20+ beer label designs to make your own
Summary/Overview
Beer is simultaneously an ancient human creation and one of the simplest pleasures around in the modern age. Whether you’re experimenting with homebrewing concoctions or opening your own local pub, we’ve got a wide array of design ideas for your new beer label and craft beer logo.
How to design a beer label
- Figure out the personality of your brand, your business, or the specific brew for which you’re designing a label.
- Brainstorming is important and sometimes the first idea is not the best. It’s essential to play around with names, images, and phrasing to find the best match for your product.
- Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is your business all about?
- What are your products, and how do you want to represent them?
- Who are your customers, and what are they looking for?
- How will they be buying your products?
- Decide on the right beer label colors.
- Color is the first thing most people notice. Specific colors can evoke particular emotions in your customers and may affect their mood or choices.
- Depending on whether you’ll be encasing your product in cans or bottles, make sure the label colors you choose will work with them. Beer cans tend to be silver or black, and beer bottles are typically clear, brown, or green.
- What’s the shape and size of your label?
- The factors in this determination will rely on the bottle or can style and size, as well as whether you’d like a standard label size or a custom/die-cut label made specially for your product.
- Now that you know your brand’s personality, determine what your style looks like.
- The wording and imagery of a beer label design relies heavily on the style of the brand releasing it. Are you more modern or more traditional? Does your brand rely on typical industry iconography or have you designed new original imagery all your own? Infuse your new label designs with the spirit of what you already have under your belt so that they mirror the vibe of your business.
Avoiding copyright infringement
An important thing to consider while designing your dream beer label is that it might already exist. It’s incredibly easy to wind up in copyright infringement territory, as many craft breweries have found out when they started using already recognizable pop culture items as the inspiration for their labels. Not that you can’t use something that already exists in the world as your label inspo, but be sure to read up on its trademark before you get to the design part of this process.
Beer label design materials by type
Label designs can come in all shapes, styles, and sizes. You can choose a design based on what’s trending, or go with a classic. Before you get creative, you’ll need to make a choice about which materials are best to use for your new craft beer label.
- Paper labels
- Paper labels are the cheapest option and can be applied by hand or run through a labeler machine. Though paper can be ruined by moisture, using recycled materials can decrease your costs and your carbon footprint as a business.
- Shrink sleeve labels
- Shrink sleeve or shrink wrap labels can be used without adhesive and be printed directly on the can, saving money and time. Their complete coverage also allows for a larger amount of design space.
- Pressure-sensitive labels
- Pressure-sensitive film labels enable 360-degree label designs as well as a wide array of print color options, which can be best for small batch brews or more niche product releases.
- Other types
- The other methods of labelling can use non-adhesive clings or involve direct object printing. These methods, however, tend to be more expensive due to their level of labor and equipment costs.
Fun beer label designs
Instill a little humor into your business with these funny beer label designs that play with words and colors to attract the eye and engage your customers.
Free Adobe Express beer logo templates
Create unique beer labels in minutes with the Adobe Express beer label maker, or with these free and customizable templates.
