Best Type of Beer Bottle Labels

Beer bottle labels can make or break a purchase. The more recognizable and attractive the label, the more likely you will secure a curious or repeat customer. Portraying your craft brew in the right light serves as a sales pitch to anyone who sees it. And a good beer bottle label can spark discussion and cause a product to fly off the shelves.

A Good Label Has Brand Personality

Before you start drafting label ideas for your newest draft, you'll want to have some things nailed down about your brand. Knowing what your product is and who's buying it are the crucial details that will make the process much easier. Get specific with it: if you're marketing an American ale, the personality of the label will be a lot different from a German lager.

Think about who your target demographic is. Is yours a traditional craft beer that stays within a defined flavor profile? Or is it something a bit more experimental for the craft beer connoisseur? Along with more practical elements, like where your target customers buy their beer or how much they make, these can better inform your labeling decisions.

Label Design

Your label's design will play a significant role in whether or not someone buys it. Most customers won't have an opportunity to try the brew beforehand, so many will make the purchase based on first impressions.

Once you have your brand personality established, the next step is to translate it onto your label in a visually appealing way. Everything from colors to imagery to typography invites a certain feeling and creates a different result, leading your beer bottle labels to appeal to specific customers.

Colors

Colors are often considered a big timesaver in marketing. Every color prompts a unique emotion; you can use these connotations to your advantage when creating your beer bottle labels.

Your bottle's color will impact your label's design. You can pair green bottles with white or black labels, with flashes of red for flair. Brown bottles are more of a blank canvas, but are often best matched with more neutral or warm colors like gold or orange. This pairing works because it reminds the consumer of beer and gives your product a much more familiar look.

Beer cans also operate as a blank slate, so it's more about personal design choice; more modern or unique beers will play by their own rules, so don't be afraid to find a clever color scheme if you feel it's a better fit.

Shape and Size

The shape and size of your beer bottle labels are considerations for both the potential customer and your bottom line. Traditional shapes won't always stand out as much, while custom shapes will often be more expensive to produce.

Take a look at your budget and decide what's more important. And if you haven't thought about it yet, consider the bottle size. You'll want to have precise sizes that fit together before you start the design process.

Style

If you look at a more traditional beer bottle, they usually have one prominent color and a big name, with minimal visual ornaments. Craft beers, however, don't follow this formula at all. Minimalism, impressionism, cartoons - it's all fair game with craft brew labels.

You create a bottle's style by combining your brand identity and your target audience. If you're planning to use imagery, consider using images that speak to your business or the beer. For example, if you use a unique ingredient, you may want to ensure it makes its way onto your label.

While the success of your craft brew ultimately hinges on how good your beer tastes, many consumers won't get that far if they don't feel compelled to do so. That's why good beer bottle labels are crucial to growing your craft beer business.

And to print, create, and secure your custom labels for your bottles or cans, you'll want the right labeling equipment. Download our free Practical Guide to Choosing the Right Labeling Equipment here to find the perfect labeling equipment to go with your perfect labels!