New-School Beer Label Designs

Story: Emma Janzen

February 23, 2016

troegs-beer-label-designs — Last year, Hershey, Pennsylvania’s long-running Tröegs Independent Brewing decided to reimagine its design, enlisting Philadelphia-based designer Lindsey Tweed. (She was art director at the firm that designed its previous artwork a decade earlier.) The facelift includes a die-cut Tröegs logo and a hand-lettered, illustrative style echoed across the range of beer.

fullsteam-beer-label-designs — Eye-catching fonts and fun graphic illustrations set Fullsteam Brewery's labels apart from the pack. Designs by Helms Workshop.

21st amendment-beer-label-design — You can't talk about beer label design without mentioning TBD, the agency behind 21st Amendment's brand identity. The cans and boxes all don colorful, playful illustrations.

great raft beer label design — The team at Great Raft Brewing knew they wanted a bold design for their cans, so they turned to Austin-based DeRouen & Co. The labels for the Reasonably Corrupt Black Lager, Commotion Pale Ale and Southern Drawl Pale Lager were illustrated by Justin Helton at Status Serigraph.

tallgrass-beer-label-designs — We love the graphic, in-your-face style of Tallgrass Brewing Co.'s labels, designed by in-house creative director Neil Camera.

other-half-brewing-beer label designs — Other Half Brewing teamed up with design firm Small Stuff in 2014 to design the brewery's first can. Since then, the collaboration has spanned over 30 labels. Designer Joe Marianek says the visual branding relies heavily on "geometry and repetition, but when we’re approaching a new can, we are always taking cues from the taste, the ingredients, and the name."

Hilliard's Beer in Seattle worked with Mint Design to create these clean can labels. Operations manager Aleko Lilly says the brewery wanted a timeless look that would evoke both the modern craft beer movement and the history of beer around the world. "The goal was for something with a strong brand and sense of place without being so localized to Seattle that we couldn't send it worldwide."

new-belgium-trippel-beer label-designs — New Belgium made a splash in 2014 when they rolled out fresh labels designed by Hatch Design of San Francisco. The new look is a cleaner interpretation of the old label themes, featuring hand-painted by artist Leah Giberson.

four-corners-brewing cans-crdt cristi brinkman — Loosely based on the Loteria Mexicana, Cristi Brinkman's original illustrations distinguish the labels for Four Corners Brewing. Photo courtesy of Cristi Brinkman.

In our March/April 2016 Design Issue, contributing editor Josh Bernstein delves into some of the design trends that are helping breweries stand out in today’s crowded beer market. Knowing that labels are often the front line of beer design, we’ve gathered some of our favorites. Scroll through the gallery to check out the stories behind some of today’s best beer label designs, and pick up a copy of the print magazine to read more about other design-themed trends in the beer world.

Emma Janzen

Emma Janzen is an award-winning book author and journalist who reports on global drinking cultures for outlets including The New York Times, PUNCH, The World’s 50 Best Bars, and more. The recipient of two James Beard Foundation awards and two Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, she co-authored The Way of the Cocktail with Julia Momosé, The Bartender’s Manifesto with Toby Maloney, and The Bartender’s Pantry with Jim Meehan; authored Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit; and has contributed and consulted on other texts including The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich and Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster. She currently serves as the Midwest Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars and has been included in the Drinks International Bar World 100, an annual list of the industry’s most influential people, since 2023.