore.

According to the Brewers Association, a 2015 study by the NielsenGroup conveyed the finding that “Among weekly craft drinkers, millennials try 5.1 different brands per month. 15% try 10 plus brands per month. Brewers need to offer a broad variety of beers to keep the consumer within your portfolio.”

Continuing to release new beers helps a brewery stay engaged with the Millennial beer drinker. I can honestly say that as a GenXer, I’m drawn to this as well. Today’s society of craft beer drinkers get bored easily. Memorable and stunning beer label design can tap into this mindset and engage the consumer visually.

Here’s where I also have to say that just the element of design alone can not sell a beer or persuade a beer drinker to stay loyal to that beer or brand. It’s a complex matrix of elements that sets up a brewery for success from the very basic concept of “make great beer” down to the minutia of providing your taproom guests exceptional customer service and a pleasant, memorable experience. But packaging design is an integral part of a successful sales strategy.