Your Guide to Creating a High Quality Custom Label

Many businesses think they can easily create a DIY product label. Don’t be fooled! A product label is more than simply a sticker with a name and logo. It’s often the first thing consumers see when they interact with your brand and must be created thoughtfully.

A premium custom label offers an opportunity for your company to express brand aesthetic, provide useful health or FDA regulatory information, and make your product stand out amongst the crowd.

Key Elements of Custom Label Design

When designing a custom product label for your business, there are a few key elements to consider:

Theme

Your labels need a design that’s uniform enough for consumers to recognize the brand, even if you were showcasing a new flavor. For example, the label for Vanilla Coca-Cola is different from the original Coca-Cola labeling, but you would have no problem recognizing that it’s a flavor of Coca-Cola as they have established a cohesive brand identity.

Size

The size of your custom label needs to work well with your products. Choosing the right label size involves knowing what information you are going to put in your label along with the shape of the product packaging.

If the container for your product is round, you may want to consider a wraparound label. If it’s a bottle, you may want a shrink sleeve. You want your label to cover enough of your product that it can’t be missed, without taking over.

Finish

Did you know applying a finish to your custom labels can better maintain its quality? A label’s finish refers to the layer placed on a label that gives it a different texture and often offers protection from elements such as water or oil.

Glossy finish - Gives your label a nice shine
Matte finish - Achieves a more relaxed, sophisticated look

Font

Catch the consumer’s eye with a unique label font that fits your brand, but be careful not to reduce readability. While a label redesign is a chance to be creative, it’s important to be realistic. Stay away from small or difficult-to-read fonts.

Color

Color can draw immediate attention to your product. Use color carefully to liven up your label while matching the guidelines of your overall brand aesthetic. The classic rules always apply:

Color needs to be used properly to work for your product
Do not clash colors
Make sure selections still match your brand
Choose complementary colors that go together nicely

Materials

Materials matter! Do you want the design freedom that comes with a white label? Or maybe you want your label to be printed on clear film in order to showcase the contents of your product.

The materials you choose not only affect the quality of the label, but also the label’s functionality and aesthetic.

Putting the Pieces Together

These important considerations are the backbone of a successful custom label design. The best custom labels make use of current product marketing and label design trends in the industry.

In the past, three-dimensional designs were everywhere. Since then, consumers have switched gears to gravitate more towards flat designs with minimalist features.

There are more environmentally conscious consumers these days, so it’s great to consider an appeal to sustainability on your labels. If your product is locally sourced, make sure to present that proudly on your label.

Why Partner with Label Professionals

Don’t let your custom label design be a last minute decision! Your business may have an incredible product, but without excellent labeling and brand marketing that catches the consumer’s eye, your product will stay on the shelves collecting dust.

Bad labeling can even lower the perceived value of a product. For many businesses, the idea of outsourcing a key task in your supply chain might be intimidating. However, there are several reasons companies leave it to the professionals:

Management Complexity

Inventory management for labels costs time and space. Running successful in-house custom labeling requires your business to:

Create new designs as you introduce new products
Maintain compliance with label regulation laws that may change
Manage purchase orders
Track the raw materials on hand to create your labels
Keep track of your ink levels
Store all your labels

Tasks with this much complexity will cost your business extra time and money that can be spent on other important aspects of your business.

Conclusion

Leave the custom label designing and printing to the professionals so you can focus on growing your business and doing what you love. With over 30 years in the industry, professional label printers can help create labels that meet regulations, look professional, and represent your brand beautifully.