Label Design: Choosing the Right Material and Connecting with Customers
So, you’ve created an amazing product and you are ready to share it with the world! All that is left is packaging, you’ve got your bottles, your filling equipment, and maybe a co-packer all lined up, but you are missing one crucial element, your product label! Where do you even start? A well-designed label can help to enhance the appeal of your product and attract potential customers. Here are some key considerations and tips for designing a product label for print.
Determine the Purpose and Audience of the Label
Before you start designing your label, it’s essential to understand the purpose and intended audience of your product. Consider the following questions:
What is the product?
Who is the target audience?
What are the key selling points of the product?
Understanding the purpose and audience of the label will help you to determine the style, design elements, and information to include on the label.
Choose the Right Label Material
The choice of label material and printing method can have a significant impact on the final appearance of your label. Some common label materials include paper, BOPP, and vinyl. With BOPP (Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene) being the most common label material across industries. Each material has its unique properties, and choosing the right material depends on the product’s intended use, a Columbine Label expert can help you determine which material would be most suitable for your specific product.
Consider the Label Size and Shape
The label size and shape can influence the overall design of the label. A well-designed label should be easy to read and visually appealing, even when viewed from a distance. The size and shape of the label should also be appropriate for the product and packaging. A unique shape or “die cut” can be a great way to stand out on the shelf next to a competitor. Another consideration is if your container is tapered. If it is, send your container to your designer and label provider so they can ensure the design and label fit the container perfectly.
Include Essential Information
Product labels must include certain essential information to comply with regulatory requirements. The information required may vary depending on the product and the country of sale, but typically includes the product name, ingredients, net weight or volume, and nutritional information. If your product is governed by the FDA, make sure that your label complies with applicable regulations. More information can be found on FDA Guidance Documents.
Another consideration is serializing your products with sequential numbering. Many products need to have different markings on them, indicating sell by dates or what item this was in a successive production run. Variable data printing on your labels is what you’ll need.
Branding and Design Essentials
Brand recognition is a major part of label design, make sure to include branding elements such as your logo, tagline, and website address. These elements can help to enhance your product’s brand identity and make it more recognizable to consumers. A good label design grabs your customer’s attention, conveys your brand’s story, and is memorable to the customer. Design elements to keep in mind include; typographic pairing: while you want your label to be interesting too many fonts, sizes, or styles can decrease readability, illustration creativity: is it unique? Does it stand out? And print quality: if the typography and illustrations are amazing but the print is out of register or low quality, it’s the same as tripping right at the finish line.
If your product label design is going to be printed on metallic material you will also need to make sure that your designer includes a white layer. For help on how to create a white layer check out our Resource Page: Building a White Layer
Proofread the Label
Before finalizing your label design, it’s crucial to test and proofread the label thoroughly. This includes checking for errors in spelling, grammar, and design elements such as color, font, and alignment.
Reach Out
Columbine Label does not do any in house design work, but we can refer you to professional graphic artists, who can help you create a print ready design. Reach out to us for some resources and we will be here when you are ready to print!