Best Practices for Beer Label Design

You’ve spent years perfecting your brewing process and don’t want it to go unnoticed. To attract new customers while keeping them coming back for more, you need to market your product with a distinct beer label design that separates you from all the other breweries. But what should you include to ensure your brew stands out?

Creating the perfect beer label design is all about portraying your beer’s personality. First, consider your ideal target market. Before working on the design, you want to determine whose attention you’re trying to grab. After that, you can start evaluating what type of impression your label should give.

USTL Is a Cost-Effective Solution for Beer Label Printing

USTL offers a complete craft beer cost-cutting solution that minimizes product cost without compromising the quality of beer label design. We can help you identify the optimal size label for your design and can type. The wider the gap on the can, the less design space you have, but the more you’ll save on overhead. Our team helps you strike the right balance between the two.

Beer Label Design Considerations

Before you design a new beer label, be sure to understand the following considerations:

Brand Identity: Ensure alignment with the brewery’s overall brand image.
Target Audience: Understand the preferences and demographics of the target market.
Legal Compliance: Comply with regulations on alcohol labeling and advertising.
Storytelling: Craft a compelling narrative through visuals and text.
Label Size and Shape: Choose dimensions that fit the bottle or can seamlessly.
Typography: Use legible fonts that complement the brand and enhance readability.
Color Palette: Select a cohesive color scheme that resonates with the brand and evokes desired emotions.
Imagery: Incorporate visuals that capture the essence of the beer and resonate with consumers.
Label Material: Choose a durable and suitable material for label printing.
Printing Techniques: Explore printing options for texture, finishes, and special effects.
Barcode and Informational Elements: Include required information, such as ABV, volume, and brewery details.

Choosing the Ideal Beer Label Size for your Budget

When selecting the right beer label size, it’s important to understand all available options. USTL offers three size options for both 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans:

Standard size for 12-ounce cans: 3.5” x 8”
Reduced size for 12-ounce cans: 3.5” x 7.5”
Minimal size for 12-ounce cans: 3.5” x 6.25”
Standard size for 16-ounce cans: 5” x 8”
Reduced size for 16-ounce cans: 4.75” x 7.5”
Minimal size for 16-ounce cans: 4.5” x 6.25”

For both 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans, choosing a reduced-size label saves you 10 percent on production or printing costs, while minimal-size labels save 20 percent.

Looking for a way to stand out from the crowd? USTL provides label sampling services so you can see how your product looks before it hits the market.

REQUEST A SAMPLE

If you are noticing these signs below, consider updating your beer label design:

Lack of Brand Recognition: If consumers struggle to identify your brand quickly, it may be time for a redesign.
Ineffective Storytelling: If the label fails to convey the unique story or characteristics of the beer, consider refining the narrative.
Poor Legibility: If text is challenging to read or key information is overlooked, prioritize clarity for better consumer understanding.
Outdated Design Trends: A modern update may be beneficial if your label looks dated compared to current industry trends.
Inconsistent Branding: If labels across different beer varieties lack visual cohesion, work on creating a consistent brand identity.
Limited Consumer Appeal: If sales are stagnant, explore design adjustments to enhance consumer appeal and market relevance.
Competitive Lag: If competitors’ labels outshine yours, it’s time to reassess and innovate your design strategy.

Why Use USTL for Your Beer Label Design?

Breweries choose to partner with USTL for beer label design because:

We Are the Experts in Beer Label Best Practices

We’ve taken the time to understand which processes and print methods work best for our customers. We have honed our selection of label application and machinery, so you can be confident your labels will withstand heavy condensation and varied temperatures while still looking great!

We Strive to Maximize Efficiency

We recognize most breweries have distributor deadlines to meet. We work with our customers to meet those deadlines, implementing solutions such as increasing roll size to speed up the application process and decrease labor involvement.

Our Priority Is Quality and Customer Service

We know an excellent partnership goes beyond pricing—though we work with breweries of all sizes and budgets. We partner closely with our customers to decide how to make their artwork look best and ensure graphics are optimized upon application.

We Offer an Array of Options and Customized Solutions

We offer our brewery customers unique options to fit their needs. We’ll consult you on updating your artwork and even offer sized templates and enhancements to help you get started.

Simplify Label Printing for Your Beer Cans

When selecting the right beer can label, you have a wide range of options, but don’t overlook opportunities to save time and money while ensuring your beer stands out on the shelf. USTL has been working with breweries, small and large, to create unique beer label designs that strike the right balance between quality and cost-effectiveness while simplifying the supply chain. We value our strong partnerships and work closely to create the ideal packaging solution for your needs.

If you’re working to create your brewery’s next best seller, give us a call or send us a message. Our experts will help you get a head start on creating the perfect label to make it stand out from the rest.

US Tape & Label Has Been Providing Custom Beer Labels Since 1950

USTL has been producing superior label solutions, both locally and nationally, for more than 70 years. We pride ourselves on being strategic partners for your branding and label needs. From managing low, high-volume, and multiple SKUs for beer cans, to limited-run special labels for beer cans, we can help with any type of label solutions and designs.