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Your established guide for creating the best label for your product

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Photo Credit: lilcrazyfuzzy/iStock Photo

When we’re talking product labels, you may already be very well aware that you need a label that stands out – something that can easily distinguish your brand from others. Your products need to stand out on the shelves and attract attention from consumers. If you want your product to shine, the right label is critical; but how can you then make sure your label works out?

Labeling isn’t just about finding a good font or typography and ensuring that you have the proper information about your product. It’s not just the attractiveness of your images, either. So what does it take, then? Here’s an established guide for creating the best label for your product.

What you need to have

Before you start designing your product label, you need to have some key material. When we say key material, we mean your logo, the details of your product, the packaging type and the guidelines for branding etc. The company logo is self-explanatory, but how about the details of your product? For this you should have information regarding your product and what it is as well as who is most likely to purchase; indeed, why they would purchase it. Is your product part of a particular series? If so, then it would probably follow an established labeling style as well.

You also need to know the type of product packaging you will use. The type of packaging you use this will determine whether it’s best to come up with both a front and back label or a label that can run around the packaging.  Think also of your copy (what you would like to have as text) and your guidelines for branding, if you have any. Finally, think about your preferences, as labelling machine suppliers like Atwell Labellers suggest. How do you want your label to look and feel? Would you like a particular shape? Will an oval, square or round label work best for your product and brand? Think about the colours you prefer. Get a good idea of what you need to have so you can begin with all the information in your hands.

Think about the standard inclusions

There are certain things which are standard inclusions in any product label. This would include details about the company (the name and address), the company logo, the name of the product, the image of the product and the barcode as well as ingredients if it is a food or cosmetic product. The barcode may be a requirement depending on your industry or product, so confirm this before you design your product label. For food products, there are more general inclusions, such as the ingredients, the ‘best before’ date, the certifications, and the serving suggestion and suggested recipe as well.

Checklist before deciding

Before you finally decide on your label, it would help if you can establish a checklist first. For instance, can you showcase your design in a real setting? Imagine how it would look in the place where you will sell it, such as a supermarket shelf. Imagine it in your customers’ homes. Do you think it will blend in, or will it stand out bold?

Another item on your checklist should be whether you have included all the details. Does the label specify everything you want to or are required to provide about the product? If it is organic, does it say so? Once you have all these elements in place, you can move forward and take the necessary steps to get your product out – and into your customers’ homes.

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