Custom Personalized Beer Labels
Meet Cranberry Saison and Belgian-Style Table Beer
One illustration, two eye-popping can labels! When Monument City Brewing Co. located in Baltimore, MD reach out looking for matches holiday labels I was stirred with excitement to design a label series. The craft beers needed a label that brought forth the vibe of family and friends gathering over a meal to share smiles, tasty food and of course a refreshing beer. Humbled to design up a fun illustration that spans across both labels tying them uniquely together, yet strong enough to stand on their own.
Pull up a chair! This dynamic duo is perfect for sharing, especially during the holidays.
Introducing the first release Belgian-Style Table Beer, the brewers first release in their holiday series. This beer was made using the second running from their Belgian-Style Tripel, A Walk Through Brussels. They then double dry-hopped it with Mosaic to add mango, citrus and tropical notes to this yeast-forward beer. Coming in at 2.5%, you can enjoy this beer guilt-free!
The second beer in the series is Cranberry Saison. This 5.4% Saison is light and refreshing with fruity yeast-driven characteristics. Rose colored with a slight tartness derived from the cranberries.
From the color palette to the details in each illustration, this design was personalized to make these cans say “DRINK ME!” when you see them on the shelf at the distributor. The table beer was released just before Thanksgiving so the orange label and details were designed around the target audience and what activities they might be doing. Take a peak, there is even a turkey! These subtle details add to the appeal of this custom label design. For Cranberry Saison - you immediately expect a cranberry flavor when looking at the color of the beer can. Featuring a ham dinner this time as this is typically what you would expect to see on your table and feast spread at Christmas.
My label design begins with a pencil sketch that is then inked by hand. I enjoy combining my pen and ink skills with graphic design to create a handcrafted look unmatched by other designs. No templates or clipart here. Hoot Design Studio offers custom illustrations for personalized labels looking to stand out.
A great label tells a story visually without any words. The viewer can fill in the idea of Christmas or Thanksgiving on these seasonal beers without it being forced. Two beers, one great illustration. The themed drawing creates consistency in the series to tie the design together, while the different monochromatic colors help differentiate the unique flavors of the product.
Do you judge a beer by its label?
In today's increasingly crowded beverage market, your label design can be all that stands between a profitable brew or an outright flop. Oftentimes, I’m guilty of judging a beer by its label. But I’m bias to art and design and typically make my purchase based on looks alone! I’ve tried some truly awful beers solely because they had cool labels, but I’ve also had plenty of pretty good beers I wouldn’t have thought to try otherwise.
A study on beer and wine purchase decisions published by the American Association of Wine Economists titled Hide the Label, Hide the Difference? concluded that marketing and packaging — not taste differences — are the main drivers of beer purchases.
In other words, the beer can / bottle labels matter more than how the beer actually tastes. As sad as this might seem, this study also serves to underline the power of marketing, and why you should invest in your craft beer label designs. If your brew is that good, you owe it to everyone to invest in a good label design.