Can your beer dress up for Halloween?

At this time of year, seasonal packaging can apply to pretty much any product, as various companies celebrate the string of holidays between Halloween and New Year’s. With October already almost over, craft beer producers should question whether they have the resources for fun Halloween-themed packaging on their products, as well as the right stock and ink for making food and beverage labels.

One of the most common tweaks on known beer brands around this time of year is the addition of pumpkin. This often suggests spooky Jack-o-Lantern imagery, and even those labels that don’t sport pumpkins can still work the ever-present Halloween-themed black and orange into their designs. However, there’s more to a fitting Halloween label than this, and attention to detail can make a big difference in customer interest.

For example, one beer that gets into the spirit of the season is Nosferatu Imperial Red Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company, which uses the familiar horror character’s face as well as a stylish combination of red, white and black. The effect is suitably chilling while still presenting a unique and compelling take on the beer label.

You don’t necessarily need expansive images to make an impression, though. Creepy, stylized fonts can be equally effective, as the “Dead Guy Ale” mentioned in this San Jose Mercury-News article highlights. The blood-red script is present at the top, bottom and center of the main image, accompanying an appropriate skeleton.

Create the beer labels you want with a color label printer that can deliver high-resolution pieces that use a wide color palette. Keeping the printer in-house also allows you to make easy short-run options like seasonal labels.