The past year has been testing for many hospitality venues, and in order to diversify, many brands have released merchandise to supplement their income. Many are creating merch that serves two purposes: personalised workwear for staff that’s also a collectable item for customers.
North Brewing and Hackney Brewery t-shirts
Merchandise experts at ICON printing have teamed up with client Hackney Brewery and Leeds based North Brewing to share what they think makes a great beer shirt.
ICON founder and chief executive, Alex Econs, said: “The logic is simple enough: if you appreciate quality, finely crafted beer, then you’ll be enamoured by a nicely designed t-shirt too. Great beer shirts will manage to reflect the breweries’ personalities and quirks in the design, and this is why they work so well as both staff uniforms and as merch.
“Whether it is embroidered caps or screen-printed t-shirts, for newer, independent breweries, creating distinctive merch is a great way to advertise what makes their beer special, and offers customers a way to feel more attached to what they do.”
Cal Holland, marketing manager at Hackney Brewery, said: “In our opinion, a great brewery t-shirt needs to make the wearer feel comfortable. You’re asking them to wear and promote your brand, so it needs to cater to what people want in a t-shirt. It’s all about creating something people really want to wear once they’ve bought one from us, and not just chuck in a draw when they get home!”
Sarah Hardy, marketing manager at North Brewing, added: “Branded merchandise helps foster a connection between the brewery and the customer that is integral to the development of the relationship with trade customers.”
Hackney Brewery: subtle colours
Hackney Brewery’s t-shirts are designed with both the brand and wearer in mind. Their range of colour schemes, bold and more subtle designs, ensure that there is a t-shirt for every customer in mind. With such eye-catching and playful designs on their beer cans, it’s no surprise that this style has transferred effortlessly onto their merchandise.
Cal Holland said: “The designs for all our t-shirts were created by Pete Fowler. He’s the illustrator we work with for all our beer designs and branding. There’s three with large illustrations on the front that feature recognisable characters and motifs from our core range of beers, to showcase the brand’s fun side, plus the big visuals work well on a single screen print. Then we have some that are more subtle, t-shirts with smaller pocket logos and illustrations for people who go for a cleaner look.
“We wanted to make sure to include small details like the back neck print (inspired by classic US brewery t-shirts) to show that thought and effort has gone into the design. Colour played an important aspect in choosing the t-shirts as well. It often feels like British people may love bright colours, but not necessarily wear them as a t-shirt, so we kept to subtle dark green and navy alongside black and white.”
North Brewing: playful curiosity
North Brewing merchandise uses simple, aesthetically pleasing lines and shapes to create striking, minimalist clothing that is sure to grab attention, while being distinctly North Brewery. The stark, simple designs of their t-shirts has helped them grow as an instantly recognisable brewery in the North of England.
Sarah Hardy said: “The inspiration for our can designs, which inform the t-shirts, is varied. We usually begin with a name, which can come from an album title, a geographical reference, or a phrase from a piece of poetry. The name then often informs the colours used, alongside the time period referenced in the design. Our designs are created by James Ockleford, from Refold Studio, who has been a close friend of North for years.
“Our designs are motivated by a playful curiosity around how beer can look. We work hard to elevate our cans and t-shirts above what people would expect a brewery to produce. This is achieved through referencing iconic design periods, using elements of nature, and re-formatting them through photography and layering, and taking a minimalist, restrained approach to our designs.”
