The craft beer market is a crowded place. The right custom beer cans or bottles help your brewing company stand out from the rest. But what types of labeling options do you have? Let’s explore the beer can and beer bottle labels you can use. Then we’ll go over best practices that make for memorable can and bottle designs.
Understanding Different Types of Beer Labels
Your beer label options include the following:
Digitally Printed Aluminum Cans
As their name suggests, these labels print directly onto aluminum cans, with no need for a sleeve. This method often helps craft brewers create nostalgic and vintage label designs. It allows you to design a 360-degree label without worrying about seams or breaks in the design. It also prevents the design warping that sometimes occurs on shrink-sleeve labels. However, you can only use up to six Pantone colors in these types of labels. Also, these labels’ inks often become transparent or translucent once they appear on a beer can. This printing method still makes effective beer can labels, but it’s best to consider its advantages and disadvantages before you select it for your labels.
Shrink-Sleeve Labels
Shrink sleeves print out and shrink down to fit your cans or bottles exactly while displaying all relevant product and regulatory information. These sleeves also help your beer cans or bottles resist scuffing as they travel to their retail destinations. Labeling technology like 3D print helps you determine how the label will look on your product long before you print it out. However, shrink-sleeve labels are prone to warping when they print or fit on bottles and cans. You also have to worry about label seams when you choose this option, so you may end up with a less than 360-degree design. Consider how this option fits your product and promotes your brand image before you choose it.
Pressure-Sensitive Labels
This label option combines the advantages of the two options above. It allows for 360-degree label designs and a wide range of color options. It helps you increase the contrast in your design and create tactile textures that customers enjoy and remember. These labels often work well for small batches of beer cans. This option offers a lot of advantages, but see what the other options offer before you settle on this one.
Digital Labels
Digital labels print out on high-quality printers and suit small batches of bottle or can labels. They have a wide variety of color options, like their pressure-sensitive counterparts. You can customize them easily. This option prints up quickly and easily to meet your beer labeling needs.
Best Practices for Beer Label Design
When you create a label for a beer can or bottle, you’ll have the most success if you use the following best practices:
- Use as few colors as possible: While digital and pressure-sensitive labels have almost unlimited color options, more colors don’t necessarily mean better designs. Lots of colors make your label design more difficult to look at and read. Stick to two to four colors to keep your label clear and readable.
- When in doubt, go minimalist: Some labels take advantage of textured patterns or intricate artwork. But if you’re unsure if those suit your brand, keep things simple. Take advantage of simple shapes and minimalist designs to communicate your brand message to customers.
- Take advantage of nostalgia: People often consume beer to relax or feel comfort. Nostalgia dovetails nicely with those desires, so it’s a great idea to use a nostalgic or vintage design for your craft beer. Shades of brown and muted or pastel colors often evoke nostalgia for consumers, along with signs of aging on the label.
These best practices help you design straightforward labels that jump off the shelf and reach your customer base.
Create Your Custom Beer Labels With U.S. Tape & Label
If you want custom labels for your craft beer cans or bottles, reach out to us today. We have the beer labeling equipment and label application tools to create outstanding labels for products of all shapes and sizes. Reach out to us to get started today!
