Studio Brief 1 - Beer Label research

Things to consider when designing beer labels

• Get a basic understanding of the history of the brand you are designing for – think about the location in which it originated and when it was established.
• Craft beer design differs from mainstream drinks. Designs are also widely creative, meaning creating a stand out design is a must.
• Ingredients can play a part in the designs. E.g. the ingredient hops is used frequently as a key part of the design as well as other images of nature.
• Beer styles, seasons and events. Designing a beer may involve catering to a specific audience or period in time. For example, winter beer festivals could involve the imagery of ice and snow on the labels of their beers. These flavours may be exclusive to the seasons or event.
• American ales – IPA / Porters / Stouts 
• English Ales – Oatmeal Stouts / Braggots / Barley wines
• American Lager – Ambers / Malt liquor / Doubles
• German Lager – Bocks / Dortmudners / Rauchbier / Vienna
• Creating literal meanings to the words used on the label for the designs. For example, Imperial Pumpkin Ale. 

Uniqueness of labels

Most labels used for craft ale use unique designs that help the brand to stand out among others. To achieve unique features in a label some factors will first need to be considered in terms of what will makes the drink unique. This can include the colour choices, appropriate typography, imagery and geographical consideration. For example, if a certain pale ale is made with the intention of appealing to the target customer during winter season, the colour choice may be blue or white, as it represents snow and ice as well as a cold feeling. It may also include a font that could traditionally be associated with winter, as well as including imagery of a certain location in which the beer originates. In contrary to this theory, other labels may decide they want to take a different approach to the aesthetic of the drink. For example, if the ale they are promoting is a warm and bitter tasting drink, then they may decide that the design will be centred around things that we associate with keeping warm during winter. One example of this would be by displaying an image of a log fire with colours that are considered warm, such as dark orange and yellow.

The label design could also work in correspondence with the shape or size of the bottle or can it is displayed on. For example, the use of transparent labels on bottles give the opportunity for the buyer to see glimpses of the actual drink included in the label. This can work well when deciding how the colour scheme of the bottle will work with the contents. Another way that labels can work uniquely is by creating a label that can be viewed from the inside of the bottle or at different angles. One example of this would be most commonly found in vodka brands, which use frosted designs that allow the buyer to see inside the bottle at the inner labels around the edges or along the bottle of the glass.