With over 7,450 breweries in the country, custom beer cans are one of the best ways to differentiate your craft beer brand on store shelves. In fact, 80% of consumers try a new beer based on its label alone. Labels are a powerful way to communicate your brand’s personality, beliefs, and values, so it’s important that they capture the attention of your target market. The right colors, illustrations, and designs can help your customers feel a certain way before they even take a sip.
When it comes to designing beer can labels, there are a few different printing options. Printing directly on the can is classic and offers a retro, nostalgic feel. However, it can be cost-prohibitive for smaller breweries. Plus, with limited print runs, the minimum order requirements can get out of hand quickly.
Crafting Your Brand: The Art of Custom Beer Can Design
Alternatively, a growing trend is to use plain ‘ silver bullet’ cans and decorate them with a custom label or shrink sleeve. This option reduces costs, saves space in a warehouse and allows for flexible production scheduling. It also works well in the face of material shortages because it avoids the need to warehouse a large number of printed cans.
While the’silver bullet’ solution is an efficient option, it does limit design customizations. For example, pressure-sensitive labels can’t wrap around the sloped lip or base of a can. Additionally, the lack of a matte-gloss finish on the can can limit your aesthetic options. A digital print process, like the one used by Stomp, provides a variety of matte-gloss finishes and allows for a combination of matte-gloss colors, which can add visual interest to branding and promotional elements.