Hiring and briefing a design firm for your brewery
You have done the thinking on story and positioning. Now someone has to make it look right on a can. This is how to find that someone, brief them well and talk money without flinching.
Do the thinking yourself, pay for the craft
Founders are a do-it-yourself lot. They plan the brewhouse, the cold room and the tap list themselves, so the logo looks like one more job for the weekend. We would split it. Work through the strategy yourself, then hire a firm or a freelancer, depending on budget, to make it look right. Drinkers choose with their eyes at the fridge. A badly made label suggests a badly made beer.
Know what you are signing up for. A branding project takes anything from a few months to more than a year. If you plan to open in 9 months, hire the firm in month one, not month seven, because labels also need state excise approval before a single can is filled. Set the launch a month after the packaging is ready and start the campaign two months before it. Our hub guide on branding a new brewery covers the strategy work that comes first.
Start with referrals, then read the portfolios
The best source is someone you trust. If a café, restaurant or brewery in your city has branding you admire, message the owner and ask who did it. Then search more widely. Aim for a shortlist of 5 firms and first meetings with 3.
Cross off any firm that does not show its own work on its website. Then look at what is there. You are not choosing a style off a shelf, since a good firm builds your identity from your story. So ask a plainer question: would you be happy with most of the work on their site? In India, also look for packaging that has been printed and sold. A label that went through state excise approval and onto a shelf in Bengaluru or Pune teaches a designer things a mock-up never will.
Write a brief that fits on two pages
A design firm can only answer the question you ask. Put these 8 things in writing before the first meeting:
- Your story: who you are and why you are opening a brewery.
- How you differ from the other taprooms in your city.
- Who you want drinking your beer.
- Your positioning: the one idea people should remember.
- Brands you admire and brands you do not want to resemble.
- Deliverables: identity system, labels for 330 ml cans and 650 ml bottles, menus in English plus a regional language, signage and Instagram templates.
- Dates: opening day and the day labels must go to excise for approval.
- Your budget range and who signs off. Keep the sign-off group to four to six people. Any more and every round of changes stalls.
Who sits around your own table is covered in the rebrand team and budget. That guide is written for rebrands, but the people questions are the same for a launch. A brief also reads differently to someone outside the brewery. Having an advertising hand look it over before it goes out often shows where it is vague.
Say the budget out loud in the first meeting
Talk money early, in the first meeting at the latest. A freelancer, a small studio and a large agency price very differently. The firm needs your number to know what kind of approach it can offer.
For a full rebrand we budget 5 to 15% of a year's revenue, less for a refresh. The working is simple. A brewpub turning over ₹2 crore a year would set aside ₹2 crore x 5% = ₹10 lakh at the low end and ₹2 crore x 15% = ₹30 lakh at the top. A launch identity is a different job. The habit still holds: fix the number before the first meeting, not after it.
If your budget does not fit, a decent firm will say so and point you to someone who fits. Ask for quotes broken down by deliverable so you can compare like with like. Remember that printing sits on top of the design fee. Our guide to beer packaging costs shows how to work that out per can. Set against years of fighting for taps and shelf space, good branding is one of the cheaper ways to stand out.
Six questions that show how a firm really works
Treat the first meeting as an interview in both directions. A firm that spends the hour on its own portfolio is a warning sign. A good one asks plenty of questions and listens to the answers. Then ask yours:
- What does your process look like, step by step?
- Have you taken beer labels through state excise approval and FSSAI labelling before?
- Have you helped a brewery or a drinks brand launch?
- Tell us about a project that went badly. What happened?
- Who will actually design our work? Will we speak to them directly?
- What will you need from us and by when?
Question 4 is the one we would never skip. The answer tells you more than any case study. Question 5 matters because messages relayed through an account manager get lost or softened. Finally, you will spend months with these people. If the first meeting is no fun, it will not improve once invoices start. A good firm is judging you too: whether the idea is viable and whether you will be good to work with.
Local helps, beer experience helps more
A firm in your own city can visit the site, knows the neighbourhood and can sit in on a tasting. Firms with real drinks experience are worth looking for beyond your own city too. A Pune brewpub can work well with a studio in Mumbai or Bengaluru over video calls, as long as someone from the studio visits the taproom at least once.
Your first step this week: write page one of the brief, your story and your difference, in 300 words. Then message three owners whose branding you admire and ask who did it.
About the authors
Ankur Napa is a Master Brewer who also works in data and AI. Chatty Girija spent more than 30 years in advertising, hosts the Cheers Chatty Beer Podcast and teaches at Craft Beer School.
Common questions
How much does a brewery design firm cost in India?
It varies widely with scope and with whether you hire a freelancer, a studio or an agency. Share your budget range in the first meeting and ask for quotes broken down by deliverable.
Should I hire a local design firm?
Local helps with site visits and market knowledge, but experience with beer and drinks packaging matters more. A firm in another city can work well if someone visits the taproom.
What should a brewery design brief include?
Your story, your difference, your audience, your positioning, brands you admire, deliverables, dates including excise label approval and your budget range.
How long does a brewery branding project take?
Anything from a few months to more than a year, depending on scope. Allow time for state excise label approval before packaging.
