10 Beautiful Label Designs and the Designers Behind Them

Beer labels, crowler cans, and wine bottles, oh my! Standing out amongst the competition is an art in itself. Conveying your brand’s message while grabbing your consumer’s attention can be tricky. Specialties like hot foil stamping and embossing certainly catch the eye, but nothing competes with an amazing original design combined with quality label printing. Check out some of our favorites below.

Outstanding custom beverage labels

Alesatian Brewing Co. crowler can with custom label design and full beer glass

@tillbrewsdouspart via Instagram

Jack Muldowney

Designer: Jack Muldowney
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: Subtle geometric design elements transform this beverage label from minimalist to amazing.
Website: http://jackmuldowney.com/
Brewery / Company: Alesation Brewing Co.
Type of Label: Crowler Cans
Why we love this label design: Jack captured Alesation Brewing Co.’s audience perfectly by marrying delicate design elements with hard, masculine color and structure. The combination of gloss and matte finishes creates depth beyond what you’d expect.
Techniques Used: To create the contrasting finishes in Jacks’ design, we used a combination of a gloss laminate with a spot varnish over it. We also used a textured material to create the depth the design required.

Old. St. Pete distillery custom rum label with metallic detail

@stpetedistiller via Instagram

Dunn & Co

Designer: Grant Gunderson
Location: Tampa, FL
Description: Whimsy and tradition make this label connect with its audience.
Website: http://dunn-co.com/
Brewery / Company: St. Petersburg Distillery, Old St. Pete
Type of Label: Spirits Labels
Why we love this label design: Grant perfectly conveys St. Petersburg Distillery’s brand personality in this custom beverage label design.
Techniques Used: With the Old St. Pete labels, Grant used foil accents on a background of subtlety contrasting colors. The two-part label adds complexity to the packaging design.

 

Six Hill Farmstead beer bottles and colorful custom beer labels

@hillfarmstead via Instagram

Alex Peltz

Designer: Alex Peltz
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Description: Bold color and innovative design make this beer label a standout.
Website: http://peltzcreative.com/
Brewery / Company: Hill Farmstead
Type of Label: Beer Labels
Why we love this label design: Each bottle is dedicated to a past family member of Hill Farmstead’s previous generations– giving each brew its own distinct personality.
Techniques Used: The Hill Farmstead labels utilize digital printing’s ability to combine multiple versions with the need for plates. This makes it easy and cost effective to introduce special editions each with their own design and personality.

 

Theory Brewing blue and gold custom crowler labels on cans

Image via the Theory Brewing Facebook page

Nate Azark

Designer: Nate Azark, 12 Line Studio
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: Gorgeous metallic text and design on vibrant background immediately draw you in.
Website: http://12linestudio.com/
Brewery / Company: Theory Brewing
Type of Label: Crowler Cans
Why we love this label design: Hand lettering and a bold, contrasting color scheme with metallic accents make for a memorable label (that was featured on The Dieline).
Techniques Used: Too add gold accents to Nate’s design, we used a metallized material with a white opaque layer to mute out some areas. This creates a metallized effect on a durable, high performance label.

 

Three Little Fish Brewing beer bottles with colorful custom beer labels

@littlefishbrewing via Instagram

JustAjar

Designer: justAjar Design Press
Location: Marietta, OH
Description: An approachable design in calming colors and nostalgic style are a winner against a dark beer bottle for Little Fish Brewing Co.
Website: http://www.justajar.com/
Brewery / Company: Little Fish Brewing Co.
Type of Label: Beer Labels
Why we love this label design: Featured on our home page, justAjar knocked it out of the park on this beverage label design. Each label is created as a woodcut, creating a uniform, hand crafted style across their different brews.
Techniques Used: The Little Fish Brewing Co. labels take advantage of our ability to create vibrant, color images without the need for expensive spot colors. The intricate designs utilize the HP Indigo’s to print at high resolution while maintaining color registration.

 

Fonta Flora Brewery custom beer label and bottle with poured beer in glass

@fontaflorabrew via Instagram

Mica Mead

Designer: Mica Mead, Woolly Press
Location: Asheville, NC
Description: The beauty of simplicity and minimalism is not lost on this amazing label. Submerge yourself in Fonta Flora Brewery with this unique arrangement.
Website: http://www.woollypress.com/
Brewery / Company: Fonta Flora Brewery
Type of Label: Beer Labels
Why we love this label design: A strong product speaks for itself. We’ve always held this belief. From the simple but powerful waves at the top of this label, to the outlined design, this label is one-of-a-kind.
Techniques Used: The Fonta Flora Brewery labels use a distinctive, custom die cut combined with Kraft material to create a consistent brand image. Using hot foil, full color images, and hand illustration, each different brew maintains its own personality.

 

Three Vault Brewing beer bottles with custom beer labels and a glass full of Vault Brewing beer

@vaultbrewing via Instagram

Michael Smith

Designer: Michael Smith
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Description: Modern. Clean. Sophisticated. This print takes Vault Brewing’s Artist Series to an elite level.
Website: http://www.mesmithdesign.com/
Brewery / Company: Vault Brewing, Artist Series
Type of Label: Beer Labels
Why we love this label design: Elegant and approachable, this design is everything that’s great about a special edition series. Oozing exclusivity and luxury, there’s no question as to why this is one of our favorites. (The series was also featured on The Dieline.)
Techniques Used: The Vault Brewing Artist Series utilizes a matte laminate over a metallic material to create depth and accentuate the letterforms and patterns of the design.

Four kinds of of 18th street brewery custom beer can labels

@18thstreetbrewery via Instagram

Joey Potts

Designer: Joey Potts
Location: Chicago, IL
Description: Perfectly capturing the spirit of the 18th St. Brewery, Joey Potts uses pop culture, tongue-in-cheek references, and vivacious graphics to grab his audience with this custom beverage label.
Website: http://joeypotts.com/
Brewery / Company: 18th St. Brewery
Type of Label: Beer Labels
Why we love this label design: Potts’s brilliant design work never takes itself too seriously.
Techniques Used: 18th St. Brewery uses metallic effects that are fully integrated into the designs. From metallic reds, greens, purples, and more, Potts is an innovator when it comes to creating dynamic compositions.

 

Four different colorful Other Half Brewery beer cans with custom beer labels

@otherhalfnyc via Instagram

Joe Marianek & Dinah Fried

Designer: Joe Marianek & Dinah Fried, Small Stuff
Location: New York City, NY
Description: Simple, casual and impactful. The Other Half’s can designs by Small Stuff perfectly speak the language of its consumers.
Website: http://smallstuff.us/
Brewery / Company: The Other Half
Type of Label: Beer Labels
Why we love this label design: We’re so into The Other Half’s beverage labels, we featured them on our Instagram. Modern, psychedelic and fun– these beer labels are irresistible.
Techniques Used: The Other Half’s labels run the gamut in terms of color, patterns, and concepts. The labels take advantage of the Indigo’s ability to achieve 98% of Pantone colors.

 

Watershed Distillery gin, vodka and bourbon bottle with custom spirit labels

@watersheddistillery via Instagram

Greg Davis

Designer: Greg Davis
Location: Columbus, OH
Description: The perfect blend of traditional and modern. This simple design encompasses an entire brand.
Website: https://www.behance.net/gregdavis
Brewery / Company: Watershed Distillery
Type of Label: Spirits Label
Why we love this label design: Two years of planning and preparation paid off for Watershed and Greg Davis. What is, at surface, a simple design yields tons of details upon closer inspection. A reward for both spirits and design enthusiasts.
Techniques Used: The Watershed Distillery labels are very complex, the multiple label sets for each bottle include embossing, hot foil stamping, and double sided printing (to achieve the intricate detail seen through the bottle). Custom tamper seals complete the overall packaging design.

Seeking custom beverage labels of your own?

A truly successful label comes from understanding your audience, not overdoing it, and working in concert with a quality label printer. Blue Label is committed to excellence, responsiveness and your total satisfaction, no matter what. We are a collaborative force that finds a way when others can’t. Contact us to request a sample today.