How to Design Beer Labels That Get Picked First

Your beer’s got the flavor dialed in—but if the label doesn’t turn heads, it might never leave the shelf. With a sea of cans shouting for attention, your label has to be more than just good-looking—it has to tell your story, spark curiosity, and give people a reason to grab yours first.

Here’s how to make sure your beer label is doing the heavy lifting while you focus on brewing the good stuff.

What Great Beer Labels Actually Do

A solid beer label doesn’t just sit there looking pretty. The design pulls its weight. It should:

• Catch attention from six feet away (yes, we’re talking visual pull)
• Say something about your beer before they crack it open
• Build trust, curiosity, or just enough intrigue to get picked up

Beer can labels are more than decoration—they’re shelf-level decision-makers.

Moves That Make a Can Stand Out

1. Embrace a vibe, not just a style

Are you going for nostalgic, artsy, scientific, weird? Great. But pick a lane and drive it. The best beer labels are confident—and that confidence shows up in every color, font, and tiny detail.

Real-world move: Knoxious Beer Co. commits hard to the psychedelic sci-fi vibe—and it works. From the neon colors to the trippy lettering and sunglasses-wearing Bigfoot, every detail on the label feels like a B-movie fever dream in the best way. It’s bold, weird, and completely unforgettable. People don’t just buy the beer—they keep the can. That’s the power of a cohesive label that screams personality.

2. Make color work harder

Don’t just match your logo—use color to tell a story. Dark stouts don’t always need dark labels. Bright colors sell, but they also need context.

Smart tip: Use contrast to your advantage. A neon green can with minimal type can stop someone dead in the craft beer aisle. Just make sure they can still read it.

3. Choose fonts that fit the beer (and the people)

Label typography isn’t the place to flex how many Google Fonts you know. Stick with one or two typefaces that match the beer’s tone—clean and crisp for a pilsner, bold and rustic for a barrel-aged monster.

Pro tip: Test font size and spacing from a real can in your hand. What looks good on a screen might not translate on aluminum.

4. Add a moment of surprise

A hidden design detail. A joke in the barcode. A QR code that leads to the playlist your brewer made while creating the batch.

Creative win: One brand hides a new “weird beer fact” on every can. Another uses peel-off labels that double as branded stickers for their customers. These are the labels people show their friends.

5. Make Your Material Work Overtime

White BOPP or silver BOPP? It’s more than a print decision—it’s how your label shows off on the shelf.

White BOPP is the go-to: clean, crisp, and ready to make your artwork pop like a citrus-forward IPA. But silver BOPP? That’s where things get flashy (in the best way). It’s metallic, shiny, and catches the light like a disco ball in a beer cooler.

Want to get fancy? Print color directly over the silver with no white base and boom—instant metallic hues in whatever shade you want. Add a white ink base first, and you’ve got solid, vibrant color that knocks out the shine where you need it. It’s a slick way to guide the eye and give your label a premium vibe—without blowing your whole packaging budget.

Make the Label Part of the Experience

A beer label isn’t just packaging—it’s a pre-drink ritual. If someone picks up your can, stares at the art, reads the copy, and smiles before they even pop the tab? That’s brand loyalty in the making.

Beer can labels that create a pause are the ones that get remembered (and Instagrammed).

Labels That Sell: What We’ve Seen Work in the Real World

Small batch runs = flexibility + fun

One west coast brewery orders different label designs for every batch of their rotating sour series. Same beer style, new can art every month.

They’ve built a collector mindset among customers, and some fans admit to buying every flavor—even the ones they’re not sure they’ll love—just to keep the collection going.

When the can is the merch

Forbidden Peak Brewery turned heads and scored over 42,000 likes on Instagram with a clever twist on traditional beer labels and this eye-catching reel. Their custom Drink ‘N Peel® Labels didn’t just show off beautiful Alaska Native artwork—they gave fans a way to take it home. Literally.

Each beer can came with a removable sticker designed by artist Abel Ryan, and the internet lost its mind. The result? A viral social post, a can that doubled as a keepsake, and customers who were as excited about the label as they were about the beer inside.

Moral of the story? Give people something to sip, stick, and remember.

Breweries building QR into the brand

We’ve seen brewers use QR code labels to lead to taproom playlists, brewmaster notes, or even interactive “name this beer” campaigns. One client ran a label-to-web vote for naming their next release—and watched engagement spike across their social channels just from one sticker.

Limited releases shine (literally) with silver labels

One midwest brewery wanted their seasonal stouts to feel a little extra—without going full glitter bomb. So they started using silver BOPP labels and designed them to let the metallic material peek through behind the beer name and key artwork.

The result? A label that screams “limited edition” before customers even read the style. The shine grabs attention, the design seals the deal, and the beer? Off the shelf faster than you can say “imperial barrel-aged.”

Want to give your beer the label it deserves?

If your brew’s ready for the spotlight, your label better show up too. Whether you’re running a small batch or keeping up with demand, our beer can labels are built to look sharp, stick strong, and keep your cans in good company.

FAQs

What size should beer can labels be?

For a standard 12 oz can, most breweries use 8” x 3.75”. 16 oz cans are typically 8” x 5”. Always test a wrap before printing a big batch.

Are there waterproof options for beer labels?

Yes. BOPP (Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene) is a moisture-resistant material that works great for cold storage and condensation-heavy settings.

Can I order small runs of custom beer labels?

Definitely. Many craft brewers do limited runs for seasonal drops, collaborations, or test batches. At Stomp, you can order as few as 100 beer labels.

How do I include legal info without ruining my design?

Use a small font size and keep it in a consistent spot. Beer label legal requirements are real, but they don’t have to kill the vibe.

← Previous Post Next Post →