A Starter Guide to Creating a Brand for Your Craft Brewery

While you don’t exactly have to be a design whiz in order to start developing your craft brewery’s brand, it is an important part of the process that you’ll want to invest in. Think about some of the breweries you’ve visited that have really caught your eye. What was the logo? How were their beers labeled? Did they have creative names for each brew? What do you think of when the name of this brewery comes to mind?

These are all important questions to ask yourself, and then try to emulate the key parts of the answers in your own designs for your brand. 

Choosing a Good Name

Of course, the first step is choosing a name that can truly act as a launch pad for a memorable brand. It’s the first impression you’ll make on people, and you want it to be positive and lasting. A good name can connect your customers with your brand almost immediately. And remember, renaming your business is a whole other can of worms — so you definitely want to try to get this right the first time.

Design a Killer Logo

This might be something that you actually want to outsource. Graphic design can be pricey, but it’s almost always worth it in the end. The craft beer industry is only continuing to grow, which means more competition is popping up by the day. In order to really make a splash in the industry, you need to stand out- and part of that is having a killer logo. The perfect logo is unique but still identifies you clearly as a brewery. The logo will go quite literally everywhere — your website, your signage, even your merchandise. So, make sure it’s a good one!

Pick a cohesive color scheme

Nothing is worse than spending time and effort choosing a memorable name and logo, only to have it be ruined by a color scheme that isn’t aesthetically pleasing. As a rule of thumb, you should consider sticking to neutral, dark colors with a pop of bold color. You want the colors of your design to be warm and inviting while still standing out among the competition.

Consider the Location and Layout of Your Taproom

You may not immediately think that the location and layout of your taproom would be a major part of your brand, but it is! The best location will be in an attractive neighborhood that is in close proximity to the clientele you’re trying to attract. Consider the size of the location and the must-have elements of the space. Do you need a large space to host events? A staging area for live music? What about an outdoor space? All of these and more are important questions to ask, because they will immensely impact the vibe of the space and, therefore, your brewery. Think about how you want people to feel when they walk inside, and start there. 

This is Just the Start

Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive guide to building a brand! Instead, it’s a place to start. Consider these elements the building blocks of a killer brewery brand.