Craft Spirits Packaging and Label Design Trends

If you are in the craft spirits industry, you know that the competition has gotten more fierce in recent years. More small brewers and distillers are entering the game, and setting yourself apart is the only way to capture a narrow — but rapidly growing — market. While you have to make a smooth concoction to keep loyal customers coming back, sparking that initial interest is a bit more difficult. Unique, eye-catching labels help to garner interest in your brand that can quickly grow into a loyal following.

Here are trends in labeling that you should consider as you decide on the alcohol bottle label design for your craft spirit labels.

Typefaces That Reflect History

You want to ask yourself, where did your brand come from originally? Even if your craft distillery is relatively new, your business still has roots. Think about what made you go into this unique business, and allow that reflection to bring about engaging typefaces and labels.

One-of-a-kind typefaces that allude to your brand’s history help to set you apart from the crowd. Does your brand have cultural significance? Using a typeface from a piece of literature, advertising or even hymnals provides a craft spirits label design element that will allow your brand to stand out.

One excellent example is Few Spirits, a craft distillery from Illinois which aims to embody the tenacious spirit of Chicago’s pre-Prohibition past in its label.

Labels as Art

Handcrafted spirits and hand-drawn labels seem like a natural pair. Craft spirits cater to a naturally creative customer who appreciates handmade, free-form products. Therefore, simply apply this principle to the content outside of the bottle for amazing results that will keep your customers coming back for more.

A great example is Sag Harbor, a brand of handcrafted rum. In a Forbes feature, the co-owner of Sag Harbor discusses the use of a label that is completely hand-drawn, font and all, in order to more effectively capture the classic aesthetic that the brand desired.

Labels That Align With the Green Movement

Craft spirits often draw a consumer base who care about the environment. These customers are concerned about buying products that were produced locally, so your spirits should attract this demographic like a magnet. To stand out from your competition on store shelves, show that you care about the environment by making it obvious on your product label.

Trend Hunter discusses the trendiness of green labeling. Not only can you highlight that your bottles are made of recycled materials, but you can also include a hip blurb about the importance of keeping the cycle going by reminding consumers to recycle the bottle when they are done.

Make It Quirky

Craft spirits are gaining popularity, and some of that popularity has to do with a trend toward utterly unique consumable products. Labels that reflect this quirkiness are more likely to draw attention.

For example, in Sip Northwest Magazine, Nick Thomas discusses the creatively-designed Coven Vodka, distilled in British Columbia. It looks normal enough on the outside, but once the lights go out, witches etched in glow-in-the-dark paint appear on the label.

Whether you use neon colors, bold prints or original artwork, creating a one-of-a-kind label gets consumers to notice your bottle on the shelf.

How Blue Label Packaging Company Can Help

You know that you need to turn heads with your labeling, but how do you go about creating a unique spirits label and packaging design? Here is where Blue Label Packaging Company comes in. We have experience in making labels for local distilleries and incorporating our state-of-the-art capabilities to create liquor bottle label designs that feature everything from foil embellishments to embossing.

Our digital printing company offers affordable, custom digital label printing solutions for craft distilleries of all sizes, so you can be assured that your small-batch labels are not going to cost a fortune. The end result is a professional, eye-catching label with bright, crisp colors from the innovative four-color print process that are sure to stand out on the shelf.

Understanding the latest  label design trends in craft spirit labels will give you a better opportunity to draw the attention of consumers. If you are interested in learning more about custom digital printing for craft spirit labels, contact us today!