1. Learn how to Set Up a Beer Label for Printing
Step 1
Open a brand new Illustrator doc (File > New or Command-N), and set the beer label dimension to 11 inches by 8.5 inches in CMYK colour mode. Be certain that to alter the Items and Shade Mode as wanted.
This might differ when you’re aiming for a bottle beer label dimension or a beer can label dimension, so measure your props or mockups beforehand.
Choose the Rectangle Device (M), with no Fill and 0.25 pt stroke, after which click on as soon as on the stage and enter 4 in large by 3.5 in excessive. Choose the Ellipse Device (L), click on as soon as on the stage, and enter 2.1 in by 2.2 in. Choose each the ellipse and the sq., and within the Align panel, middle the objects horizontally and vertically.
Step 2
Choose the sq., and within the menu, go to Impact > Crop Marks.
Improve the sq.’s dimension to 4.125 in by 3.875 in. This sq. would be the picture dimension, which is 1/8 in bigger than the crop marks. This ensures no white house while you or the printers reduce these labels out. It is a key step to get the suitable beer label dimension.
Step 3
Choose All (Command-A), and within the Align panel, toggle the artboard and middle the label horizontally and vertically.
Choose the sq. with the crop marks and, from the highest menu, choose Object > Lock > Choice (Command-2).
2. Learn how to Add Textual content & Graphics to the Beer Label Design
Step 1
Upon getting the setup on your Adobe Illustrator label design, choose the ellipse and Copy it (Command-C). Do not paste it fairly but. Fill the oval with darkish inexperienced #6B752A. Give the oval an inside gentle inexperienced #D3E27E 3 pt stroke.
Use the Look panel so as to add an out of doors darkish inexperienced #6B752A 1.5 pt stroke.
Step 2
Go forward and Paste in Entrance your copied ellipse (Command-F).
Double-click the Scale Device to convey up the Scale dialogue panel, and enter 65% within the Uniform discipline.
Choose each ellipses and, within the Pathfinder panel, apply Form Modes: Minus Entrance, after which click on Develop.
Step 3
It’s best to nonetheless have your unique oval within the clipboard, so take the ellipse and Paste in Entrance once more (Command-F).
Double-click the Scale Device to convey up the Scale dialogue panel, and this time enter 71% within the Uniform discipline, and click on OK.
Step 4
Choose the Sort On A Path Device and select one of many Envato Parts fonts (I used Bristain Rought Serif font at 23 pt, and Monitoring at 130) and set the Fill colour to white. Click on on the oval and sort the model title of the product—for instance, ‘OLD BARREL’—on the beer label format.
Modify the Monitoring (the house between the letters), if obligatory, by clicking between the letters and urgent Command-Shift-[ or ].
Modify the baseline, if obligatory, by growing or reducing the scale of the ellipse that the textual content is on.
Step 5
View the Rulers by urgent Command-R or Menu > View > Present Rulers, choose the sort, and drag a horizontal information from the highest ruler to the middle of the circle. If the information is not seen, then go to Menu > View > Present Guides (Command-;). Use the Choice Device (V) to pull the deal with of the textual content to the middle place.
vStep 6
Choose the Ellipse Device (L). Click on and maintain Alt–Shift whereas dragging outward from the middle of your oval to create a circle that extends previous the empty middle of the oval. Fill it with orange #F2781C and null Stroke.
Proper-click > Prepare > Ship to Again (Command -Alt-[) to send the orange circle to the back.
3. How to Create a Banner Strip for the Beer Label Badge
Step 1
Select the Rectangle Tool (M) and click once on the artboard to open the Rectangle dialogue panel.
Enter 2.2 in and 0.3 in for the Width and Height.
With the rectangle selected, go to the Gradient panel and choose a horizontal linear gradient color #533930 on each end and #704438 in the middle.
Give the rectangle a 1 pt black Stroke, and check the Round Join option.
Step 2
In the menu, go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make With Warp and choose Squeeze, check Horizontal, and Bend only 2%.
Step 3
Type in the kind of product, such as ‘Handcrafted Beer’, and center it in the rectangle (I’ll stick with Bristain Rought Serif font for all the text).
Step 4
Select the Rectangle Tool (M) and click once on the artboard. Enter 0.5 in width and 0.3 in height. Give it a 1 pt black Stroke, using the Round Join option again.
Give this rectangle a Linear Gradient with #533930 on the left and #986633 on the right.
Step 5
With the rectangle selected, go to Object > Path > Add Anchor Points.
With the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the middle point on the right of the rectangle, and drag it towards the center to create the end of the tail. Hold Shift while dragging to force it to be straight.
Step 6
Place this tail object on the right end of the rectangle, and nudge it down a bit. Send it behind the rectangle: Right-click > Arrange > Send Backward (Command-[).
Copy (Command-C) the tail object and Paste in Front (Command-F).
Right-click the copied tail object and select Transform > Reflect. Choose Vertical and 90 degrees for the angle. Move the reflected tail object over to the left side, holding Shift while dragging to force it to be straight.
Step 7
Now, a detail to make the banner more realistic: zoom in close to where the right tail meets the rectangle. Choose the Pen Tool (P) and draw a shape with four clicks: the bottom right of the rectangle, the bottom left of the tail, straight up to any position (hold Shift), and back to the beginning point to close.
Fill the shape with a dark brown #2D1C17 and 1 pt rounded black Stroke.
Press, Command-[ until the shape is behind the rectangle but in front of the tail.
Step 8
Copy it (Command-C), and Paste in Front (Command-F).
Right-click > Transform > Reflect > Vertical 90 degrees.
Shift-drag to the same spot on the left end of the beer label banner.
Step 9
Select the entire banner and go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make With Warp, choosing Arc and 12% for the Bend.
Step 10
Now, let’s place the beer label banner into the design.
Click the brand name text ‘OLD BARREL’ so the center point is visible. Drag a vertical guide from the left Ruler to the center point. Place the banner in position, using the vertical guide to keep it centered.
4. How to Draw & Add a Wheat Grain to the Beer Label
Step 1
Let’s try to make stalks of wheat from scratch. Use the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a small thin vertical oval of any color.
Use the Convert Anchor Point Tool (which is nested in the Pen Tool) and click the top point of the oval. Use the Selection Tool (V) and press Alt while dragging to create a copy of this teardrop shape to use as the tip of the wheat in a few steps. Place it aside for now.
Step 2
Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) and drag the top point up and to the left on our original teardrop shape. With the Direct Selection Tool (A), drag the left curve handle to the right, which curves the teardrop shape. Now it looks more like a grain of wheat.
Double-click the Rotate Tool (R) and choose an Angle of about -20 degrees. You want to get that tip pointing slightly right of vertical.
Step 3
From the menu, select Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. We’ll repeat the wheat grain to make the rest of the wheat stalk. Check Preview and enter 3 for Copies and -0.45 in (about) for Vertical. Click OK when it looks right.
Step 4
Copy it (Command-C), Paste in Front (Command-F), and then Right-click > Transform > Reflect, and choose Vertical 90 degrees. Nudge it left into position. Place your copied teardrop on the tip.
Use the Line Segment Tool () and create a 2 pt, Round Join, Round Cap, white vertical line for the stem, below the grains.
Step 5
Select all the wheat elements and make them white.
From the menu, select Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp, and choose Arc for the style, check Vertical, and about a 30% Bend.
Step 6
Place the wheat on the label, resizing and rotating as necessary, and then go to Arrange > Send Backward (Command-[) to send it behind the banner.
Copy (Command-C) and Paste in Front (Command-F).
Right-click, Transform > Reflect, choose Vertical 90 degrees, and move the copy to the right side of the label.
5. How to Integrate Additional Text Into the Beer Label Badge
Step 1
Add the word ‘Wheat’, “Ale”, “Kolsch”, or whatever the type of drink it is. In the menu, go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp and enter an acceptable negative number in the Bend effect.
Position the text in the middle-bottom of the label.
Step 2
Select and Copy (Command-C) the main large text-on-a-path.
Paste in Front (Command-F). Increase the size so the circle is just larger than the label oval. Use the Selection Tool (V), and click any corner of the text-on-a-path and Alt-Shift-Drag to expand equally.
Type a catchphrase or quote to personalize the product. Decrease the font size as necessary and use the color #6B752A. Use the Selection Tool (V) to adjust the position of the text on the curve, by dragging the right handle.
6. How to Add a Photo to a Homebrew Beer Label Design
Step 1
Get a photo of the brewmaster, or any person you’d like to feature on the label. It’s the head and shoulders we’re looking for. It’s very helpful to have the subject on a white background.
Many thanks to wookiestock at deviantart.com for this photo I have used in this tutorial. Open the photo in Adobe Photoshop.
Step 2
In the Photoshop menu, go to Image > Adjustments > Threshold and adjust the slider until there’s a good balance of light and dark in the face. We will need the face area to be contained, as in no breaks along the perimeter of the head, because we will fill the face in with white later.
So for this image, I darkened his left cheek and right ear so there is a complete outline of his head after the threshold is applied.
Step 3
Use the Elliptical Marquee Tool (M) to create a selection around the head and shoulders. Go to Select > Inverse (Command-Shift-I) and delete everything but the head and shoulders.
Crop (C) and Save (Command-S) the photo.
Step 4
Add your new face photo in your Adobe Illustrator label design.
Select the image and click the Image Trace button in the Properties panel, or select the Black and White Logo preset from the Tracing Presets button, and Expand.
Step 5
Click Live Paint, and then, with the Live Paint Bucket Tool (K), Fill all the black areas with dark brown #533930. Fill all the face portions with white. Clean up the image as necessary and place it in the middle of the label.
Step 6
Now we want the top of the head to pop out from the oval, but the rest to go behind the oval, making a 3D effect.
Select the face, Copy (Command-C), and Paste in Front (Command-F). Right-click and select Ungroup (Command-Shift-G).
Step 7
In the Pathfinder panel, choose Unite and click Expand to make the face one solid shape.
Step 8
Use the Knife Tool to chop off the top of the head, and delete the rest by using the Direct Selection Tool (A). Find it hidden under the Eraser Tool (Shift-E).
Select the face and send it back behind the oval. The chopped-off head part will be in front now. Grab the Selection Tool (V) and Scale the face and head shape slightly up.
This beer label for printing is really starting to shape up! All we need now is a background, and the label is finished!
7. How to Design a Custom Beer Bottle Label Background
Step 1
These are instructions considering that we’re working with a bottle beer label size, but they also work for a beer can label size. Select the label square and Fill it with light green #D3E27E. Remove the stroke.
Use the Line Segment Tool () to create two horizontal 0.25 pt black lines: one near the top and one near the bottom. Feel free to make them longer than the square, as we will crop them later.
Step 2
The Blend option makes it easy to repeat these lines evenly across the background. Select them both and, in the menu, go to Object > Blend > Blend Options and choose 50 for Spacing: Specified Steps and click OK.
Now go to Object > Blend > Make to apply the effect. Send the lines behind the artwork but keep them in front of the green background.
Step 3
Use the Opacity Mask to fade out the lines. Copy (Command-C) the green square and Paste it in Front (Command-F) of the lines, and give it a Radial black and white Gradient, with black in the center.
Step 4
Select the square and the lines, and in the Transparency panel dropdown menu, choose Make Opacity Mask. Adjust the gradient to fade the lines out in the center.
Step 5
Make sure to click the left square in the Transparency panel when you are finished editing the opacity mask, because you will not be able to select other elements until you do.
8. How to Prepare a Label Design and Print It
Step 1
Some printers freak out when they see transparency-related effects, so we will flatten ours to be safe. Select the opacity mask and choose Object > Flatten Transparency.
Step 2
Select all the text in this file or just Select All (Command-A), and in the menu, choose Type > Create Outlines. This will ensure your typography is preserved. It may be a good idea to save your beer label for printing before this step, in case you want to edit the text later.
Step 3
Select everything including the crop marks and Group it (Command-G). Change the x-position to 3 in. Copy and Paste in Front another label (Command-F). Move the x-position of the second label to 8 in.
Step 4
Ungroup (Command-Shift-G) the objects until you can select and delete the horizontal crop marks in the middle of the two printable beer labels.
Congratulations, You’re Done!
Here is your final, super tasty beer label for printing! Now you can take a beer label template and create a beer label by yourself.
Thanks for following along, and I really hope your designs are a big hit! Here is the original beer bottle label design I made for “Huja Brew”, and a mockup of our custom design using Placeit‘s beer label maker.
Now it’s up to you: choose the beer label size, make your own beer can template in illustrator, and print it as many times as you want!
Try a Placeit Customizable Beer Label Template
I hope you enjoyed this printable beer labels tutorial and learned a few tricks along the way. Now you are a craft beer label designer!
If you are looking to save time or searching for other mockup designs, templates, and logos, check out these amazing beer label design makers on Placeit.
1. Beer Label Generator for a Stout Beer
2. Wrestling Mask Beer Label Design Maker
This beer label design maker has a fun approach, with a lucha libre damaged effect to it. You can upload your own custom mask design, change the color tone, and try adding other decorative font styles to it. It’s suitable for both a bottle beer label size and a beer can label size.
3. Geisha Beer Label Template
If you are looking for an ornamental, colorful, and exotic design, try out this beer label template. It’s easy to adjust the layout content, and you can swap the colors and graphics to create simple and printable beer labels.
4. Lager Beer Label Template
To present a more modern, fresh, geometric style, try this lager beer label template. This is a great option for contemporary and unique brew mixes.
5. Beer Label Maker for a Cool Craft Beer
Too busy to design a beer can template in Illustrator? Make it faster with this cool beer label template. Easily work on this label design and print it. It was specifically designed for a craft beer label layout.
Design Your Own Printable Beer Labels
I hope you found the inspiration today to design your very own bottle beer or beer can template in illustrator. Or maybe, you chose to generate one using the Placeit beer label maker. This second choice is perfect if you don’t have the time to work on a beer can template in illustrator.
Check out these other articles, roundups, and tutorials from Envato Tuts+ for even more design inspiration. Happy brewing!
