Wine labels’ latest inspiration: Beer labels

Designing an eye-catching label is one of the key ways to convince consumers to try a new wine. It can be tough to communicate through text what exactly a wine tastes like, and the impact created by a memorable image may prove more persuasive than any written information. Vineyards hoping to spruce up their labels and appeal to browsing shoppers need a few key elements: a good wine to promote, a compelling idea for a design and a high-quality printer to realize that vision.

Modern design cues
Think about the trendiest corners of the alcoholic beverage market and wine isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. The past few years have seen a boom in craft beers and ciders, with new recipes and eccentric branding going hand in hand. Wine doesn’t have to be left out of this creative scramble, however. The Drinks Business recently profiled brands that decided to throw tradition aside and adopt style in line with what buyers might expect from beer rather than wine.

The news source indicated a few of the hallmarks of this movement – winemakers may choose a rustic label design or a typeface designed to emulate handwriting. The idea is to be interesting and fresh-looking rather than polished and staid. The Drinks Business also reported that telling a brand story through design cues is a valid strategy.

The store is the place
The target market for interesting-looking wines is consumers walking the aisles of stores. The Australian’s wine writer, Morgan Dunn, recently pointed out how this process works: When exploring brightly colored products on the shelves, adult wine customers can regain some of the wonder they experienced as kids in the video rental store.

Dunn noted that the wine list in a restaurant doesn’t give the same kind of image-based and satisfying browsing experience. When vineyards design to use quirky, craft-inspired visual cues, they are directly targeting shoppers rather than diners at eateries making their decisions based on written notes or sommelier suggestions.

Reaching brand potential
Once a wine producer has a good idea for its new visual identity, it’s time to actually make the labels. Handling this process in-house is a great way to keep control of its costs and exact execution – but it’s essential that companies pick adequate printers for this task. A bad-looking printing job could make great design work go to waste.

Check out high-quality label printers that will do your wine bottle ideas justice, such as the Afinia A801, in our U.S. store or on our Canadian page.