Let us start with an easy mind game. Say there are 100 different types of beer bottles in the aisle of a brewery. You take a non-beer lover and ask to choose one. We bet he will take more time than you had expected to go around the fleet. Do you think he is looking at the ingredients? Sadly, the answer is no. He might not even be looking at all the bottles for the same amount of time. So, what is he looking at? It is the eye-catching ability of the design that makes people stop and spend more time than others looking at it.
Although a beer might be good enough to sell itself, it is still not possible to know how great it is in the first place. This is where labeling, logo design, branding, can have a huge impact. The best of the graphic designers at Designhill can make your business get a global acclaim just through the creative brewery logo design. Although it is hard to generalize what is the most effective beer label, there are certain tips which can definitely make the craft stand out from the rest. Here’s a few of them.
Be Clear and Consistent
Providing examples of label styles, fonts, color swatches mockups inspire the designer and align their creative thought to flow in accordance to the brand. A good logo design conveys almost everything that the buyer needs to know. The designer should thus know about your target audience, the brewery location, the brewing style as well as the history.
To let the audience recognize your brand, stay consistent with the theme. Do not divert from the main branding choices, but create branches of the same core design to individualize flavors etc. Describe the taste to the designer to make them think accordingly.
Know What is Trending
If you are reading this, chances are you have a craft brewery, or maybe an in-charge of a brewery marketing! For any designer knowing what is trending, is the thumb rule to create an awesome design. Check out the popular design trends going around in the homebrew market. Before designing, take out time to evaluate the top sellers and their designs. You can either improve on their style of designing or go completely the other way.
Brewing great beer is definitely important, but there is no point denying the importance of branding and positioning to make sure your brewery stands out among the competition.
Distinctly extravagant and “maximalist” beer label logo designs are bursting with color and attitude. The eclectic array of imagery with visually loud and brightly colored designs gives it an eye-catching combination. The psychedelic typefaces add to the groove. Comic-like illustrations are also sometimes preferred for maximalist designs. Highly graphic style with neon color choices from the gamut of color palette gives a gripping result.
Minimalist designs exude elegance and more typography-oriented. The visual hallmarks follow crystalline geometrical patterns most of the time. This simplicity of choice can also be created with sans serif typeface.
However, there can also be another type of design, which sticks with a more balanced approach of being neither maximal nor minimal.
Start from the Beer
Beer styles, seasons, and events are amongst the top three things which influences the entire brewery logo design. Let the design team know about the history of the industry so that they can relate it with their creative direction. It is necessary to know where the brand would fit into craft brew history. And all these definitely makes a brainstorming process.
The two main styles of beer are lagers and ales each of which has countless variants of their own. IPA, Porters, Stouts, etc. are some variants of American ales while Oatmeal Stouts, Braggot, Barley wines are those of the English ales. Similarly, Ambers, Malt Liquor, Doubles are variants of American lagers while Dortmudners, Bocks, Rauchbier, Vienna are some German lagers of the lot.
Why is season important for beer design? There are some sorts which are available for a short season only, for instance, the pumpkin ales. This gives the chance to play with the seasonal themes such as the Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale label. Similar design concepts can be applied for any seasonal brews. It also makes it a step closer to successful branding.
For the small breweries, like those of the home brewers can make personalized labels. For instance, wedding or other celebration creative can have a personalized approach with the photos of the people or their name, or something close to their heart and choice. This makes the design stand out and makes a business look that they care for their customers.
Add Personality
Before the design team does it, ask yourself “why does this beer exist?” People tend to like and depend on the brands which have a story to tell. Experimental typography, illustrations, color palette, imagery, etc. can sometimes be a brave choice to make it stand out. If you plan to sell various flavors of beer and give the customer a new buying experience, add unique personality to the designs. It consequently encourages customers to try all of them.
Pay Attention to Every Detail
Having a clear brand identity is pivotal. With store shelves packed with a plethora of beer bottles, it is the logo design that helps your customers to relate themselves with your brand. The care in craft gives a visual treat and adds to the confidence of the buyer. The little yet significant details thus should not be avoided. The main label, which has the logo, has the power to boost the sales figure. How? Well, try incorporating some nuanced elements of designs. For instance, add an updated label to a non-seasonal beer and immediately make it attract the regular buyers of that brand.
This is not only limited to the main label but should also be seen on the neck label. The central real estate is certainly the most prominent part of the design, but something unique, or an extended design over the neck can be a signature logo design.
Think About Materials
To choose the best from the dizzying array of label materials, you should consult experts, such as those from Designhill. In order to stay timeless, appropriate, versatile, logo design should not only be limited to color, typography, etc. but also play well with the label material.
Paint Your Cow Purple
The concept of a “purple cow”, originating from the eponymous book by a bestselling author Seth Godin, can be purposefully used as a philosophy and practice to break the monotony of other designs. Craft beer consumers have a specific audience, and purple cow branding can serve effectively.
Make the design differ from the mainstream with funky and playful choices. Always remember, there is no hard and fast rule about the logo design and branding of craft beer. There are certainly many ways to create strange designs that convey fun, delicious and quality. Effective purple cow branding can give the value of quality over price.
