HP Innovation Journal Special Edition: Retail Transformation | Page 19

Mikkeller uses two of Shore’s signature characters in its
label designs, the colorful and playful Henry & Sally figures,
which Shore says always give him a solid starting point.
How do all of these labels go from creative gleam in the
eye to actually covering beer cans? Mikkeller and KCBC
both work with an Ohio-based company called Blue Label
Digital, which uses HP Indigo digital presses to create the
perfect labels. The printers can achieve up to 98 percent
of Pantone colors and print on a variety of materials from
paper to foil, which lets designers and beermakers get
exactly the high-end look they want.
MORE THAN A TREND
Artistic labels look cool in your fridge, but are they a fad,
or will breweries keep soliciting the talents of design pro-
fessionals? Keirans, for one, thinks the creative label trend
is here to stay.
“Art and design is a key piece in the
spirits game.” he says. “I think that in
a hyper-competitive space having a
vision that reaches all aspects of your
brand, from labels to the physical
space and everything in between, is
very important.”
The growing cottage industry of craft beer labels is pro-
viding a lot of opportunities for nascent breweries to get
in the game—and demonstrate the art of their brand.
“I think that craft beer happens at the intersection of art,
science and business,” the Brewers Association’s Herz
says. “That art aspect is not just about what’s in the glass.
I think the label is a really solid place for seeing a lot of art
come from these small brewery businesses. They make
liquid art, and it’s really cool to see how they flex their
muscle via the label and the packaging.”
This article originally appeared on the Garage by HP.
Visit garage.ext.hp.com for more stories on how technology
is improving our world.
Photography by Chad Hunt
Craft beer labels are an art form in and of themselves.
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