Newsletter - Beer Branding Trends

The Beer Branding Trends Newsletter is a monthly collection of field notes covering trends, currents and actionable advice from CODO Design—a design firm on the front lines of beer and bev/alc branding.

Each issue is grounded in up-to-the minute field work so you can apply the concepts directly to your brewery’s brand today, build a stronger brand and sell more beer.

Vol. 027

What is a Modular Brand Identity System?

How to build a robust and modular identity system that will keep your brand consistent and dynamic as you scale.

Vol. 026

Hop Water: The Next Big Beyond Beer Trend?

Let’s discuss Hop Water, and why we think it’s perfectly positioned to flourish as a better for you beer alternative over the coming years.

Vol. 025

So You Bought a Brewery… to Rebrand or Not to Rebrand?

Three critical questions to ask before purchasing a brewery so you can understand what to do (or not to do) with the existing branding.

Vol. 024

Can Your Brewery (Safely) Enter the Budget Market?

Can releasing a budget option help your customers weather a financial downturn? Let’s explore the pros and (mostly) cons of this concept.

Vol. 023

Brand Extensions vs. Sub Brands – A Closer Look

Examining the fine line between Brand Extensions and Sub Brands. When can each strategy make sense and how can your brewery implement them?

Vol. 022

The Role of the Parent Brand in Brand Architecture

What is your parent brand? And why is this such an important concept when launching new beverage products?

Vol. 021

021 – Introducing The Beyond Beer Handbook!

Part book, part quiz, and part choose-your-own-adventure-style novel, The Beyond Beer Handbook is a purpose-built tool for helping you expand your brewery’s portfolio and build a more resilient business.

Mission Brewing's Rebrand by CODO Design

Vol. 020

Rebranding Mission Brewing: A San Diego Icon

Rebranding a 100+ year old brewery to stand out in a stacked San Diego beer scene.

Vol. 019

Behind the Scenes: Branding a Startup Brewery

A deep dive, behind the scenes look at an ongoing branding project with a brewery in planning named Lost Nomad Brewing Co.

Vol. 018

Answering YOUR 2022 Beer Branding Trends Questions

A special podcast episode tackling subscriber questions on our 2022 Beer Branding Trends review.

Vol. 017

2022 Beer Branding Trends Is Out Now

Dive into 17,000 words spanning major industry currents, package design trends and emergent beverage opportunities.

Vol. 016

What Is A Lifestyle Brand?

When does a brand become a “Lifestyle” brand? And what does this mean for beverage companies who want to stand out in the cold box?

Vol. 015

How to Future Proof Your Brand

What makes a brand timeless? And how can we build a timeless brand from the ground up?

Vol. 014

What is Brand Equity, Really?

Did you know that there are actually two types of equity you need to measure during a rebrand?

Vol. 013

What do most beverage startups get wrong?

Framing your Brand Values is one of the most important tasks your startup will tackle.

Vol. 012

The Warm Blanket of Nostalgic Branding

Only 90’s kids will remember this newsletter.

Vol. 011

How Far Can You Extend A Brand?

How many extensions are too many? And how are you supposed to know when you’ve hit the limit?

Vol. 010

Lessons From The Beer Wars

What can craft learn from the Big Beer Wars. Plus, watch our live present

Vol. 009

The Coming Seltzer Shakeout?

How many brands can a craft brewery actively maintain?

Vol. 008

Breaking Category Convention

Quick—think about hard seltzer packaging. What do you see?

Vol. 007

Do Brewpubs Need Great Branding?

Does a brewpub (with no intention to ever package beer for distribution or carryout) need compelling branding?

Vol. 006

2021 Trends AMA

Thanks to everyone (all 25 of you) who sent in a question about our 2021 Craft Beer Branding Trends article.

Vol. 005

Branding Trends out Now

Clocking in at just under 20k words, this is the most thorough annual guide we’ve put together to date.

Vol. 004

Variety Packs

Variety Packs have been a perennial best seller in Big Craft for years. But we’ve seen a sharp uptick in smaller breweries getting into this format as of late.

Vol. 003

Can the Brewery of Tomorrow Not Package?

One of the lasting changes in the beer industry triggered by the pandemic will be the expectation for breweries to continually package their beer.

Vol. 002

Anchor Brewing

The iconic Anchor Brewing recently launched a stark rebrand that was met with fervent backlash.

Vol. 001

Brewery to Beverage Company

One of the biggest sea changes we’ve seen in the beer industry over the last few years has been a move towards being a “house of brands.”