Drawing Board: Label Design

I'm starting this thread to consolidate my projects, track WIP and offer help for people who want labels for their homebrew. I'll also offer the step-by-step process I take when creating labels so that you can work on your own or tinker with the end result I give you. Thanks to HBT member Psylocide for introducing me to this process, as it has given me something to do in downtime.

Label Requests:
I will take requests to work on simple labels for people. *This does not include Logos!* The programs I am using are simple for the most part. Please provide as much information as possible regarding what you are looking for or copy/paste the following questions into a post and answer to the best of your ability. In most cases, I will be finding existing artwork (or use what you provide) and altering it enough to make it unique for your label. Please take the time to put some thought into your request, it makes the design process much quicker and allows me to make something closer to what you are imagining. Free reign of the design will quite often yield something you may not be interested in.

Brewery Name:
Beer Name:
Color/Style/Theme:
Do you want an area to write in information?
What specific text, if any, do you want included?
Additional information or ideas:

Please provide any artwork you would like to possibly have included and limit yourself to one request if things get busy. I will do my best to work on your labels in my spare time. I will do my best to complete labels in the order they are received. If your request is overly complicated, it may take me a while and go to the side for a bit. If your request piques my interest, it may move to the front and be completed faster. I get nothing from this aside from practice and an occasional thank you, go easy on me but feel free to offer constructive criticism. The only thing I ask as always, if you use a label created here, just post a picture of it on a bottle.

The Process:

• Once the request is made, the artwork is compiled. Submitted art is doctored, cropped or re-sized. New art is found with Google image searches, usually.
• The background image/art is chosen and loaded at www.pixlr.com
• At Pixlr, the web express option is completely adequate when making a label. Advanced options are available in the full version if you are interested in tinkering further.
• I will try to save a base layout of the label, that way things can be added or changed when it comes to text.
• A finished label is then saved as .PNG or .JPG, again keeping things simple.
• Finally, I open MS Word and start a Blank Document
• Insert Image, browse my computer for the finished label and re-size it accordingly. Often fitting 6-12 labels per document.
• Print, cut them out, and paste them to the beer bottles with a cheap craft glue stick and be done! They wash off very easily or if you just wipe glue on the corners of the label, they'll just pick right off when you are done.

If you have any questions regarding this process so you can try your hand at it, feel free to ask. This is something I enjoy doing, I have a lot of free time and there seems to be a lot of interest. A lot of my designs end up looking similar, be it my style or programs that limit my result, it still gets some art on your bottle for free. I'll post some previous labels I made so you can see if my work interests you at all. Looking forward to working on some labels.

 

Bored at work again?

 

Yeah, something like that.. idle hands are the devil’s workshop.

 

Well, if you're truly bored, feel free to use this handsome devil as inspiration:



Or these pictures of what appears to be the Elephant Man:

 

@jglav - Here are a few preliminary ideas for your Raging Bitch clone. Let me know if there is anything you like or hate about either of these and we can go from there.

 

These look great. I like the comic style. I'll look through some photos and forward to you

 

what could you do with this?

Beer is Problem Child IPA.

Would be awesome to see this developed into a cool label,

 

Well, I'm not using any real design software so if I actually used that picture.. it might be pretty poor. If you have a JPG or similar of the logo, post it and I can do something. I'll look around though.

 

Here's two labels (of a few, I just don't the others saved) that CAD has created for me.

He makes quality stuff.

 

I can overlay the hell out of it and adjust it enough to make it look like it belongs on the label.. but I can not make it a really solid logo due to the quality of the picture. The upper half of it also fades out when altered some, from the lighting I think.

If you don't mind it being changed this much, let's hear some of your ideas and I'll do my best to make something you like. This was just something I threw together real quick to see how I could get it to sit in a label. I'm sure you don't really want something that looks like grandma stitched it together. Or you do. I don't know.

 

I Just came up with a name for my brewery the other day.
Backseat Driver Brewery.
I have zero computer design skills.Id love to get some T shirts and glasses made up.If you could point me in the direction of an online company that does logos and layouts that doesn't break the bank that would really really great.I have no idea where to start.
I was thinkin along the lines of a Model T ford with old folks and the wife bitchin from the passenger seat/backset/or maybe a rumble seat cartoon.I have the time but no software or contacts.This would be way fun for me If there is software available

 

Really not sure man, I'm just trying to help people get some labels on their bottles. You could check https://www.fiverr.com/ for an artist or search these forums further. There are a few other threads with people willing to attempt to help others with logos. Otherwise, you can go screw around on the site I use - www.pixlr.com and try Pixlr Editor instead of Express. The editor is very similar to decent design software. If you have the time and are somewhat savvy, you can probably make something decent with that.

 

To the guy looking for back seat driver stuff: couldn't find exactly what you were looking for, but did see these that I sorta liked.

 

Finished up a few private requests and am available for a few hours still today and all day tomorrow.
PM's are cool but feel free to ask here.

 

Will work for rupees.

 

Really Cool thread CAD.

 

It didn't make it far. Thanks though buddy.