![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131927\/adam-wilson-138927.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131934\/rsz_bionic-brew-lineup.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"logo](\"https:\/\/assets.crowdspring.com\/marketing\/landing-page\/logo-quiz-hero-optimized.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/div>How will you use your design?<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131929\/bells_oberon_can_bottle-1.png\")
<\/p>\n
Once you know your brewery\u2019s brand, you can start to think about the next vital step: where will you be sharing your design message, bottle, or can?<\/span><\/p>\n But, even within these two choices, many design variables are at play. With so many beer styles, ranging from Hefeweizen<\/a> to New England IPA and hundreds of others, it’s more important than ever to stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n Bottles offer a lot of design flexibility. All bottles have a label and a cap and may also have a neck band. Each of these elements presents a unique design opportunity. And your design considerations don\u2019t stop with the words and graphics printed on the label.<\/span><\/p>\n Image courtesy of Online Labels<\/p>\n You\u2019ve got a dizzying array of label materials to choose from, including paper, matte film, glossy film, metalized film, wood finish film, or clear film. Each of these communicates a different message to your consumer, so make sure to select a label material that reflects your brand identity. Does matte paper best represent your heritage brand? Could a metallic label best communicate your industrial vibe? Or do you prefer a wood finish that reflects your dedication to sustainability and nature?<\/span><\/p>\n While bottles offer more flexibility, cans offer more design real estate. You\u2019re not limited to a tiny cap, a small neckband, and a label. You\u2019ve got the entire can to share your design message. Besides the design limitations, many brewers choose cans because of their improved shelf life and reduced costs.<\/span><\/p>\n Image courtesy of Half Acre Beer Company<\/p>\n And no, cans aren’t just for American lagers anymore. Recently, the craft beer industry has seen a resurgence in cans, <\/span>earning a 17.2 percent national share of packaged beer sales in 2016 \u2014 up from 5.6 percent back in 2013<\/a>. Half Acre<\/a>, a Chicago, Illinois brewery (and a local favorite of the crowdSPRING team), has been brewing all their craft beer in 16 oz. cans since 2008.<\/p>\n So, now you know your brand, you\u2019ve decided whether you\u2019re bottling or canning, you\u2019ve chosen your label material (or lack thereof), and you\u2019re finally ready to create a design! Here are a few pointers to get you started.<\/span><\/p>\n A strong logo<\/a> is vital to establishing the visual recognition your brand needs. <\/span><\/p>\n But what makes for a strong logo? <\/span><\/p>\n Y<\/span>ou should aim for your logo to be simple, memorable, timeless, versatile, and appropriate. Choose colors<\/a> that align with your brand identity and evoke the right emotions for your customer<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Finally, make sure your logo doesn\u2019t look like anyone else\u2019s. The last thing you want is to have your beer confused with a lesser look-alike.<\/span><\/p>\n Design created by crowdspring creative snopy<\/p>\n This logo designed by crowdspring creative snopy for River Hops Brewing in Fort Dodge, Iowa is both timeless and appropriate. It showcases the brewery’s namesake river and hops in a clean and classy design.<\/p>\n Because your logo should be the one consistent graphic element across all of your marketing, it\u2019s worth investing in quality design.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With your logo squared away you can start to think about labels. <\/span>Your branding, including logo, should remain consistent across all of your labels to establish familiarity and trust. But,<\/span> each label should be unique to each brew in your line-up. <\/span><\/p>\n Tell your future customer what\u2019s special about this specific beer. <\/span>After all, creating your own unique brews is the reason you founded your own brewery.<\/span><\/p>\n Image Courtesy of Oh Beautiful Beer<\/p>\n Tenaya Creek Brewery<\/a> in Las Vegas, Nevada, pulled imagery from their Native American heritage to differentiate between each brew. <\/span><\/p>\n The presence of their navy logo creates a band around the top of each can that ties the designs together, while each beer has its unique label design in a distinctive color palette. It makes you want to collect them all!<\/span><\/p>\n Are you designing for a seasonal brew? Feature images that conjure that season for your consumer. Is it wheaty, hoppy, or fruity? Take your inspiration from those. Show your drinkers what they can expect to find inside the bottle.<\/span><\/p>\n Image courtesy of Neel and Cottage<\/p>\n New Belgium<\/a> in Fort Collins, Colorado, takes their customers through all the seasons with label designs that are able to communicate the flavor of the beer and the seasonality of the offering at the same time.<\/p>\n What about the beers you offer all year round?\u00a0This is where your brand identity comes in handy. Use design to showcase your brewery’s unique personality to win your consumer\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n Image Courtesy of Oh Beautiful Beer<\/p>\n Birra Bizarra<\/a>\u00a0in Montevideo, Uruguay has channeled their inner sideshow performers with this line of unique labels. Their clean, simple text logo provides\u00a0an appropriate backdrop for their featured characters and ties the line together nicely. There’s no shortage of personality here. They’re bound to attract a playful, adventurous consumer with these labels.<\/p>\n Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, every brewery is participating in a popularity contest. You\u2019re judged by your beer\u2026 but only if you get that consumer to buy it first. That means your label is your first impression. Are you quirky and fun or do you take your beer very seriously? Are you innovative and new or steeped in tradition? Show your consumer on your label and you\u2019ll attract like-minded drinkers.<\/span><\/p>\n Design created by crowdspring creative dancluj50<\/p>\n The thought of tackling your brewery\u2019s label designs by yourself can be overwhelming. \u00a0With so many competing breweries, let alone individual beers competing for your consumer\u2019s attention, you need every advantage you can get.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Working with professional packaging and graphic designers like our creative community of over 220,000 designers will give your brewery the edge it needs to stand out. And though it may seem more frugal to “homebrew” your design, investing in good design can actually save your brewery money in the long-run.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131926\/beer-bottle-labels-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131925\/half_acre_cans_resized.png\")
<\/p>\nYour logo should reflect your brand<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131931\/river_hops_logo.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\nLabels with a personality<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131934\/rsz_tenayacreek_cans06.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131932\/f94fb5fa73e935cbfb09aba77b5b696a.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131933\/rsz_bizarra-bottles.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCall in the professionals<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/27131927\/elipsis_brewing_logo_Resized-e1492196770968.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\nMake it all about your brewery<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/06164945\/small-business-blog-master-cta.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"