Heather Bednarz – Beer Label and Packaging Vector Genius Tutorial – May 2012
Step 1: My first step or “rule” for any project I do is to research first before anything. Doing a design like this especially, it’s better to have an idea first than to go in blindly. After collecting any reference or inspiration I start thumb-nailing/sketching out ideas until I find what I want. After I decided on doing seasonal beers, I tried to come up with a label and packaging design that worked together to make the product, not just the bottle’s label itself.
Thumbnails and Sketches
Step 2: After the final designs were chosen, I went and sketched out a quick placement and shape for the box and bottles in Photoshop. Then I went in and started rendering the bottle on a separate layer, making it easier to copy and paste the bottle once it’s done, so I can save time on rendering 4 more bottles. It also makes it easier to scrap a layer if you don’t end up liking what you added instead of re-rendering an object. (And of course, naming your layers so you know what’s what is a good idea if you don’t already do so! I tend to use a lot of layers initially so files can get confusing.)
Rendering Layers in Photoshop
Step 3: The labels started to flesh out. I worked this out on another layer until I was happy with the design.
Fleshing out design
Step 4: I started to add the box’s illustration.
Adding the package illustration
Step 5: Once I finished the box design, I added the other bottles and the text for it, as well as a placeholder for the bottle’s neck label. I tried to find fonts that felt right for the design but that weren’t too excessive.
Finding the right fonts for the Package design
Step 6: Then the finals! For the stand-alone bottles, I took the half-rendered bottle layer, copied it, and added to it on a new layer to complete the design.
Finished Package Designs
