With store shelves overflowing with competing products, it becomes essential for businesses to make their offerings stand out — and a well-designed product label is one key factor that attracts shoppers. It tells a story, conveys trust, and influences shoppers’ buying decisions.
So, whether you’re launching a new product or refreshing an existing one, having a great product label design is a must. It not only informs about the product but also sells. This guide will walk you through how to create the best label design for your products that visually convey your brand personality.
What is Product Label Design?
Label design is the one that provides consumers with essential product details in an aesthetically pleasing way. The label design visually represents the product information. A consumer, therefore, comes to know about the product details by glancing at the packaging label.
With a well-thought-out product label, a brand can target its customers precisely. The label conveys a brand’s personality and its message to the consumers. A creative label design instantly drives customers’ attention. It communicates key details about the product that is inside the packaging.
Options to explore for designing a product label
You have some options to explore when designing product labels. Here are some of the key options to consider:
Collaborate with a professional label designer
One of the best ways to create a label design is to hire an experienced professional label designer. They have extensive experience in incorporating the best design elements that reflect your brand’s personality and message.
Hire a designer after comparing different portfolios at sites such as Designhill, Fiverr, Dribbble, Upwork, and Behance. A professionally trained label designer will take the essential steps of doing research regarding your product, business, and industry. That helps greatly in designing a unique label that stands out in a highly competitive market.
You can trust a professional designer to deliver a high-quality label for your product packaging. So, you will save time and effort in creating a unique label.
However, small business owners may not be able to afford to hire an expensive designer due to high fees. Moreover, a designer may take months to design a logo or label due to their busy schedule.
Create a label design using design software
Even if you are not a trained label designer, it is possible to create one all by yourself. You should explore the different design software available online to everyone. Such DIY design software has its pros and cons, though.
The advantage is that small businesses can have their labels designed free of cost. You can experiment to your satisfaction. Usually, these tools are user-friendly and easy to explore. However, there are limitations with such tools — they limit your design options. This means that creating a unique label design becomes harder with preset options.
Use an AI-powered design tool
An AI-powered design tool can enhance the software’s effectiveness for users. The use of AI can make the entire process creative. The users’ cost of designing labels is reduced when using an AI-powered tool. You can quickly create customizable label designs using AI.
However, a disadvantage of AI-powered design tools is that they often produce labels with a typical artificial appearance. Such labels may not reflect a brand’s accurate personality and message.
Essential elements of product label designs
Which elements make a product label? What basic information should a product label contain to help consumers know about the product inside? Answer these questions precisely when designing your product label.
Know that you must adhere to laws under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in giving information on your product label.
Key Label Information to Include
- Brand name
- Product name
- Product description
- Brand logo
- Net quantity, if applicable
- Nutritional facts
- Net weight
- Product durability
- Expiration or best-by dates
- Barcode and batch number
- Consumption and choking hazards
- Allergy warnings and allergens
- Storage instructions
- Dietary labels
Design your product label to include all such details in a visually appealing manner. You will also be designing with a lot of white space, which makes the label design a challenging task.
Key factors to consider while designing a product label
When designing your product label, here are the basic points you need to always keep in mind to create a label design with a purpose:
Brand identity
Consider your brand guidelines when designing a product label to help build a strong brand identity and loyalty. By keeping your brand identity in mind, you will also ensure visual consistency, making the brand identifiable across all platforms. Therefore, a top label design has the same colors, typography, and other elements of your logo and other visuals.
Consider audience preferences
Think of the specific people whom your brand targets as consumers. They should find your product label relatable. Answer questions such as what values your consumers pursue, what visual style they prefer, and what lifestyle style they follow to create the best label design.
Study competitors’ label designs
Have a closer look at your competitors’ product labels. That will teach you how to design a label that stands out. You can then select different visual elements from those used in other labels. That will help project your product differently in your target market.
Consider container size and shape
When designing a product label, consider the packaging design and container size. For instance, you should reduce the word count of your label design for a smaller container. The font size should also be smaller.
Choose the right label material
The material also plays a key role in creating a perfect product label. Customers will perceive your brand depending on the quality of the material. For instance, a sleek, matte sticker signals a high-quality tech item inside. Thick cardstock with embossed lettering represents a luxury good.
Find out the product’s purpose
Everyday use of a product is also a factor in designing its label. For instance, kitchen products might require a water-resistant label. So, keep the product’s purpose in mind while designing its label.
Consider regulations
Be aware of the laws and regulations governing labels and comply with them when designing your product label. Its design must be in line with FDA and FPLA labeling guidelines.
Make it a readable label
Ensure that the product label you design is easily readable. All information on the label must be precise and clearly visible to consumers. They should be able to get the details quickly without straining their eyes.
Consider keeping white space
Do not clutter the label space with too much information and elements. That will make reading the label difficult and quirky. Instead, use plenty of white space by maintaining a fair distance between two words and elements.
Major software to create a product label
Designing a product label is much easier today thanks to the many design software programs available. You can choose any such software and have your label work done according to your requirements. Here’s a list of some popular design software:
Designhill
Designhill is a leading creative marketplace that enables users to create a wide range of graphic designs, including label designs, in just a few steps. Just visit its label maker page to design your label.
You can browse through plenty of label templates using this free label maker. Then, choose the template that best suits your brand personality and message. Pick a design style that best expresses your brand.
Next, add an image to the label from the platform’s library or upload one from your system. Add some product details to the design. You can also change fonts, colors, and other elements per your choice. That is enough for the software to create the product label you need. Alternatively, you can work with talented label designers from Designhill’s pool of professionals to get a personalized label design for your brand. You can also explore another option — a product label design contest on Designhill, which gives you access to dozens of unique design submissions to choose from.
Canva
Canva is a popular tool with drag-and-drop features that allows you to create designs, including labels. It is a user-friendly platform that even non-designers can easily handle. Teams can collaborate to discuss and improve a design.
But you get a limited number of templates and features with its free version. A paid version may not be affordable for many users.
Adobe Express
Adobe Express is another popular software for designing product labels and other graphic designs. The software is equipped with drag-and-drop features that help non-designers create product labels. Users can access several customizable product labels.
However, a disadvantage for users of the free version is that they get label templates with limited features. It also lacks precise brush strokes.
99designs
99designs is another popular design platform where users can create and buy designs. You can establish direct communication with your preferred designers to have a personalized label design created easily. Clients can also run a product label design contest with a design brief to get numerous design ideas.
However, this platform is expensive, as it is only accessible for premium design services. Some designers who won design contests complained of low pay. There are no AI features available for the designers when creating labels or other designs.
Kittl
Kittl is a design-making platform that allows for designing labels and other graphics, as well as mockups. You can easily handle its user-friendly interface. There are multiple AI-powered tools available for creating labels and other design items.
The free option comes with limited design features, resulting in mediocre designs. Its customer service is not accessible by phone.
Vistaprint
Vistaprint is popular with small businesses for designing printable graphics. But this platform is also helpful in creating label designs using digital tools. An advantage of this design platform is the availability of multiple product label templates with customizable features.
However, the templates lack design flexibility and quality. The templates are not as modern or flexible as those available on other platforms.
Key tips to consider when designing a product label
Research the target market
Start by researching your target audience and competitors. Host a focus group with representatives from your target market, or share an online survey with your email audience to discover what kind of product label information they find most helpful.
Explore the design trends your competitors have relied on, and brainstorm how you can stand out while still adhering to your brand identity.
Consider your budget
It’s easy to get carried away with flashy design elements and high-end materials. However, the cost of a pricey label eventually gets passed on to the consumer, affecting their purchasing decisions.
Depending on your budget, you may hire a professional designer or use a free tool like Canva to design the product label yourself. Determine which materials will complement your product’s packaging without increasing the total price for consumers.
Get product details
Aside from the product name, company logo, and product description, you may need to include other pieces of information on your label. Gather the product’s ingredient list, special certifications, barcode, and other essential information before incorporating brand messaging.
Plan the design
Once you know what information your label should convey and what materials you want to use, you can start planning a design. Whether you’re sketching your idea on a napkin or creating it using software, remember to keep your margins and the “bleed area” in mind.
Design with information hierarchy
Next, consider your information hierarchy. A great label doesn’t just look nice; it also relays key product information, so the name of the product and your company logo should stand out.
You’ll also need to include ample space for ingredient or product information, a barcode, and the price, if necessary. Generally, a six-point font is the smallest size that ensures readability; a 10-point font is usually good for more important information.
Use decorative elements
By keeping a few graphic design ideas in mind, you can plan an eye-catching label. At least one decorative element will enhance your design, and white space will help balance it.
Review the design
Once the design is complete, get a second opinion about it from your friends or experts. They have their own perspective on the design. If you agree to their suggestion, implement it by making the changes in your product label design.
Post your label design on social media to get comments from users. That will give you an idea of how people will react to the design.
After you have given the final touches to your product label design, it is time to print it in a cost-effective manner. Find out a platform that allows you to get your label printed well within your budget. Designhill is one such platform where you can design your product label using its design tools. Or, launch a product label design contest to access multiple design ideas and get a winning label design for your brand. Then, you can ask Designhill to get the label printed and deliver it to your address.
Wrapping Up
A product label design contains key information about the product and helps sell it. Therefore, a uniquely designed label is crucial in driving customers’ attention away from many other products on a shelf. The level design should be simple, with lots of white space. Consider your brand identity and target audience in designing your product label.
