The professional design of product labels can be a challenging task, even for those who are experienced. These labels must attract consumers and immediately tell them what the product is about. The very best product labels are not only well designed, but capture the very essence of the merchandise, creating trust within the consumer that makes them want to try it out. Below are some ways to design products labels that sell.
Fundamental Tools for Design
Today, when starting a blank sheet label design project, most designers are quick to power up their computers and open their preferred image editing software. But before you do that, it is better to go back to the fundamentals. These fundamentals include some colored pencils, an eraser, sketchbook and a standard pencil or pen. You will want to start by writing down some words that you think of when you consider the products you’ll be selling.
It isn’t necessary for these words to be specific. Examples of words you can use include calm, healthy, warmth, classical or contemporary. When starting out stick to no more than three words. Then you’ll want to spend some time reviewing designs that have been successful. While it should be obvious you don’t want to copy what others have done, you can use other works as a source of inspiration.
For example, if you plan to introduce a new brand of cookies it will be helpful to study the label designs of other cookies or snacks. As you do this you will begin to detect certain recurring themes, such as colors or words that appear frequently.
Developing Your Unique Style
Label design is an area where you must be absolutely unique. Your purpose in studying the design of competitors is not to follow in their footsteps; but to go in a totally different direction. Only then will you design labels that standout from the crowd in an industry where everyone wants to stand out. Use your sketchbook and colored pencils to draft a few basic layouts. Experiment with the placement of the images and the text until you find a combination that intrigues you. From this point forward you can power up your computer and open the image editing software of your choice.
It is often necessary for label designers to take photos of things that will be added to the label. When doing this it is crucial to use a powerful digital camera. The images can then be imported into your image editing software, where they can be cropped and edited before being placed within the product labels.
Using Professional Label Printing Services
If you choose to use a professional printer then you’ll be expected to follow their guidelines. For instance, many professional printers will require your images to be saved in a specific resolution and file format. There may also be requirements for bleed as well as image margins that you’ll have to adhere to. When creating your final design stick to specific themes, be creative, and above all else, study the crowd but don’t follow them.
