Although technology continues to progress at a rapid rate, there are some things that will probably never change. Things like product labels. No matter what you sell, from food and drink to toys and games, virtually every product needs a label of some kind - and we don’t see that changing any time soon.
The reality is that labels serve so many different purposes. They present key information about your products, helping customers make an informed decision about which ones to buy. They offer an insight into a product’s key features, specifications or ingredients - and they even offer you the chance to promote other, similar products.
Ultimately, they can make or break the success of a product. Could you imagine walking into a supermarket full of plain bottles, cartons and boxes? When you envision a world devoid of labels, you start to understand just how important they really are.
They can be particularly vital for new businesses. If you’ve just set up shop and want to get your products noticed, it’s well worth investing plenty of time and effort into quality labels that make customers sit up and take notice.
In this guide, we’re going to run through five top tips to help you take full advantage of your product labels, considering everything from their design and layout to the application method. If you want to create labels that stand out from the pack, read on to find out how to get started!
Print your own labels or speak to a label printer
Before you start designing your labels, it’s worth thinking about who’s going to print them. You can handle the process in-house, but many small businesses choose to outsource their label printing to a specialist. Why? Well, printing in-house isn’t as straightforward as you might imagine. For starters, you’ll need access to a whole host of different equipment, including a printer, suitable software, sheets or rolls of labels and consumables suitable for your printer - such as Thermal Ribbons, Laser Toner or Ink Cartidgeslike ink and print heads. On top of this, you’ll need to understand how to use each piece of equipment correctly to achieve optimal results.
If you’re just starting out and have never printed labels before, outsourcing makes a lot of sense. Not only is it more cost-effective than buying professional printing equipment yourself, it saves you a great deal of time and hassle. Instead of having to experiment with different software, consumables and printing techniques, you’ll be enlisting the services of a professional who knows how to achieve stunning results the first time around.
Many printing specialists offer label design services, too. If you have a vision but aren’t sure how to execute it, working with a team of design and printing experts is a total no-brainer. Plus, as your business grows, a printing company will have the resources to keep pace with your changing requirements.
Choose the right label composition
There’s more to a label than just the design: your choice of material and adhesive and material matters too. If you’re aiming for a premium feel, for instance, you might want to choose a thicker, glossier material. Want your label to be easy to take off once the customer gets your product home? Choose removable adhesive labels that feature a weaker adhesive. Need a robust label that’s freezer-friendly? You can get freezer adhesive labels that have been designed with this in mind.
There are thousands of different label combinations out there to choose from, with all kinds of different paper types, thicknesses, shapes and sizes available. Make sure you select a style of label that ticks every box! Why not check out our guide to labelling combinations to learn more.
Maintain consistency
Labels are the perfect medium to help you promote your brand, build loyalty and encourage repeat purchases: but this only applies if you keep them consistent. Brand recognition is key here. Your choice of colours, fonts and layouts should not only reflect your core branding, but should remain consistent across all of your product labels.
We’re not saying you should use the same exact images and colours on all of your labels, obviously - just make sure that they’re all in keeping with each other and with your brand.
Adhere to labelling regulations
Although you do have a lot of creative freedom when designing your labels, some things are out of your hands. Depending on the industry you operate in, you’ll have a number of different rules and regulations to adhere to - so it’s important to make sure that these are implemented into the design from the outset. You’ll likely also need to leave space for a barcode.
Effective label design is all about combining function and form. Sure, your labels need to look good and help promote your products - but they also need to fulfil regulatory requirements.
Consider your application carefully
Once your labels have been created, all that’s left is to apply them. Depending on your budget, you might want to consider investing in a dedicated labelling machine or outsourcing the application of your labels to a company that has one. Either way, consistency and uniformity are essential: misaligned, wonky or poorly applied labels can easily undermine even the most creative and eye-catching of design work, so take care to apply each and every label as millimetre-perfect as you can.
Chat with a label expert today
Whether you’re just starting out or want to take the appearance of your products to a whole new level, you can count on the team at Flexi Labels to help make it happen. From graphic design to printing and cutting, we do it all; we can even supply everything from sheet labels to roll labels, perfect for businesses looking to take their printing in-house.
Whatever you need, we’ve got it covered. Explore our site to learn more about what we do today, or chat to our team of experts to get your questions answered.
