# Brewery branding: one look for every can, poster and post [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/brewery-branding) A brewery can release dozens of beers a year, each with its own name and label. Here is how to give every can its own personality and still have a fridge full of beers that clearly come from you. ## The short version - Brewery branding works best with two layers: a fixed core of logo, typeface and layout, and a changing colour or artwork for each beer or series. - Grouping beers into series such as core, seasonal and small batch gives each group its own rules, so the range stays readable in a fridge. - A can release post should show the beer's name, style, strength and when it is available in the first frame. - A weekly taproom calendar post on the same day each week becomes something regulars look for. - Taproom and gig posters should use the brewery's core type so they read as part of the same brand at a distance. Good **brewery branding** has two layers. The core never changes: the logo, the typeface, where the beer name sits, how strength and style are set. The second layer changes with every beer: a colour, a pattern or a piece of artwork. Drinkers recognise the brewery from the core and choose the beer from the second layer. Run the same split through release posts, the taproom calendar and posters, and everything you put out looks like it came from one place. ## How to build a brewery brand that holds a whole range Most breweries run several kinds of beer at once. Giving each kind its own visual rules stops a fridge of cans from turning into noise, and it tells drinkers what they are picking up before they read the style. | Series | What stays fixed | What changes | | --- | --- | --- | | Core range | Logo, type, layout, a calm colour family | One steady colour per beer, never redesigned | | Seasonal | Logo, type, layout | Colour of the season, refreshed each year | | Small batch | Logo, type, a numbered batch line | Bold colour or artwork for every brew | | Collaborations | Your type and layout, both logos | A colour that suits both breweries | Four series, one core. The more experimental the beer, the more freedom its colour gets. If your small batch series has its own name and following, it can work like a [sub-brand](https://gradiently.design/guide/sub-brands) with a little more independence. Keep the typeface, though: it is the thread that ties every can back to you. Writing these rules down once, as a short [brand style guide](https://gradiently.design/guide/brand-style-guide) page, stops a new designer or a collaboration partner from guessing. ## Choosing colours for each beer style Drinkers already link certain colours with certain styles, partly because they can see the beer in the glass. Lean into that for the core range, and break it on purpose for small batches when you want a beer to feel surprising. - Crisp lager: `linear-gradient(170deg, #f7e7a6 0%, #e8c75a 50%, #c79b2c 100%)` - Hazy IPA: `linear-gradient(170deg, #fde3b0 0%, #f5b25a 50%, #d77b2a 100%)` - Amber ale: `linear-gradient(170deg, #e8a35a 0%, #b8622a 55%, #7a3a18 100%)` - Imperial stout: `linear-gradient(170deg, #3a2a22 0%, #1f1612 55%, #0c0806 100%)` - Raspberry sour: `linear-gradient(170deg, #ffd1dc 0%, #f27aa0 50%, #c23a6a 100%)` - Barrel aged: `linear-gradient(170deg, #6a3a1e 0%, #4a2412 50%, #24110a 100%)` Six styles as colour, all at the same angle, so they read as one brewery's fridge. Two practical checks before a colour goes to print. First, put the can next to its neighbours in the range: if two beers are hard to tell apart at a glance, push one lighter or darker. Second, check the beer name and the strength against the colour behind them, especially on pale lagers and deep stouts, where white or black type can sink. [Text on a gradient](https://gradiently.design/guide/text-on-gradient) covers how to test contrast across a whole label rather than at one spot. ## What to put in a beer can release post Release day is when your followers decide whether to come down or order online. Put the four facts they need in the first frame: the name, the style, the strength and when it is available. A portrait release post for a hazy IPA called Low Tide at 6.2 percent, available in the taproom from Friday The feed post: name large, style, strength and timing underneath. A vertical story announcing the Low Tide release on Friday with the online shop opening at 9am The story version, with space for a countdown or link sticker. 1. **Tease the colour** A crop of the label colour or artwork a few days before, with the name only. 2. **Announce the release** Feed post and story together: name, style, ABV, date, where to buy. 3. **Share the brew notes** Hops, malts, what you were aiming for. Beer people read these. 4. **Post the last call** "Last cases of Low Tide." Useful for regulars who meant to order. ## A weekly taproom calendar regulars look for A weekly calendar post is one of the most useful things a taproom can share. Post it on the same day each week, in the same layout, and regulars start checking for it. List what's on and what's pouring, nothing more, and keep the words clear of the top and bottom of the story version, where the app's own buttons sit ([social media safe zones](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-media-safe-zones) shows where). A portrait taproom calendar post listing a quiz on Thursday, a new release on Friday, live music on Saturday and a Sunday roast The weekly calendar, posted every Monday in the same layout so it becomes a habit. - **Monday**: the week's calendar post and story. - **Midweek**: one event post, such as the quiz or a tap takeover. - **Friday**: what's new on tap, or the release. - **Weekend**: a story or two from the bar, with permission from anyone in shot. For bigger events such as a birthday party or a beer festival, [event marketing graphics](https://gradiently.design/guide/event-organizer-marketing) has a fuller plan. ## Taproom event poster design Posters do two jobs in a brewery: they decorate the taproom and they sell events. Both work better when the poster uses your core type, so a quiz poster by the toilets and a gig poster in a shop window read as the same brand. - A4 poster: 2480 × 3508 - A3 poster: 3508 × 4961 - 18×24 in poster: 5400 × 7200 - Instagram post: 1080 × 1350 Common poster sizes at 300 dpi next to the Instagram post. They are all upright, so one layout adapts well across them. ### Lost on the wall - Every line the same size - Thin type on a busy photo - Date and time in a corner - A different font for every event ### Read from the bar - One big line: the event name - Bold type on a calm, deep colour - Day and time as the second line - Your core typeface every time [Band poster design](https://gradiently.design/guide/band-poster-design) and [poster sizes](https://gradiently.design/guide/poster-size-guide) go into more detail. A tool that resizes one design to every format saves a lot of evenings here: in Gradiently, Pro turns the Instagram post into the A3 poster and the story in one step, and the Designer can write the release copy and event wording in your brand kit's voice. If you claim a Mark as your taproom's background, only you can export with it, so no other brewery shares your look. > **Check the rules on alcohol content** Alcohol marketing is regulated in many countries, and social platforms have their own policies on alcohol posts and ads. Check what applies where you sell before you advertise or run a giveaway. ## FAQ ### How do I keep a brewery's cans consistent when every beer is different? Fix the logo, typeface and layout for every can, and let only the colour or artwork change. Group beers into series with their own rules for how much that colour can vary. ### What should a beer release post include? The beer's name, style, strength and when and where it is available, all in the first frame. ### What should a brewery post on social media? Release announcements, brew notes, a weekly taproom calendar, event posters, behind the scenes brew days and last call reminders. ### What size should a taproom poster be? A4 at 2480×3508 pixels or A3 at 3508×4961 pixels covers most walls; an 18×24 inch poster is 5400×7200 pixels at 300 dpi. ### What makes good craft beer branding? A fixed core of logo, typeface and layout that every can shares, plus a colour or artwork that changes with each beer. Drinkers learn the brewery from the core and pick the beer from the colour.