So you have a friend that makes killer artwork and you want to use it for your next batch of delicious craft beer. Sounds simple enough right? Wrong! There's quite an art to designing for aluminum cans and that's where we come in. If you are looking for a graphic designer that can help you with your beverage labels look no further and contact us. But if you want to understand the basics, here's a quick read on what you need to know about designing a beer can label.

We’ll go over, the printing processes, graphic design tips for beer cans, design strategy and beer label requirements.

First Things First - The Printing Process

How we go from artwork to printing is the first thing to consider when designing for a beer can label. The label printer will determine all the important factors when it comes to setting up your file. 

Traditional Offset Printing

Offset printers use a Pantone Color Matching System or spot colors. Matching colors will help with consistency across printers. Pay close attention to the template because it will show you the maximum amount of colors that can be used on the beer can.

Download our free Beer Can Label Template for Offset Printing

Offset printing has a high setup cost so high qualities are needed to make it cost-effective for the brewer. The print quality is great, but always keep in mind your details will not be as exact. As the ink dries it shifts, and registration is rarely perfect, meaning tiny slivers of can will probably peep out on the sides of your graphics. However, this effect gives the beer its traditional look that other print methods can’t achieve.

[photo is detail of offset silver shining through]

Shrink Wrap

Shrink wrap printing involves a printed plastic sleeve that is shrunk down onto the can using heat. Shrink wrap cans are great for smaller runs of beverages, but colors can sometimes be muted. The quality of detail is crisp, but there can sometimes be minor distortions where the wrap sleeve shrinks unevenly. This is most likely to happen on the shoulder of the can, so it’s best to keep important text and design elements away from this edge.

Download our free Beer Can Label Template for Shrink Wrap

 

Digital Printing

Newer technology that involves digitally printing the design directly on the can. It allows for high definition detail, unlimited colors, and printing of photographic imagery. One thing to consider with digitally printed cans is that areas past the shoulders of the can may be subject to a spray-paint or scattering effect because of the printhead’s distance from the surface. To mitigate this, again keep any fine detail or text away from this edge.

[graphic photo: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to.]

A graphic design tip: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to. With digital printing you’ll have access to the full color spectrum, but it’s all about how you use it. Just because you have all the colors in the world doesn’t mean you have to use them. In our eyes, simplicity always outweighs overly complex.

Sticker Labels

Small batches of beer or test runs are usually labeled with a sticker. Most of the time a sticker label has a back seam, showing top and bottom aluminum. Depending on who’s looking at it, it doesn't feel as professional as some of the other printing processes. However, there are some benefits. Sticker labels are a great way to give some across-the-board branding to your small batches. 

Download our free Beer Can Sticker Label Template

[photo of beer with writing on it - small batch]

There are some companies using this method exceptionally well. Ghia has broken the rules of the traditional wrap-around sticker.

Graphic Design Tips For Beer Cans

Distortion

When we’re designing on a computer we are looking at things on a flat surface, but a beer can is a cylinder. This shape will distort your artwork a lot more than you might think. Take a circle for instance - as soon as it wraps around it will appear squeezed and squished. See below.

[photo of circle on bee comparison]

To fix this, stretch your design to account for the can’s curvature. It’ll look wrong when first printed, but when wrapped around the can and viewed from straight on, it’ll look circular and correct. How much should you stretch it by? That is for you to figure out. Buy some beer, print out some test prints and wrap those cans.

To Repeat or Not to Repeat

That is the question. As the design wraps around the cylinder, the left and right edges of the design will connect. This gives you an option to repeat the background around the full beer can. Keep in mind that printing processes like shrink wrapping and stickers will have their pattern limitations with their seams.

Double Sided Graphics

Since our eyes can only see one side of the beer can at a time, this gives some room for a double sided can. A major benefit to this style of design is the can has twice the opportunity to be presented facing forward towards a potential customer. Think about holding a beer at a summer pool party where the logo is facing out, or a mountain of beers in an ice chest, where you can quickly pick out your favorite by seeing the logo.

A non-double sided design gives you more space to play with, but means that there will be a “back” of the can that may be visible half the time. However, a double sided design means you’ll only have to design half the space.

Design Elements and Hierarchy

[photo of hierarchy example - with graphic text]

It’s important to lay out your design elements in the most effective order for the customer. This is essential for good graphic design. We shouldn’t have to think for too long about what we are looking at. Always design your label with a focus on the top 3 elements:

1. The Brand Name
2. Beer Name or Flavor
3. Drink Style

Consider Photography and Marketing

The marketing team will most likely want photos of these cans for posters, billboards, social media, you name it. If that is the case, then all of the brand information should be right in your face. It probably won’t be as effective if half of the logo is visible only because the designer decided it looked cool on the bottom right hand side. Then again, break the rules and you might make something amazing.