Tips for Designing Craft Beer Labels

The craft beer industry is growing quickly, thanks to wide consumer demand for unique, quality hand crafted beer – and the intimate, laid-back atmosphere craft breweries and tap rooms offer to their communities. Because of the extensive growth of the craft beer industry in recent years, finding a way to stand out from the crowd can feel daunting. Chances are, you take great care to make sure that the product that goes into your beer bottles is exceptional. It is equally important that you ensure that the label on the outside of the bottle is just as appealing as the good stuff on the inside. Without a well-thought out and uniquely designed label, your craft beer is likely to get lost in the crowd. The craft beer market is made up of thousands of breweries of every shape and size, and each has its own group of loyal followers. Find your niche and attract new fans to your beer by following these tips for designing craft beer labels that will stand out and gain the consumer’s attention.

Leverage Creative Branding

The most important thing you will do when creating your beer’s labels is to design attractive labels that stand out. One sure way to get lost in the beer shuffle is to deliver a boring, unremarkable presence. The craft beer industry as a whole values quality over price – and your label should convey that message. Craft beer drinkers are generally receptive to designs that diverge from the mainstream. Often more educated about beer than the average beer consumer, craft brew consumers tend to have a general idea of the ingredients and processes that go into the production of a good beer – so use that knowledge to your advantage. Think about the use of bold colors, fun designs, and easy-to-read wording.

Make it Clear

Take into account the style and type of beer you are creating labels for. Is it a lager or an ale? Additionally, your label should make clear what type of beer is in the bottle – IPA, Porter, Stout, Amber? Come up with a catchy, easy-to-remember name, and be sure your label includes both the name and style and type of beer if it’s not obvious in the name itself. 

Your Craft Beer Lineup Should Be Cohesive

If you’re creating labels for more than one beer under one brand, you’ll want to make sure the labels are different for each type of beer, but cohesive in the branding. Look at Rogue, Great Divide, Flying Dog, and Ommegang for examples of different beer labels that clearly belong to the same brand. Similar imagery, colors, and fonts are examples of elements that will help your branding to remain consistent.

Get Help From A Custom Label Printing Company

You don’t have to dive into the designing of your beer labels alone. Turn to a custom label printing company like Alpine Packaging for guidance from inception to delivery of your labels. Alpine’s experienced Label Engineers are dedicated to helping business owners like yourself come up with unique, quality labels that stand out from the crowd. Learn more about our bottle labels here or request a quote online.

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