BRANDING THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DESIGNING STAND OUT BREWERY LABELS

IT’S NO SECRET THAT BEER MARKETING STARTS WITH YOUR LABEL DESIGN. STOMP STICKERS HAS PUT TOGETHER THEIR FAVOURITE TIPS TO GIVE YOUR BREW AN EDGE OVER THE COMPETITION.

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If the goal is to make your brew look different than the rest, one option is to go with a unique texture. That can happen with design elements (like the “scale” design seen in the picture above), or the label material itself. Consider what kind of material will best complement your design. Make sure you consider the key difference between matte and gloss labels. For a standout, reflective design you could go with silver labels featured here.

H2: NON-STANDARD SHAPES

Author

Jon Bernard Stomp Stickers

Brewery labels are more than marketing. They’re the nexus of both style and substance, displaying key information to consumers while enticing them to pick up a case. That’s the challenge; anyone can make a beer label, but it takes careful consideration to make a label that demands attention.

With a seemingly endless amount of design choices, how can your brewery make the right selections for materials, colour, size, and graphics? Most importantly, how do you craft that iconic design that will make your brand “pop”? To help explain, we’re going to go over the most important elements of designing an effective brewery label.

A brewery label doesn’t have to be unconventional to stand out. If your brewery has more traditional branding, you can make a statement by considering the shape of the label itself. The label above is a traditional design that stands out because the diamond shape controls how the other elements are laid out.

H2: EYE-CATCHING IMAGERY

Stylized art has had a huge impact on the craft brewing industry. Eye-catching illustrations can be a nice change of pace, especially if your brewery has to compete for attention with other labels. The more artistic and less-traditional approach of Vergine di Norimberga above appeals to a younger, more adventurous audience.

H2: BRAND-LABEL AGREEMENT

The most important element in any label design is brand-label agreement. Do you have an IPA named after an island? You might want a label with fun, swirly, tropical designs. That wouldn’t make sense for a brand with a German name — instead, you’d want classic, Gothic fonts that remind you of German beer halls. Most importantly, your brand needs a clear identity. And that identity needs to inform your design choices.

Like it or not, specific colours have specific connotations. Red, gold, and orange? Warm colours. Blue and white? Cool colours. Gold labels are a popular choice for beer labels and have an “upscale” or “prized” look. Red labels are bold, powerful, and eye-catching. Green labels might remind you of the outdoors. Be mindful of every colour choice — and what it means for the context of your label.

Sometimes, everyone else is trying to do so much with their labels that the only way to stand out is to go minimal. Try a large label with a smaller font. Emphasize one element, instead of three. See how simple you can get it — and you may end up being the one label that makes new customers think: “Hmm.”

When people spread the word about your brew, you want customers to see your name first. Emphasizing your name can help you stand out to customers who are already looking for you. Think of something like Guinness. All they need is a name, a harp, and a black label; brand awareness does the rest.

Size matters. If your label is too small, it can look awkward and unprofessional. If your label is too large, you may find it challenging to fill the space. At the same time, you need to make sure you have enough space to put all the required information, which can mean two separate labels (front and back) for bottle labels.

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Red and black, black and gold, blue and orange. These colours always go together because they are high-contrast. These are bold contrasting colours that make a statement. But you don’t need to limit yourself to high-contrast choices. You can also go with analogous colours, those that are next to each other on the colour wheel. When making a new label, it’s crucial to experiment with a few different colour schemes and try to picture how your product will appear on store shelves.

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Ribbons, stars, laurels — these highlight quality, because they invoke the idea of an “award-winning” product, even if you haven’t technically won any prizes… yet. These work especially well with custom-cut brewery labels to highlight the award element against the backdrop of the bottle.

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When it comes to making a standout label, it’s wise to use unique and varied fonts. Using different fonts lets you put the emphasis exactly where you want it. The right font will do more work for your label and brand than any catchy name or slogan. Think about it, would Coca-Cola be nearly as popular if their font was a basic Times New Roman?

The best idea of all? Use custom brewery labels to spruce up the look and appearance of your beer! Ditch the conventional look and craft a specialty label that will stand out on a crowded shelf. It’s your brand, after all — make sure it looks as good as it tastes!

About the author: Jon Bernard is a National Account Manager at Stomp Stickers. Stomp is an e-commerce business that offers high-quality custom labels, stickers, boxes, canopy tents, and more. Jon’s passion is helping his customers brand and market their products through a variety of custom-printed items.