A product’s packaging serves three main functions. First, it’s where you convey important information like the product’s description, ingredients or materials, and how to use the product. Second, it protects your product from damage and keeps it fresh. Lastly, a product’s packaging is your primary opportunity to set your product apart from similar items sitting just feet or inches away.
Never before have consumers had so much choice. And with the rise of increasingly-specialized tastes and preferences, the importance of differentiating your product has never been greater. Well-designed packaging allows you to convey your brand’s unique selling point and emphasize important features like eco-friendly sustainability, high-quality, or good value.
The quality and design of a product’s label will often be enough to sell the product. When a label is designed with the correct intent, it can speak to your customer on a personal level, making your product irresistible. As a representation of your business & product, taking the time to choose the right kind of label and putting thought and care into its design is essential.
You should establish what needs to be on your label before you design it. This will save you time going back and forth to retrieve information or images needed to complete the label. All these elements must be in harmony with each other and combined in the space of the label.
Label elements to consider:
obligatory information (expiration dates, UPCs, production address, etc.);
logo / additional brand information
brand colours / colour palette
fonts
design elements like backgrounds or other vectorized shapes
variations of product (different flavours, colours, etc.)
Before designing, ask yourself:
What type of label do I need?
Is there an industry standard?
Which is more visually important, the packaging or the product?
Is there enough room on your product to get across all the necessary information?
What look are you going for? Do you want a full-wrap label that covers 95% of the container or a small, minimalistic label?
If your business is small and you don’t have the budget for a designer, or if you need to save money, you can design and order your own labels. I recommend using Canva for designing your labels if you don’t have professional software like Adobe Creative Suite. If you want help with label design, you can contact me here!
The Design
Packaging should be visible. It can stand out with the help of an unusual shape, bright colours or images. Many consumers come to the store for products of a certain, already familiar brand. Unusual design can make you interested in a new product and consider it. When developing a product packaging design, one should not forget about functionality. Packaging design should evoke positive emotions.
Design with your audience in mind
it’s important to know who you’re talking to. What appeals to your intended audience is the key metric to reference when making decisions on product packaging design. If one of your brand’s unique selling point are features like eco-friendly sustainability, then maybe a kraft paper label would appeal to them more visually, or better, packaging that is 100% recyclable or compostable. If your customer is one that is going after high-quality, then maybe a more uniquely-shaped jar needs a uniquely-shaped label. Who you are catering your label to matters and it should be kept in mind throughout the entire process.
See the Bigger Picture & Block It out
A good label is a sum of parts working together. All parts are perceived in context of, and in relation to one another. For this reason it is important to place all label elements on the art board together before beginning any sizing, placement, styling or typographic work. Once all of the label elements are on the art board, the blocking process can begin.
In this article the word “blocking” loosely defines the process of shuffling, crudely sizing and tentatively arranging the label elements. It’s a process of exploring the ways in which the design can come together.
The Hierarchy of Information
It is psychologically determined that a person perceives information in a certain order. This also applies to the choice of goods. Also, people want to get the information they need as quickly as possible. Therefore, the information on the packaging must be arranged so that the buyer can read it in a few seconds. These factors must be considered when designing a package. For the consumer, the most convenient arrangement of information looks like this:
an element to attract attention;
brand name;
the product’s name;
product information
Leave Space to Breathe - Free Space
Gone are the days when it was necessary to fill every millimetre of the label. A sense of space and airiness is a new trend in label design. The balance of filled and free areas must be maintained. An overabundance of information is annoying for buyers. It’s important to not cram your label so full of information that the customer doesn’t know where to look and you loose visual hierarchy. White space!
Think About the Product Packaging & Containers
The size, shape, and type of packaging/container for your product will definitely determine your label design too.
For instance, a small spice jar needs a much smaller label. It has to look good and stand out on that tiny surface, yet you can’t put too much information on it or it will be hard to read.
Every product has its own unique packaging (a jar of ketchup will require a very different label than a package of cookies or a pair of headphones). So, when you are designing a product label, it is critically important to keep the product packaging at the top of your mind.
After all, if the label is too big or too small for the container, it won’t catch the customer’s eye!
Consider the product’s shape and size, as well as the label’s location on the packaging, before you begin to work with any other design elements. This will give you clear parameters in which you have to work, which will determine the font and image sizes you need to use.
Sizing & Dimensions
When designing a label, you need to consider the shape and the dimensions. Everyone knows their shapes, but with labels there are certain defaults printers will use. Normally square or rectangle labels have a default corner radius of 0.125” or 0.25”. In your design programs you should be able to easily change these. I’d recommend creating a die-line on a different layer in a noticeable colour like 100% magenta and put it over the image and elements you are using for your label. This ensures there is enough bleed to allow the printer to print all the way to the edges.
What is bleed?
"Bleed" is a printing term that refers to the process of extending your design beyond the dimensions of your label. This ensures that you don't have any unprinted edges when you peel your label from the liner should anything shift during printing. You add bleed to your label design so you don't end up with unprinted edges or white lines along the edges, especially if the background colour is not white in the first place.
Material
You need to consider the material the label is being printed on. What is the look and feel your product is going for? Are you going for a crisp, clean look? Do you want your product to look old-fashioned, or maybe more environmentally friendly? Depending on the target market, the material you use can really help convince them to buy. You can find a more in-depth explanation of label materials here!
Direction being applied
If you are ordering your labels from a producer, depending on the shape and dimensions, they will come on a roll and will come off the roll in a specific way. Normally you can have a choice in this when ordering, especially if you need to maintain the requirements for a label applicator. It’s important to note whether the labels will be applied by hand or by machine.
Special Finishes, Laminations & UV Coatings
To finish off your professional looking label, there are other additions that will help make your product pop. Having your label stand out isn’t all you have to think about - It’s important to consider what conditions your labels will face, how long you need your labels to last and how you want your labels to look when choosing your label’s finish. There are basic finishes like glossy or matte UV coatings that will change the appearance of your label, but this does not offer a lot of protection. If you are concerned with scratches or wear during transportation, then lamination is a better option for protection.
Some finishes are best suited for indoor or outdoor environments, while others work only to achieve a certain appearance. For example, if your labels will face conditions like rain, sunlight and friction, we suggest using a polyester laminate because standard varnishes and laminates aren’t designed to handle the rough conditions that outdoor labels face.
The majority of labels don’t need such a strong finish because they’re going on items that have a shorter lifespan or face much gentler conditions. Self-wound laminates are a popular option for consumer product labels because they’re cost-effective and offer plenty of durability. If you’re looking for a finish with a little more visual appeal, however, a spot UV coating is always a good choice, as it can add an eye-catching element to your label. Spot UV coatings (pictured below) can be used to make certain parts of label design stand out, like accent colours, foil stamps, metallic inks and other artwork elements while also adding dimension with the contrast of gloss and matte finishes.
The concepts outlined above are simply guidelines. There is no perfect formula for comfort. Label layout is a process of give and take & push and pull that is largely informed by a designer’s inspiration. These guidelines are simply meant to lead a wild and creative imagination to a destination that works both creatively and logically.
Creating attractive product packaging and labels that clearly communicate to your intended audience is important business. Consumers are navigating an ever-widening sea of choices as they shop in-person and online. The product’s packaging and labeling are the first things they see when they encounter your product. With careful planning and effective design, your product will stand out, resulting in more sales.
If you have any questions about label design or printing, don’t hesitate to contact me!