Keys to Successful Product Label Design

Retail shelves are packed with hundreds of products - but only one of those products is yours. Motivating customers to choose your product over the competition can seem daunting, but the key lies in labels. Eighty-five percent of consumers say product packaging affects their in-store purchasing decisions, according to a Digimarc online study. Packaging colors customer perception, acts as an in-store sales pitch to potential consumers, and provides important product information.

While the materials and style of your packaging are important, nothing will set your product apart from competition on the shelf quite like effective label design. As you design new product packaging, you want your label to be engaging, informative, and in line with your brand identity.

How should you approach new product label design?

These are the three keys to finding success with label designs:

1. Find the right label design software

Using design software can cut weeks of back and forth between you and an artist. There are a plethora of programs available to guide your label design process. You can chose a general graphic design software, like Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Publisher, or use design software tailored to designing labels, such as Avery, SureThing, Label Factory, or Label Maker Pro.

The majority of label design programs have similar features, but you should pay close attention to the differences between softwares. Picking a program without realizing it lacks a key feature can be disastrous. For example, Label Factor can produce jar label designs, while Laber Maker Pro and SureThing cannot. On the other hand, Sure Things provides usage tutorials to help you along the way -- but Label Factor does not have this feature.

Before finalizing your label design software selection, make sure to communicate with your printer. Check to see if the software you are considering allows for exporting in EPS or PDF format, because your printer may require you to export your label design in one specific format. Your printer may also request that you convert fonts in your label design file to outlines to ensure consistency. Make sure your software has this capability if your printer requests outlines!

2. Emphasize Your Brand Story

Your brand is probably already founded around a core set of beliefs or with the goal of appealing to a consumer with specific interests. Your product label should be a cohesive part of this identity. Before you begin your product label design, take the time to think about your company’s personality and culture. When you design your label, reflect this identity in your packaging.

Nantucket Nectars does this very effectively: the hand-drawn fruits on their labels connect to the brand’s identity of carefully made all-natural juice. Maybe you decide to write out your story on your label, maybe you convey whimsical fun with happy images, or maybe you give off high-class vibes with gold finishes. No matter how you do it, you need your product label to be consistent with the story of your brand.

3. Make it Memorable 

As you pick label design software, you arm yourself with an endless assortment of fonts, images, colors, and label layouts. How do you know which combination will create a label that will catapult your product to successful sales? You want to incorporate font, color, and images to create a label that consumers will remember.

Images can be leveraged to draw attention to your product, while helping tell your brand’s story. Decide what type of visuals work with your brand: photos, abstract patterns, hand drawings, etc. Big, bold typeface can also make your label jump out amongst the products surrounding it on a shelf. Naked Juice, for example, uses easy to read white text against a dark blue backdrop to make their label pop.

The material you choose for your product label can also make a huge impression on the customer. A clear label will make your product more visible within the package, which works well with colorful juices. Foils and white labels create attention grabbing labels, while green labels often fit well with health or environmentally friendly products. For help choosing colors for your product label, check out our article on color psychology.