Are you influenced by label design?

It definitely influences my purchase and at the least gets my attention.

 

I think it's funny to see all these people not buying brown note because of the label art....















I bought it for the label art.

 

A label won't make me buy a beer, but it surely has stopped me from buying many. If you're going to put a dumb (Brown Note), dull, uninteresting, or ugly label on your bottle, it gives me no faith about what's in the bottle.

 

I am more likely to not buy a beer because of a bad label or artwork than I am to be influenced to buy a beer because of a great label. As others have mentioned, Brown Note comes to mind.

 

I did buy the beers in this series for the label art, and the beers were outstanding as well.

 

I agree with the general sentiment that it makes more of an impact than most realize. However, I will qualify this by saying I think it makes much more of an impact on the average, casual consumer or new craft consumer than the experienced one.

I say this from experience-when I first branched into craft I had no idea what I was doing and absolutely was swayed by the labels to an extent. Arrogant bastard...what a great name...who wouldn't want to try that? That was definitely my thinking. Skull splitter, etc. it plays a role. This carries over to wine too. And if you deny it you kid yourself. The Orin swift wines are proof of this. It's a genius marketing design...you cannot look at one without saying it has to be Orin.

Now that I have been into craft for 10 + years, much less of a role. Do I still appreciate great art? Absolutely. I love me a great Jester King or Mad Fritz label. But does that sway me at the store? Not now. The big factor in labeling for me is legible canning/bottling dates, information on style/story/hops/ABV.

 

Its not the cover but he contence that i like. Maine Beer Co. and Mystic to name a few often have very simplistic lables but the beer taste fantastic.
But I will say, If a beer has a glitter and rhinestone label i will probably think its from Rogues and avoid it like its the plague.

 

Not necessarily. If something really catches my eye and I like the design, I'll definitely examine the bottle or can in detail to see if it sounds like something I'd enjoy.

But a label that is completely bland can turn me off especially if it's a company I've never heard of.

But of course the artwork doesn't dictate what's within the container.

 

I'm more likely to pick up a new beer based on how eye-catching it is, but in the long run, no, it doesn't make a difference. Only what's in the bottle counts. Cool artwork to a good beer is a neat bonus, though.

 

Hmm, I might've read more than the bottling code on those.

 

Anyone that says that packaging has no influence on them is likely only partially right. How can label art not have some influence, if even a negative one? I once had a wine importer tell me that packaging had no effect on him, that what's in the bottle is all that matters. I actually told my friend he was full of baloney. Truth is, most wine- and likely beer- is purchased by women, and many designs are aimed directly towards them. We're not likely to see Mike Ditka White Zinfandel or Kim Kardashian BBA Booty Imperial Stout (well maybe). These days, the label and can art being produced will likely continue to produce iconic images and further help brands thrive (SNPA). I have some Haw River Farmhouse Ales that I will talk about on NBS this Sunday that I was drawn to because of the gorgeous understated packaging. I picked up a bottle at my neighborhood Whole Foods and said to myself, "Oh, I love these guys!"

 

No.

 

An equally interesting question to be posed, especially for the designers, is "Do customers and customer preferences have an impact on label/packaging design?" After all if beer ratings are impacted by customer/market preferences wouldn't labels/packaging be influenced as well?

I'd suggest that the "better" or more effective labels/packages are more effective in grabbing attention and/or in maintaining brand loyalty because those who design them (or those who do the research to shape the designers beliefs about "good" design) go to great lengths to figure out and understand customer preferences, etc.

Seems to there are a couple of reasonable and general rules of thumb. A great product with a label design that doesn't appeal to customers interests, etc. will often fail to grab attention in a crowded marketplace. Similarly, a label design that appeals to customer interests without being backed up by a good product won't gain repeat customers and maintain sales of that product.

While their are exceptions to both rules of thumb, I don't think either can be ignored when it comes to people shopping for a new beer in a beer shop with several hundred options.

 

I'd agree with the women and wine part, but looking at many of the labels on beer that we see these days I'd say it is still the case that most beer is purchased by men. I would agree, however, that the number of women shopping for beer in a bottle shop is increasing and based on that predict some noticable changes in general trends in labeling.

 

Nice. Reminds me of Old Frothingshloss (sp?)
I know people bought them, because I had a whole shelf of different labeled cans in the '70's. what I don't know is how they tasted.
Maybe a Poobah can remind us of those labels now. (Or a poobah in training, because BA is awesome and anyone can contribute).
I remember they were photos of actual, rubenesque, women, rather than these cartoon beauties. Either way, I reminisce a simpler time when the label was the object.
@Lingenbrau, @jesskidden?

 

Call my attorney. I gave no one permission to take my photo. I gave no one permission to publish said photo.
Oh, and the two tatoos that look like "x's" on my hips were crosses when I got inked. Shut up, like you haven't put on any weight. Right!

 

Not me. I'm just a glassware nerd!

 

In bottle shops men seem to buy more beer, but in bigger retail outlets- with improving beer selections btw- women still seem to be doing most of the buying.

 

Then we need to figure out whether those women are buying for themselves or on a family shopping trip and picking up something requested/preferred by someone else.

 

Definitely all of the above.