When creating brewing labels, it is not the chance to let your creativity flow as freely as the beer, there are design rules and product regulations you need to follow. These compatible custom beer labels ensure to display necessary information, show your brewery style and establish your brand identity.
Wondering how to set up custom beer labels like that? If you haven’t had any experience in making labels yet, don’t worry. In this blog post, we rounded up all crucial steps in establishing effective and outstanding custom beer labels. This comprehensive guide will be specific, detailed, and in logical order, making it easy for you to follow.
So, don’t wait any longer, let’s dive in!
What container did you use to pack beer?
When it comes to packaging your beer, there are some container choices for preserving both flavor and visual appeal of your brewery products.
1. Bottles
Bottles are timeless classic choices for packing beer. They are made of glass and usually come in with slender necks and distinctively contoured bodies. This appearance brings a traditional and elegant appearance, but also makes beer bottles work well with unconventional shaped labels. The transparency of glass also gives customers a sneak peak of your beer within.
2. Cans
Another choice for beer packaging is using cans.
Normally, beer cans are sleek and compact. They are made of aluminum, which is much more lightweight and durable compared to glass bottles, so they are a great option for on-the-go uses.
Additionally, beer cans’ cylindrical shape provides a base for large beer can labels, such as wrap around or square and oval labels.
Whether you choose glass bottles over aluminum cans or vice versa, you need to keep in mind that your selection is crucial before we go to the label design step. It will help you in crafting custom beer labels that maximize their aesthetic and practical benefits at the same time.
5 Steps to Make Custom Beer Labels
Now you have chosen your beer container, right? It’s time to get the first of 5 main steps in creating suitable custom beer labels.
1. Determine the Shape of Your Label
The foundation in setting up design for custom beer labels is determining your label shape. Let’s discover the label shape types you should consider:
- Wraparound labels: These labels are large rectangle adhesive pieces that cover your entire bottle or can in 360-degree. Their large surface also enables intricate designs and brand storytelling.
- Rectangle or Square labels: These uniform shapes are suitable for both bottles and cans. They provide a structured design space and are ideal if you want to keep your brand label and nutrition label separate.
- Oval labels: For an elegant look, you may want to use oval labels, especially for your beer bottles. Their shape allows for creative branding, making your product visually distinct from other square or rectangle labels.
- Die-cut labels: Even more unique and exceptional, die cut labels are your choice of creative freedom. They are precisely shaped to match your brand characteristics, allowing for unique designs and work well on beer bottles.
2. Select the Appropriate Size
Your next step is selecting the appropriate label size. A right size decision will ensure your custom beer labels seamlessly fit with the bottle or can.
You may ask “what is the normal beer can size”, “what is standard beer bottle size”, or “how tall is a beer bottle”.
Here we have some recommended sizes for custom beer bottle labels:
| Beer Bottle Sizes (oz) | Optimal Size Label (inch) |
| 12 oz | 4.00 x 3.50 |
| 22 oz | 4.00 x 8.50 |
| 32 oz | 6.00 x 9.50 |
| 64 oz growler – narrow | 4.00 x 4.00 |
| 64 oz growler – wide | 6.50 x 4.00 |
Recommended sizes for custom beer labels used for cans:
| Beer Can Sizes (oz) | Optimal Size Label (inch) | Full Wrap Label (inch) | Half Wrap Label (inch) |
| 8 oz | 2.25 x 8.00 | – | – |
| 12 oz | 3.60 x 7.50 | 3.60 x 8.00 | 3.60 x 6.25 |
| 16 oz | 5.00 x 7.50 | 5.00 x 8.00 | 5.00 x 6.25 |
| 32 oz | 6.00 x 9.50 | 6.00 x 10.00 | – |
If your brewery is packed in tall and slim cans, you should use custom beer labels in a slightly taller height. For such beer can dimensions , our suggested size is 5.00″ x 7.20″.
3. Create beer label design
Let’s move to the next step: designing your custom beer labels.
Firstly, make sure all the essential information is shown.
- Prioritize legibility for essential details such as the brand name, beer type, and alcohol content.
- Choose fonts and font sizes that ensure clarity, even from a distance.
Besides, whether you want vintage beer labels or cool beer labels, keep in mind that their visual appeal is your presentation to consumer attention. So, you should:
- Use graphics that show your brand characteristics.
- Consider elements that have an emotional impact on your target customers.
- Keep a consistent theme: color palette, images, and text fonts.
- Find creative ways to convey all information, whether it’s a story about your brewery products or a unique selling point.
4. Choose the Right Materials
Before printing out the design, take your time selecting the right material for your custom beer labels. We highly recommend 2 types:
Paper Labels with Laminate Layer:
Paper is the common material when it comes to product labels. For beer bottles or beer cans, you can use laminated paper labels to enhance both protection and aesthetics. This addition also allows you to bring your custom beer labels a glossy or matte finish, which provides customers an initial recognition of your brand’s style.
Waterproof Labels (BOPP):
However, brewery labels require resilience against moisture and environmental factors, so, we recommend using waterproof materials. Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) is your ideal choice. This waterproof option keeps your labels intact, making them suitable for even the most challenging conditions in delivery or storage.
If you want to discover more about BOPP labels, check out our previous article:“Why BOPP Labels Are The Best For Your Product?“.
5. Print your Custom Beer Labels
Now that you have decided all the factors needed to bring your custom beer labels into life, it’s time to print.
You can create custom beer labels by printing them in-house, or you can reach out to a third party that provides printing service. If you opt for the second option, make sure that your partner has your chosen materials, shapes, and sizes in stock. This ensures a seamless transition from design to production and helps avoid potential setbacks.
Closing thoughts
So, when your project of making custom beer labels for your brewery proceeds, be sure that you go through all the steps in the order we’ve rounded up in this article. It helps you in clearly establishing suitable and effective custom beer labels for your brewery products.
When choosing a collaboration partner to print your designs, work with a reliable printing company as a commitment to the printing quality of your custom beer labels. Consider using our printing services at CustomAny for a wide range of custom options from materials, shapes, or size; and an user-friendly experience that is tailored for all, even beginners.
Because this may be your first time to work with us, you should print with a small quantity first. This allows you to evaluate our print quality, color accuracy, and overall adherence of the custom beer labels. Testing with a limited run enables refinements before ordering from us in larger quantities.
If we are honored to be your companion, just rest assured that your custom beer labels will come in to be not just identifiers but storytellers, reflecting the quality and story of your brewery.
