Fielding community submitted questions on CODO’s 2021 Craft Beer Branding Trends article.

CODO Design cofounder, Isaac Arthur, fields community submitted questions about our 2021 Craft Beer Branding Trends article.

1. What’s your favorite packaging trend this year?
2. Do brewpubs really need to package their beer? There were several mentions to this effect and I’m not sure I agree with you. Won’t this need fade once we’re beyond COVID?
3. Can you expand on the packaging lifespan thought from the packaging refresh trend? Isn’t the goal to have your packaging become iconic so people can pick it off a shelf anywhere they go?  If you’re updating it every couple years, how will people know what to look for on shelf?
4. We’re currently a brewery in planning. We’re considering a 12-pack out of the gate (with painted cans) and wanted to see what you thought about this plan?
5. It seems like an “endorsed brand” is the best way to launch a new hard seltzer. Is this approach what you suggest to the majority of your clients or should we consider any other avenues?
6. You mentioned that package design might not need to look like a rigid system if it’s not going to be distributed and end up on shelf. I’m a designer myself and was surprised to hear this. Can you explain what benefits there would be for a brewery’s packaging to not be consistent?
7. I agree that the sub brand family approach is working well for older breweries. Do you think a younger brewery could employ this approach or is time in the market what makes it work in the first place?