Show Us Your Label

[Zettwoch]

My brother made it kind of as a joke and could probably make any necessary tweaks if I was super serious about actually using it for real.

Yes, both kids called it that when they were about 3. I could see where, if you didn't have kids, daddy juice would mean something totally different!

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

in our house it's called a daddy pop.. it's definitely a parent thing. nice label

 

[ViperMan]

in our house it's called a daddy pop.. it's definitely a parent thing. nice label

I like "daddy pop" - I'll remember that one when she starts talkin'...

 

[sfrisby]

I'm thirsty.

 

[mcbaumannerb]

I'm thirsty.

very nice!

 

[sfrisby]

I blame you! You have me thinking about Rumpkinstein and that its not to drink until the fall!

 

[dave73ok]

Here's a finished Sundowner Cyser bottle. Made the wax using a 2:1 ratio of small glue sticks to broken blue crayons. Turned out really thick and shiny.

 

[ViperMan]

So looking for opinions...

I posted this label a few pages ago. I had it printed this morning and will get it on a few bottles tonight (can't wait!)

I'm almost out of the labels with this design - the lower, 3.5 x 3 label and the 3.25'ish wide neck label. I've enjoyed making these, but the neck label always ends up an afterthought, doesn't always fit in with my design, and often becomes a centering nightmare when local businesses try to print these things.

So I'm thinking about getting some 5 x 3 labels for my next batch and trying something different. I really want the extra space on the sides that some of you have used for stories, "warnings", SRM/IBU/ABV info, city/state, etc... There was just never a good place to put that info before, especially if I wanted to really make the most of the main "label". So I designed this today.

I like it, but I'm wondering if the gauge idea is a bit too big. (If I make it too much smaller, you won't be able to read the numbers)

The "ViperDen" is based on the car, not the reptile, so I thought it'd be a cool way of embelishing the "theme".

What do you folks think?

 

[reverendj1]

So looking for opinions...

I posted this label a few pages ago. I had it printed this morning and will get it on a few bottles tonight (can't wait!)

I'm almost out of the labels with this design - the lower, 3.5 x 3 label and the 3.25'ish wide neck label. I've enjoyed making these, but the neck label always ends up an afterthought, doesn't always fit in with my design, and often becomes a centering nightmare when local businesses try to print these things.

So I'm thinking about getting some 5 x 3 labels for my next batch and trying something different. I really want the extra space on the sides that some of you have used for stories, "warnings", SRM/IBU/ABV info, city/state, etc... There was just never a good place to put that info before, especially if I wanted to really make the most of the main "label". So I designed this today.

I like it, but I'm wondering if the gauge idea is a bit too big. (If I make it too much smaller, you won't be able to read the numbers)

The "ViperDen" is based on the car, not the reptile, so I thought it'd be a cool way of embelishing the "theme".

What do you folks think?

I think the gauges are a really neat idea. I think they really help for non beer geeks who don't know 75 ibus from 75 hogsheads. Couldn't you just keep the font size of the gauges the same and decrease the size of the gauges themselves if you want to make them smaller?

 

[501irishred]

So looking for opinions...

I posted this label a few pages ago. I had it printed this morning and will get it on a few bottles tonight (can't wait!)

I'm almost out of the labels with this design - the lower, 3.5 x 3 label and the 3.25'ish wide neck label. I've enjoyed making these, but the neck label always ends up an afterthought, doesn't always fit in with my design, and often becomes a centering nightmare when local businesses try to print these things.

So I'm thinking about getting some 5 x 3 labels for my next batch and trying something different. I really want the extra space on the sides that some of you have used for stories, "warnings", SRM/IBU/ABV info, city/state, etc... There was just never a good place to put that info before, especially if I wanted to really make the most of the main "label". So I designed this today.

I like it, but I'm wondering if the gauge idea is a bit too big. (If I make it too much smaller, you won't be able to read the numbers)

The "ViperDen" is based on the car, not the reptile, so I thought it'd be a cool way of embelishing the "theme".

What do you folks think?

As usual, you've outdone yourself! My vote is on the larger label, but both are outstanding. Just wondering if you have some inside information - Is that a picture of an up and coming MOPAR product?

 

[jimpdx]

Just brewed this on Saturday. OG of 1.099 so I am shooting for 10+%! Would be my first real high gravity HB.

 

[ViperMan]

I think the gauges are a really neat idea. I think they really help for non beer geeks who don't know 75 ibus from 75 hogsheads. Couldn't you just keep the font size of the gauges the same and decrease the size of the gauges themselves if you want to make them smaller?

Not really - if you shrink the "tick marks" and not the numbers, then "40 50 60" becomes "405060" - then again shrink the numbers too, and you get "xososo" - you can't read it anymore.

I actually had this idea as well - getting rid of the numbers and needles, shrinking the gauges more and just keeping the LCD readout - basically it becomes a "digital gauge". Here's a rendition:

And incorporated into the label itself...

Now I just printed this out, and the identifiers for each number - "ABV", "IBU", etc - becomes hard to read, but a drop shadow or outerglow on the layer could help that. It is getting pretty small though - I might need to bump up to 400 dpi (everything is currently 300) and that makes finding detailed-enough source images for the backgrounds pretty tricky.

As usual, you've outdone yourself! My vote is on the larger label, but both are outstanding. Just wondering if you have some inside information - Is that a picture of an up and coming MOPAR product?

Haha - thanks. No the background image is from EVE Online - an MMORPG video game. With the (top) label being printed, I'm going to pose the bottles against some in-game screen shots and actually advertise it back to the company who makes the game - CCP Games out of Iceland. I'm kinda hoping they'll A ) make the beer an in-game item that can be bought/traded/sold, or even B ) wish to procure a few kegs/cases for their annual player conventions/parties (held in Iceland and Las Vegas) and - since I can't sell them the beer directly - I could possibly trade it for lifetime memberships, swag, in-game currency, who knows.

Just a thought...

The beer by the way - people like it...

 

[J187]

Made for end of the year softball party... Team - Gashouse Gorillas

 

[scavenge]

Made more to figure out what the hell I'm doing in GIMP than anything else.
Girlfriend requested a raspberry chocolate stout, still working the recipe. Description needs to be more...noir-ish, and the front label is even more of a dark blurry mess when printed. I want to keep the name text dark, figuring out a way to make it readable.

Front:

Back:

 

[passedpawn]

Made more to figure out what the hell I'm doing in GIMP than anything else.
Girlfriend requested a raspberry chocolate stout, still working the recipe. Description needs to be more...noir-ish, and the front label is even more of a dark blurry mess when printed. I want to keep the name text dark, figuring out a way to make it readable.

Front:

Back:

I like what you're trying to do there. Obviously you'll need lighter text. When you've got GIMP figured out, teach me

 

[bregiz]

Here are the labels I threw together for my first few brews. A Cider, and a spiced short mead.

 

[501irishred]

Made more to figure out what the hell I'm doing in GIMP than anything else.
Girlfriend requested a raspberry chocolate stout, still working the recipe. Description needs to be more...noir-ish, and the front label is even more of a dark blurry mess when printed. I want to keep the name text dark, figuring out a way to make it readable.

Maybe try selecting a color from the picture, like the red in her dress, and do a fine border around the black text. I don't use GIMP but I'd think it would be doable and would help it stand out against the "almost" black parts of the background.

 

[Calichusetts]

Made more to figure out what the hell I'm doing in GIMP than anything else.
Girlfriend requested a raspberry chocolate stout, still working the recipe. Description needs to be more...noir-ish, and the front label is even more of a dark blurry mess when printed. I want to keep the name text dark, figuring out a way to make it readable.

Just remember, how it looks on your screen is way more brighter than when you print. Photoshop has an option to show you how it looks printed, don't know about GIMP. Think of it this way, the colors on your screen are being EMITTED from the screen, they actually light up the color, this is not what happens on the paper. Brighten up the whole image and print a few...you'll figure it out.

PS-Laptops are really bad with this, the angle of the laptop affects how bright it appears. I teach photography and this happens all the time, students are very disappointed with the printed result as to what they saw on a computer

 

[scavenge]

Just remember, how it looks on your screen is way more brighter than when you print. Photoshop has an option to show you how it looks printed, don't know about GIMP. Think of it this way, the colors on your screen are being EMITTED from the screen, they actually light up the color, this is not what happens on the paper.

Good point. The rattletrap printer I'm working with is nothing like top-end either, so the prints come out a lot more pixellated than it looks on the screen.

PS-Laptops are really bad with this, the angle of the laptop affects how bright it appears.

Ugh, tell me about it. 'S a pain in me arse working on this at home, every time I shift position I have to tilt the screen.

Maybe try selecting a color from the picture, like the red in her dress, and do a fine border around the black text.

Yeah, I think that's the way to go. I found a how-to on outlining text with the Paths tool, but the only hitch is that it will only outline it in black. Which works fine for this, since I think black outlining red would look better than vice-versa.

Lightened up the red in the name, outlined it in black, kept some drop shadow and brightened up the whole thing. I kinda like it. I have a more current version of GIMP on my laptop at home, when I get back I'll try the 'Oilify' filter on the name text so it looks painted. The version I have on this computer just makes things look blurry and messy.

Still not certain I'm going to use this pic, I have a handful of potential candidates.

 

[scavenge]

So i found some surreal art i had to use because of the bee's nest in the hair of the girl...its seemed perfect for mead...i had to snatch it up and use it for my strawberry-vanilla. Hard to see it in the photo but it turned out great IMO.

Those are just awesome. I love the look of the paper, the tone of the artwork and text, the burnt edges. Amazing.

 

[reverendj1]

Good point. The rattletrap printer I'm working with is nothing like top-end either, so the prints come out a lot more pixellated than it looks on the screen.


Ugh, tell me about it. 'S a pain in me arse working on this at home, every time I shift position I have to tilt the screen.


Yeah, I think that's the way to go. I found a how-to on outlining text with the Paths tool, but the only hitch is that it will only outline it in black. Which works fine for this, since I think black outlining red would look better than vice-versa.

Lightened up the red in the name, outlined it in black, kept some drop shadow and brightened up the whole thing. I kinda like it. I have a more current version of GIMP on my laptop at home, when I get back I'll try the 'Oilify' filter on the name text so it looks painted. The version I have on this computer just makes things look blurry and messy.

Still not certain I'm going to use this pic, I have a handful of potential candidates.

I use GIMP a lot. The easy way to do outlining for text is to use the select by color tool. It looks like a finger pointing at a blue, red and green strip. With your text layer selected, use the select by color tool, and select any of the text. Then, create a new layer (full size, transparent), position it underneath the text layer (using the layer dialog), then in the select menu, click grow. Grow it by however many pixels looks good (usually between 1 and 3), then use the paint bucket to fill it in. Make sure to select "Fill whole selection" for the bucket tool options. It may sound hard or like a lot of work, but it only takes a few seconds. Way easier than trying to mess with paths. Afterwards, you can merge the text layer down, and then autocrop layer (both in the layer menu at the top) to move it around if you want. I'm not sure how you got the glowy white stuff behind the font, but you can also use the same method to do that. All you have to do is grow it out more, then use the feather tool under the select menu. Play around with what you feel looks good.

 

[scavenge]

Cool, thanks. I'll give it a try when I get home. Got tomorrow off too, so plenty time to waste mucking about on the laptop with BeerSmith and GIMP.
The glowy stuff underneath is a drop shadow, about 30px wide colored light grey. To my colorblind eyes it's light grey, anyway.

 

[RockfordWhite]

From a graphic design stance, i think you need to give the text alittle texture and drop the outer glow and drop shadow... I think the text needs to fit into the style of the background to really make it look professional

 

[Bazaar]

IDK. What do y'all think? I'll probably wax it, too. Orange, methinks.

 

[Bazaar]

Here's another. What do you guys think?

 

[mcbaumannerb]

Okay ... so here is a panorama of all the labels I've done so far

 

[mcangeli]

I made a chocolate stout from a midwest supplies irish stout kit and as I'm going with all fireworks related themes... Burnt Ash Chocolate Stout...

 

[ViperMan]

Good point. The rattletrap printer I'm working with is nothing like top-end either, so the prints come out a lot more pixellated than it looks on the screen.

I've never used GIMP, but also make sure that you have a good resolution to start with - minimum 300 DPI. Otherwise it'll be pixelated on ANYTHING you print.

That last version looks much better - you can still get rid of the white "halo" around the text and replace the black border with a lighter border - that would make it stand out as well.

However, the version you have now works fine as well.

 

[seriousbeef]

I've never used GIMP, but also make sure that you have a good resolution to start with - minimum 300 DPI. Otherwise it'll be pixelated on ANYTHING you print.

That last version looks much better - you can still get rid of the white "halo" around the text and replace the black border with a lighter border - that would make it stand out as well.

However, the version you have now works fine as well.

GIMP is good, given a bit of time to get antiquated with it.
This was for my latest porter

 

[ViperMan]

GIMP is good, given a bit of time to get antiquated with it.

Given that I'm relatively handy with Photoshop (though I'm using an older version of it) is there much benefit to going through the learning curve with GIMP?