The beverage industry is insanely competitive, which means developing brand recognition is a must! One thing that makes your product on the shelf stand apart from the rest? Creative, high quality custom labeling. There are a lot of possibilities for making the most of your bottle labels. Materials, typography, colors, and content will depend on the shape and material of the bottle.
To start, bottle labels should always be weather-resistant, oil-resistant, and waterproof, so your carefully planned branding and design don’t smear from oily fingers or wet hands! And don’t forget about FDA compliance. Drink products must meet all FDA requirements for beverages – this is even more important when alcohol is involved.
Between water, wine, and beer bottles, there’s a lot to consider from the technical aspects to design creative. How can your business best utilize the space available? Let us clear up the confusion! M&R Label is here with some tips for creating the perfect custom label for your beverage products…
The Perfect Custom Label for Every Bottle
Bottle Label Design Considerations
When designing custom labels for your water, beer, or wine brand, the first order of business is to determine what bottle type (plastic or glass) you’re using. The shape and size of the bottle also matter. For example, beer bottles usually have an extra wrap-around label around the neck. These labels make the best use of the available space and the material of the bottle.
There’s a perfect label for every bottle in the world. But finding the sweet spot can be challenging to do on your own. That’s why M&R Label is here with a few design aspects to consider for bottle labeling…
Brand Image and Voice
Labels echo your brand image and enhance brand recognition whether your product lives on the shelves or online. Hence, the label should align with your brand image. Bottled water brands often use minimal and clear labels emphasizing the purity of the water. Wine bottles aim for more sophisticated and classy with neutral or bolder colors. For beer, labels can range from fun and fruity to gusty and bold. Whatever image you want to put forward will be articulated through the label design, shape, content, typography, and materials.
Materials
Water, beer, or wine, all bottles need water-proof and weather-resistant labels. Condensation, changing weather conditions, or room storage may create soggy or damaged labels. Choose the materials accordingly. A four mil high gloss is water-resistant with gloss, matte, and shine options and is one of the most popular materials on the market. You can choose white, clear, or silver BOPP for wine labels. For beer bottles, matte or glossy UV is a popular choice. For wines, textured water-resistant materials are also used for brands requiring a more sophisticated sensory label.
Shape and Size
The next step in the label design process is to choose the size of the label. While water bottles often use wrap-around labels, wine and beer bottles have more options. You can choose from bottle-neck, front-and-back, or wrap-around labels. Ovals, rounds, arches, rectangles, and hexagons are popular shapes for wine bottle stickers and beer bottle labels. Depending on the shape, the materials may change to achieve the perfect finish. The various shapes offer more room for the visibility of the product, and wine bottles can add a certain charm.
Typography and Graphic Design
The aesthetics and “feel” of your label should sync to create the perfect custom label for your bottles. With limited real estate on the labels, you want to connect with customers and increase your product’s chances of being picked up. The fonts and images you select should resonate with your brand’s image and personality. They should be high-resolution, creating clear and professional prints. Most label manufacturers have in-house graphic design teams to help you curate the best content for your labels.
Product Information
Labels for food and beverages often have nutritional information printed on them, as mandated by the law. The FDA requires that the producers/distributors of the water be listed on all bottle labels. Water doesn’t need to have nutritional facts listed, but labels need to mention the type of water in the bottle – clear, alkaline, sparkling, etc. Trace amounts of sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc. should be printed on the labels. For wine, the country of origin, the producer, and the vintage are included on the labels. Beer bottle labels often contain the brewery’s name, logo, style of the beer, and alcohol volume. You can add food pairings and tasting notes on wine and beer labels, adding more value for your buyers.
Protective Coating
When you have thoughtfully created the perfect label for your bottles, the last thing you want is customers getting a damaged or tarnished label when the product reaches the customer. Friction, moisture, and storage conditions can tamper with the labels, giving them a shabby look. Hence, we recommend getting lamination or varnish to protect your labels. Varnish can give your bottles a more decorated look, while laminates offer greater protection. A careful mix of the two offers enhanced protection and decoration, offering you top-notch custom labels. While the price difference between the two options is minimal, laminates are a more cost-effective choice for larger volumes.
Best Practices for High Quality Bottle Labels
The design elements are not the only part of the label process where a designer/printer (like us) can help you. The types of labels, inventory, printing techniques, and volume of orders are part of the process, and optimizing it will get you the best end of the deal.
- Types of Labels – You can choose between cut-to-size labels or ones in roll forms. The former offers the flexibility of choosing any shape and size and works best for limited order sizes. If you need larger volumes, opt for labels in a roll form. They have limitations in sizes and shapes but are more cost-effective.
- Printing Techniques – Digital, flexographic, and hybrid printing techniques are used to print the perfect labels for you. Each technique has its own merits and you can choose the best of all worlds with a combination of techniques for the different labels.
- Order Volume – Whether you are printing in bulk or need limited quantities, we recommend speaking to your partner about the volume and negotiating the quantity to offer you the best deal. Some techniques, materials, and fonts may prove expensive with limited quantity orders but at M&R Label, we try our best to provide the highest quality labels in the most cost-effective way.
- Partner with the Best Custom Label Provider – Custom labels are an important component of building your brand and business. Treating it like a one-off errand is not an approach you want to take. Instead, carefully choose the right vendor and establish a long-term partnership that benefits your business.
Premium Bottle Labeling with M&R Label
There’s no bottle too small or large for us! From labels for wine bottles, energy drinks, water bottles, sauces, or beer bottles, we can do it all. Creating the perfect product label for your brand is a task made easy if you have the right vendor by your side. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place.
M&R Label combines acute technical detail with the most advanced printing technologies the industry has to offer. We will work with you to design a label that coincides with your company’s branding while also appealing to consumers. Custom beverage labels must be easy to read and water-resistant. Let us help you create a unique solution for your drink products! We can print any size, shape, or color graphics based on your needs.
M&R Label has been a premier label designer and supplier for the beverage industry for decades. We have over 30 years of expertise, innovative technology at our side, and a customer-centric approach to produce superior labels for businesses across all industries throughout the country. We’re proud to call ourselves experts! Our team is dedicated to delivering the best custom label solution for your company’s needs.
