Since this isn't a commercial product, I am assuming the bar code is just for fun?

I realize this is a brewing hobby (I hope to be getting a kit this holiday), and since you aren't a designer and you aren't looking to make this a commercial venture, I'll have to tone-down the critique.

I think the powder blue is just not a good color for a beer label. Try several other color combinations.

I could go into a number of issues about the typography, heirarchy and composition, but again, since you aren't a designer and the product doesn't call for a professional, I'll have to refrain.

Well as this is a hobby I too will tone down the critique.

The font use on the sides - it's just a terrible font, go for something not so child like - besides in the real world labeling alcoholic drinks to be attractive to children is illegal. But this is a hobby - so it won't be going commercial and if it does you'll have a bunch of laws you have to abide by.


However, I agree the blue is not a good colour - again childish looking being a baby sort of blue.



Here's a tip for you

Allow a bit of white space at one of the ends of the bottle, so that when you wrap the label around the bottle, you have a little white tab to glue the label to. Unless the whole label is being glued to the bottle?


Perhaps you should add a TM mark to the Milk Stout piece, and add some TM lingo to the info panels on the left or right in small writing for kicks and giggles, give it some authenticity.


And if you change the size of the text for some parts (legal stuff being smaller) it adds an air of authencity to it too.


Well that's it really.

Change the colour to something else, change the font on the side panels.

Add a bit of white so that you can glue the label together - unless you plan to glue the whole label to the bottle.

Add some TM marks and some legal mumbojumbo.


Looks like fun - gonna have to get me one of those kits

No, blast away please. Yes, the barcode is just for fun. I think right off the bat you made some helpful observations. So if anyone has time, I would be very interested in hearing about typography, heirarchy and composition.

I realize I'm never going to be a graphic designer, but with some pro tips, I'll at least be able to create some better looking labels for my hobby.

You both made great suggestions so far and I welcome more criticism.

Thanks!

While we're at it, what do you think of the actual logo? Lodovico Brewing.

Too complex for a logo? I agonized over coming up with something and this is about the 10th design.

Any tips on this? I just read that great logo thread on here and it gave me ideas but I don't know how to make it simpler but still have the brewery name incorporated.

Any suggestions on my logo?

Well i'd get rid of that line underneath the name. Not needed.

And perhaps arch the text so the same arch as the oval, but keep it underneath.

And then perhaps change the shape of the wheat(?) so that it fits under the arched text in an arch too.

It doesn't have to be that way too - just an idea.


And you could put a funny comment on the front of it - like a tagline

"Homemade brew from Cows - pull the udder one!"

or

"Milking it since 2005"

this is great for a kindergarten milk-box design. Think about the market you want to appeal to, research it (go the the liquor store and spend some time in the beer section), and try to appeal to that crowd.

Also, you have an advantage over the commercial beers... it's home brewed. Market that. I know you're not trying to make this commercial, but the label should compliment what's inside. If you want your friends to take your beer seriously, you need a more serious label.

Who takes beer seriously?

This is my favourite beer -





They sell it in the local pub.


So if you're going for funny and quirky with your mates drinking homemade brews then this is the way to go.



You could do a coloured rectangle that runs the length of the label at the top or bottom to add some more things.

Perhaps even put random facts on each label - just to be quirky.

One fact I'd put on one of them would be "I pissed in this one" for a laugh.

if your friends are easy going that is. Would be funny though.

Have you looked at other brewers' labels? That might be a good starting point.

I like what you have going on at the top with the hops and tare of wheat(?) so why not just stick with that and simplify everything else. Maybe get rid of the black line design element. It's just kind of there...

If you like the color, keep it. My main suggestion is to pick a font that is unique yet readable and use only one font aside from your logotype. Your friends are going to like this label because YOU made the product.

Btw (and totally unrelated) -- Meadville, eh? I'm from Bedford but travel to Erie/Waterford/Edinboro about twice a month.

i'd be willing to do your label for a couple cases of brew

i would try some different color combos. maybe play with cow spots instead of the cow face you have going there. you've got a bunch of different fonts working here also. try cutting it down to 2 maybe.

the logo could use some work. i like the 3 hops you have on under the name. try making the hop bunch larger and arcing text around it. or maybe have the name stacked and in front of the hops.

i sure wouldn't mind being one of your friends around the holidays

I really appreciate all of the suggestions so far. Really good stuff.

I understand the "being more serious" thing with the label but I don't want to be too serious. I guess I want a balance of serious and still kind of fun, if that makes sense.

Thanks for the help so far. It's been very helpful. Please continue to make suggestions if you have them. I'm going to post the changes that I make for more feedback.

Thanks for being patient with a design noob.

I think overall the logo of your 'company' needs a redesign.

What a designer will do is develop several dozen ideas/concepts. Using as different ideas or concepts as possible.
Through this process the designer is usually forced to get both good and bad ideas out of their system.
Also look at different styles of graphics -and old beer labels for inspiration.

work with different shapes (the oval is sort of static), and motifs.
The barley and hops are a natural motif, but can be handled differently (used as floral border decoration, perhaps). They really aren't all that necessary anyway.

Have you considered "branding" the Milk stout?

often times a brewery will have a "brand name" for each style they brew.

I get the humour in using the cow, but you really don't want to imply that there is more than just the lactose.

I like beer.

I also like beer. I don't mind making it either - apart from all the cleaning and sanitising that goes on.

If you want it to look really casual, you could design the label on computer, then recreate it by hand with pencils, scan it back in, and then print it like that.

Any feedback on this idea? I think I like this the most so far. It would also work if scaled down or in black and white. I learned on this forum today that those things are important in logo design






I realize now that I have to lift the grain to be a layer above the sun.