The world of craft beer is fierce and gaining swift momentum, taking over nearly 20% of the beer market in 2014 alone. This marks the first time since the 1880’s that this many microbreweries have been in operation in the United States. It’s no wonder then, that the competition has also increasingly gotten more aggressive and arguably experimental with their ingredients. With the future of craft beer firmly set to stay, Microbrewery owners will commonly tell you their beer sells not on taste alone- but the design of the beer labels on the bottle or can. Perhaps that’s a bit of a cold hard truth, but marketing your product is an important step in encouraging others to try it. [tweet]Having a quality beer helps[/tweet] too.
First things first, you’ll need to determine the general size of your bottle or can that your Vinyl Decal (beer labels) will be displayed on. It won’t make any difference to anyone looking if your beer labels are too small to be seen or large to even be placed on the surface. Assuming you have a bottle or can on hand you can always measure the diameter of the surface using a cloth ruler. Your beer labels will wrap around the bottle, so determine how much of the surface you intend on covering and we can move onto the next step: The Basics of Beer Label Design.
Getting your Beer Labels Started
Different states may have different requirements as to what information has to be displayed on your bottle along side your beer labels. But for now we’re just going to be concentrating on your beer labels for your particular branded beer. That means you’ll need a Name for your brew, a Theme, and generally speaking a personality to attach to it. You may be asking- how does a personality play into designing beer labels? But really think of any beer you’ve tasted, the packaging speaks to you even before the contents touch your lips. So before we go any further ask yourself- what does your beer intend to tell people? It doesn’t have to be a complicated answer. It can be as simple as ‘fresh’ ‘natural’ or as intense as ‘Viking Beer’. Beer labels are a whole lot more than just beer labels. It speaks to your intended audience- and understanding your audience can be half the battle. There’s no trick or easy answer for coming up for a design however, creating a beer label is no more complicated than coming up with any other logo. It’s all about inspiration and lot of tossed away ideas.
With your beer labels fleshed out, now comes the critical moment to attach it to your bottle or can. Lettering on the Cheap has the answer to your problems. Vinyl beer labels are an easy to use, sticky backed solution for labeling bottles, cans, glassware or truly anything imaginable. Because the Vinyl is hardy, you won’t risk fading that can be common in other materials. Vinyl, which has gone by many names from Decals to Stickers has been widely used across the world. But what if you’re still having trouble with your beer label design? No problem, Lettering on the Cheap has some really top-notch designers that can help you from start to finish (Seriously- I can contest to their skill!)
Have questions or comments on designing Beer Labels or Vinyl Decals? Ask away in the comments!
