Product Label Design: Everything You Need to Know

Imagine yourself reading a book of your choice. What helps you gauge whether something can be a good read? How do you know when something is worth your time?

We all know the most cliché quote, “do not judge a book by its cover.” Unfortunately, however, it is not always the case for many.

Let us face it. We are all drawn to visually appealing things. The cover of a book works as its own sales agent. Therefore, the cover needs to be recognized by the readers.

Therefore, book covers should leave a lasting impression to entice potential customers. For this reason, the cover’s design is one of the most important things used as a marketing tool.

This is how a product label design works in the field of business. A compelling product label design helps your product connect with customers to make a strong impression before they even use the product.

According to a survey by Ipsos poll, 72% of consumers agree that design labels and packaging influence their decision when buying products.

A product packaging design plays a vital role in attracting customers. It is the first thing they see when browsing a product, whether on a website or in a physical store. In fact, 64% of customers try out a product because its packaging or product label design caught their attention.

Another survey has also shown that 40% of consumers share images of their products when the packaging is unique.

Many other statistical findings have revealed the importance of product packaging and labels for many businesses.

But what makes a product label design stand out? What do you need to create great product labels?

Read along with this article to discover the ins and outs of product label design!

What is a product label?

Now let’s talk about labels.

Just like a book cover, the role of a product label is the same as how book covers do it for any book. Product labels are the primary elements to entice customers, grab attention, and tickle the customers’ curiosity for them to make the purchase.

Studies have shown that you only have 3 to 5 seconds to grab a customer’s attention as a business owner. In fact, an estimated 30,000 new product labels are launched each year, but 85% of them fall flat. As a result, these products are either unsold or back-shelved.

So, what is a product label?

In the simplest of terms, product labels are attractive design labels that are comprised of product information that helps a product stand out to be successful in the market.

Product labels have one primary goal: To attract and appeal to consumers.

Let us just say that high visual appeal can spark curiosity to make them want to know more about your product aside from the brand name and what the product is.

Despite how much use your product may be, sometimes it is not enough to make it sellable in a highly competitive market.

Utilizing product labels as a part of a strong marketing strategy is essential in increasing sales and creating connections with customers.

A well-designed product label can immensely aid companies in boosting and improving brand identity.

Components of great product labels according to professional designers

It is important to note that the products’ labels do not only contain your logo. True enough that your logos play a vital role in creating your label. However, that is not all there is to it.

As a critical marketing person in the company, you must know what to include in your label.

Here are the elements you need to include in your label design.

Brand Name

The most important part of your label is your brand name. Your brand name is by which your product will be known, referred to, and recommended.

Therefore, when you create a label design, you have to ensure that aside from your logo being memorable, your brand name should also be readable, whether for printed or digital media content.

In many cases, the brand name does not have to be the same as the company name. But rest assured that your brand name will be a strong foundation of your business’s brand identity. Check out some branding ideas.

Product name and Product details

What product are you selling? Is it food? Is it a cleaning spray? Whatever product you are offering, it is vital to state the name that describes your specific product.

This is primarily the case for food products as clients have to clearly know what they are buying from you. So, for example, if you are selling cooking oil as your main product, you must get into the specific details to ensure that people know what they are getting.

Without a product’s specific name, it becomes a possibility for consumers to be skeptical about making their purchase.

Aside from the product name, your label should also include product details. Details may include the packaging size, the company or manufacturer name and its address, certifications, and even a snippet of your product story.

It may also include certifications, grading, and allergy information, which are crucial for consumers to know.

In many food products, such as soda, cold cuts, and even wine labels, one of the most vital pieces of information usually included in the packaging is the nutrition facts required by the FDA. Explore some food truck design ideas.

Another product information that is crucial in some products is the barcode. Barcodes are lines read by machines that store different product information.

There are two types of barcodes, namely, the Universal Product Code, which is prevalent across North America, and the EAN, or the International Article Number, which is a global barcode.

The use of barcodes in packaging relies on the guidelines set by each country.

Product label design

There are many things to consider when doing the label design. First, label designs are crucial for any product as they will be the primary trigger for consumers to get to know your product better.

To create the perfect label design, you must remember that a product’s label design can be a marketing tool.

This is why many businesses prefer to create custom labels to ensure that their products can be easily recognizable despite being on a shelf or in the world of digital media.

Are design labels essential?

The most straightforward answer is YES.

Whatever your product is, design labels are essential. From both the clients’ and marketers’ perspectives, design labels are necessary for the following reasons, and maybe more!

• It helps customers identify the product being sold.
• It helps products stand out from competitors.
• It helps increase sales as a marketing tool.
• It communicates vital information, such as industry-related facts, that consumers should know.
• It helps consumers understand the product they are buying.
• It provides essential information that helps them with their purchasing decisions.

I have an idea of what I want for a label design, but I do not know how to create one

Like any work that includes graphics, designing labels is not always for everybody.

So, we gathered some tips and tricks for you to remember in creating your own label design.

You see, there are several different reasons why carefully crafting your label is essential. Aside from differentiating yourself from competitors, it can also shape how potential consumers perceive your products.

Here are some tips that can help you create an effective product design!

Color Psychology

Stunning designs have grand color schemes that are visually appealing and project the brand’s ideas. Color plays a vital role in the consumers’ perception of your brand identity. Therefore, marketers often use colors as design resources and create high-quality designs that depict moods, stimulate appetite, and somehow affect consumers’ feelings.

Therefore, in creating your label design, you must remember the right colors to use.

Shape and Size

One of the first things that can easily be noticed on your product. Thus, putting emphasis on the right size and shape is a must. After all, your product will compete with other products on the market. Therefore, your style, sign, fonts, and images should complement your product and brand. Usually, print shops have different shapes they can offer for labels, such as square, rectangle, circle, and oval. Choose the best shape that best fits your packaging and your brand.

Another vital thing to consider is the size of the label. As a general rule among creative designers, the label’s design should be aligned with the product packaging, including all the necessary details about the product. However, some labels can follow custom dimensions as required by the print shop or by the packaging. Check out the guide about typography.

Text Readability

Since product labels contain essential product information, the text must be legible enough for the readers to read. Therefore, the label should include appropriate fonts to deliver the brand’s clear concepts.

Many professional designers use contrasting colors between the background and font colors.

No matter how good your product or design is, if your consumer cannot read your brand’s message, it will fall short of quality and may inhibit the buying process. It is also important to note that the product details and information should be complete and concise. Many products often include product benefits on their packaging, which also helps them lure clients into buying their products.

Typography

Typography may come off as just something straightforward. However, it is a kind of art that takes a lot of thinking and planning. Typography goes beyond the font and the font color used. You also have to search for the right color that will be best appropriate for the industry of your business. In fact, many companies have failed to launch sustainable and quality products just because of bad typography.

Choosing the best typography elevates the overall design of the product. Therefore, it is a must that you pick quality fonts that work directly with your overall design.

White Canvas

Most designs start off with a blank canvas. However, in terms of legibility, a white canvas or a white space can significantly impact your design. Label designs should include a well-thought-of white space so that clients can easily visualize the details while ensuring that the overall design quality is not compromised.

Images and Creative Approach

In label designs, images and the creative concept approach are essential to the process. While you think of the design as a whole, you must create something based on box ideas that can make your design stand out.

In many cases, businesses upload their own photos or use stock images to elevate their design content. This is not a problem but always remember to utilize high-quality images or use your own images that bring your ideas come to life. Download your free banner templates.

Innovation

In a world where constant change is always evident, it is a must that your design should always project innovation and originality. For example, as design trends change over time, you can expect a new label design from a company to adapt to this change – and sometimes the change could even include changing the whole logo of the brand.

Thus, getting help and consulting with design experts may be helpful to avoid using an unoriginal template you can effortlessly search on the web. Your design should be unique so that you can save time in the long run.

Label Material and Print Quality

Of course, your label design will be printed. Therefore, you also have to take into consideration the kind of material and the quality of the printed output. This includes considering the product, its container, and the overall graphic design content.

How do I get the perfect label design done?

Actually, there are a lot of ways that you can choose from! – It’s all up to you.

Some business owners feel like they can do the job – especially if they have ample experience with design tools such as Adobe Illustrator and others.

However, getting help from professional designers and graphic services would mean additional costs for a business.

But in a world where everything is available on the web, there are more options which you can choose to do.

Businesses have found many ways to get free to minimal costs in coming up with the best solution to their label design problems.

Custom Label Design Contest

To create a custom label design, even for those with experience with Adobe Illustrator, can still be tricky. In this case, having a custom-label design contest can be your friend. In this case, you can encourage a number of designers to pitch in their ideas and create their custom designs which they can upload on the platform of their choice.

Some businesses use channels such as Facebook and Instagram for these contests. A design contest can be helpful especially if your business is on a tight budget. You may simply select the winning design that best fits your posted standards.

In creating a design contest, you have to make sure that you will have your clear and own NDA. This ensures that all the designers will not be able to use their designs for other businesses and other important agreement stipulations deemed fit for your design contest.

In many cases, the winning label design is used as part of the website or included as templates for the business. In return, the designers are given a cash prize or a supply of free products.

Freelance Designer

In some cases, businesses hire a single designer for a one-time big-time project. Having a freelance designer get the job done for you does not mean that you will have less quality of work. In fact, a number of businesses prefer hiring freelance services for short-term projects. These may be for the business website, logo, print project, design template, or even clothing design.

Businesses that want to cut costs, often prefer a payment per project type of deal, or for some, they add in free products as well.

Professional Product Design Services

This is also a great option when you have the right amount of budget for your design work. Hiring professional product design services may involve having a single designer or a team of designers that work for your graphic design needs. In many cases, product design services offer a wide variety of services and can walk you through the end-to-end creative process.

Clients usually give out their preference, their inspiration, or even a template and let the designers work their way through to create the perfect design that fits their clients’ preferences.

Whatever you decide to choose, you have to pick the best for your product design as it can make or break the entire identity of your brand.

In this sense, you may want to check All Time Design for your design needs – contest needed, the designers will only focus on what you need!

Elevate your design and make your ideas come to life by getting in touch and booking a demo.