Beer Label Art - Creating Life and Personality
Beer label art, another key creative ingredient when it comes to the full circle of making beer. People love it! It’s the first thing you see when you buy packaged beer, it’s like meeting someone new for the first time; they look edgy, or modern, bold and colorful, maybe stormy and dark, they could even look sweet or sour. Beer label art also adds to the creative craft beer culture and sets up a pop-culture aesthetic and style that translates easily into awesome t-shirts, beer glasses, stickers, and more. People love beer label art so much that there are entire books written about it and social media accounts dedicated to it, breweries wear them with pride and usually dedicate a mini-gallery-esque space in their taprooms to show them off. The packaging is so important! It is after-all your first impression of what you will get from beer experience inside.
We knew the can art would be a huge part of Crafted going into the series. Artists Ian Soden from Intracoastal Brewing Company and Lola Rigdon from Bowigens Beer Company nailed it with the label art on the Season 1 collaborative beer cans that represents its name ‘Citrus Sea’ and also represents what’s inside: a gose with lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, and harvested sea salt. Each of the four breweries has its own individual can in the 4-pack. Ian and Lola brought those to life and we wanted to know more about their inspiration and approach to creating label art, so we sent them a few questions to find out.
A conversation about getting in to the business of creating craft beer labels with artists Ian Soden and Lola Rigdon.
IAN SODEN – INTRACOASTAL BREWING COMPANY
How did you first get started creating beer can art and why beer can art?
I started as a bartender in 2013. I also did freelance graphic design on the side for Intracoastal. When we started canning, it just worked out that I would do the can label art.
There are books, social media accounts, websites, etc…. dedicated to just beer can art. Why do you think people are so obsessed with it?
The artwork gives the beer a visual identity. There are so many styles, ingredients, flavor profiles, etc. in craft beer, so when it comes to packaging and branding, there are unlimited avenues for artists to create that identity. The artwork doesn’t even have to be a direct reflection of said styles, ingredients, flavors. In that light, the sky’s the limit. It’s another canvas for artistic expression… there just happens to be beer inside that canvas, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.
Do you keep samples of all the cans you have designed?
In the back hallway at Intracoastal, there are shelves with one of almost every can we have done. We are close to 200 cans now.
Tell us about your inspiration for the Crafted collaboration release ‘Citrus Sea’.
My first initial inspiration came from just the colors of the fruits, themselves. In this case, it’s grapefruit, orange, lemon, and lime… so pink, orange, yellow, and green. From there, I tried to take a theme from each brewery and combine it with the colors to design the labels.
How can beer can art enhance the experience of enjoying the beer inside the can/bottle?
Many reasons – aside from the quality of the beer and its flavors, the artwork has the power to make the beer that much more memorable. The artwork, combined with the beer style, flavors, gives the beer an identity… almost a personality.
When / what is your ‘groove’ moment? When is and/or what are some of your creative rituals, times, places, to go and get creative when you have a beer label to come up with?
Brainstorming, and then researching beer names and concepts is always fun and exciting. When I get a good idea for a name, the ideas for artwork usually flow naturally from that. That can be any given moment. Music is my go-to for my “groove” moment. I put in my earbuds, or turn up the volume on my computer speakers, play some of my favorite music, and I take off into my own brain space. A few hours will go by without much notice.
It seems like there might be a limited amount of jobs as a beer can label artist…. are there other projects you work on outside of creating beer labels?
For me, can labels are just a small part of my workload. As Creative Director of Intracoastal and a freelance artist/designer, I am also responsible for the company’s branding, merchandise designs, chalk art, promotional content, etc. It definitely keeps me busy, but I love what I do.
Do you have some favorite labels you created? Why is it your favorite?
I have two favorites. Beacon Imperial IPA, and Lantern Imperial IPA (it’s a coincidence that they are both Imperial IPAs lol.) They are my favorites because I am a very detail-oriented artist. I also really gravitate towards realism, especially in sci-fi/fantasy settings/styles, and I feel that both of these labels hit all those marks.
LOLA RIGDON – BOWIGENS BEER COMPANY
How did you first get started creating beer can art and why beer can art?
I have always had a passion for art. Ever since I could remember I was sketching, drawing, painting, and challenging myself with different mediums. Beer can art kind of fell into my lap. I’ve known Bobby and Kevin for over a decade and I was working in Finance when they decided to open a Brewery. I started off just painting around the Taproom and creating boards for the beers when they asked me to design a label for a beer they were bottling, Strawberry Stout Cake. At the time, I had no experience with Graphic Design and literally drew it on a sketch pad which Bob then scanned onto a computer to colorize in Photoshop. Since then, I got a Wacom and taught myself Photoshop (still learning Illustrator).
There are books, social media accounts, websites, etc…. dedicated to just beer can art. Why do you think people are so obsessed with it? To me, it seems almost like album art for musicians but for brewers instead.
I’ve actually drawn Album Art for Musicians in the past! Also, I believe it’s become not only a way for a Brewery to showcase their branding and give their beer a personality through art, but it’s also something the consumer has to look at and admire while enjoying their beer. It’s a conversation starter at the bar among customers, a collector’s item for some. It’s expanded the typical logo and beer name (unless that’s a message you’re portraying for simplicity – which we’ve done). Basically, it’s taking one creative outlet with the creation of the beer and marrying it with another, the design to give it life.
Do you keep samples of all the cans you have designed?
We have a wall of stickers at the Production Facility (it first lived at the Office in the Taproom which we’ve since painted). We also have a shelf of each empty can that was produced at the Production Facility with labels on them.
Tell us about your inspiration for the Crafted collab release ‘Citrus Sea’.
I absolutely loved Ian’s design and I wanted to create something cohesive and use the same colors and dark background so it would flow well with the other labels. As soon as Bob told me the name “Citrus Sea” I knew I wanted to use his flowing linework to create a wave into our label and of course the colors which naturally for me became the fruits crashing into the wave. I was able to use my style and create something illustrated with the fruits while having it represent the original design.
How can beer can art enhance the experience of enjoying the beer inside the can/bottle?
It’s all about giving the beer a story. Whether it’s direct, a hidden message, a backstory, or even as simple as a cool font, it gives the beer a personality that takes it beyond the great taste.
When / what is your ‘groove’ moment? When is and/or what are some of your creative rituals, times, places, to go and get creative when you have a beer label to come up with?
It all starts with the recipe and the inspiration for the Brewer. I want to give their creation a “face” so to speak. So I start with asking Bob what, why, and how. Once that’s decided the wheels turn and we think about naming the beer. Sometimes it’s a no-brainer and we just KNOW what the beer can is going to look like. Other times (or rather most times) we are constantly at the drawing board trying to unite our creative brains to agree on one concept. Bob is really involved with the design process. After I have a concept I grab my Wacom sink into my couch and just draw. I like to have music in the background or Netflix on, I can’t have complete silence. Then I get to it.
It seems like there might be a limited amount of jobs as a beer can label artist…. are there other projects you work on outside of creating beer labels?
I actually wear many hats at Bowigens, I do the Marketing, Sales, Event Planning, Operations, and all the artwork in the Taproom as well. Definitely VERY busy!
Do you have a favorite label you created? Why is it your favorite?
It’s hard to pick a favorite because we have some unique styles or categories of different beers we brew. So, our Core beers have a specific design, Specialty like the Strawberry Rhubarb or the German Chocolate Cake (attached) are more simplistic, then my favorite to draw which is more of MY style is the One-Off Beers like Florida Girl (attached). I also love the hybrid we did with the Mango Pineapple Bow 9 (also attached). The Florida Girl style being my favorite because I have more creative freedom and can challenge myself to come up with a design that has my personal creative flair.
