Source: Unsplash Creating your product is a challenge in itself. Branding it is another hurdle. With a printer, sheet labels, and creativity, you can create your product label for the product you’ve worked hard for. In this post, we will guide you on how to create your product labels at home. CONTENT How Do I Create a Label for My Product? How Do You Make an Attractive Product Label? How Do I Create a Label for My Product? To create a product label, here are some guidelines to get you started: 1. Measure your product 2. Choose the Appropriate Label 4. Create Your Label 3. Know the Legal Requirements for Your Label 5. Decide on your Label Design 6. Choose Your Fonts & Graphics 7. Print! 1. Measure your product Take the dimensions of your product. It will make sure that your label will fit your product, not too large or too tiny. It will also narrow down which labels you can use. There is no standard for the right label size, but here’s what you can do to find the perfect size: Create mock-up labels from paper cut-outs of different sizes. This way, you can see how the label would look on your product. This step is best done first and foremost before beginning any design. Get the right label size for your products at enKo. Direct Thermal Label4″ x 3″ (1" Core) SHOP NOW Direct Thermal Label3″ x 2″ (1" Core) SHOP NOW Direct Thermal Label2″ x 2-1/4″ (1" Core) SHOP NOW 2. Choose the Appropriate Label In choosing the right label for your product, take note of the following: Shape: You can opt for the standard rectangular/ square labels, but you can also look for custom-shaped ones, especially for products with rounded containers. However, standard labels are cheaper and easier to source than having to order a custom-shaped label. You can also make custom labels by printing them on full sheet labels and then cutting them to shape. However, this can be laborious and may need special cutting tools. Finish: You can choose between matte or glossy finish labels. Go for a glossy finish for a defined and bright look. Use matte-finished labels if you want to have some vintage/ classic look, as their prints tend to look a bit faded. Label Type: If your product may undergo exposure to water (shampoos, lotions, soap, and the like), consider using waterproof labels. 3. Know the Legal Requirements for Your Label Look up regulations in your country with regards to the proper labeling of certain products. Product labels such as food, cosmetics, skincare, and others come with strict guidelines. Usually, product information such as ingredients, nutrition facts, and warnings are a requirement for such products. Before starting to design, look up all information that is required to be displayed. There is also information that is required to be at a specific size. Just take a look at the suggestion below by the FDA for the Nutrition facts of food labels: Source: FDA Food Labeling Guide Brother DK1240 Multipurpose Labels Labels per roll : 600 Size (inch) : 4″ x 2″ Printer Technology : Brother DK Printers AS LOW AS $12.85 4. Create Your Label Time to create your label! The first thing you need to consider is that a label should include the following: Product Name Company Logo Product Details, e.g., Ingredients A short Product Description/ Product Story Design Elements (Graphics, Typography, Color, and even White space) We expect that all of these, excluding the design elements, are already prepared beforehand. We will discuss more on the Design Elements below. 5. Decide on your Label Design Now we’re on to the juicy part. For designing your label, it is important to understand that the label should display your brand message. Of course, the design should be appealing to your target customer. There are different types of design to choose from, but take note not to choose what you like, but choose what your customers would want. Depending on your software/ editing tool, you can choose a template for this endeavor. Using a template is the best thing to start designing, especially for a beginner. Templates can also serve as examples of product labels that you can easily design. Canva Templates for Beer Labels. Source: Canva 6. Choose Your Fonts & Graphics There are a ton of resources for commercially available Fonts and Graphics that you can use in your product labels. Some are free, and some need to be purchased. Before you use them, make sure to check their licenses to see if they’re allowed for commercial use. Different fonts heavily affect the design. For example, serif fonts can bring a more classic look, while sans serif fonts will look more modern and minimalist. Caution: Default and pre-installed fonts do not usually work very well in product labels. Fonts like Papyrus, Arial, Comic Sans, and others do not work well in a product you want to stand out. Although these fonts are iconic, they are overused and can make your label look cheap. 7. Print! Not satisfied? You can now try and print your first product label and try it on your product. Here are more guidelines on how to make your labels more attractive. How Do You Make an Attractive Product Label? Source: Unsplash Utilize the Best Tools Be Consistent Clarity & Readability Use Combination of Fonts Sprinkle with Fun and Personality Don’t Clutter; Leave Some White Space 1 Utilize the Best Tools Having the best tools can provide more resources, better templates, and overall easier design creation. One of the best design tools today is Canva.com. It’s a free online tool that you can use to edit photos and graphics. Canva also includes free and paid templates for products labels. This tool works well for beginners for its easy accessibility, and you don’t have to pay upfront to use it. If you’re more of a professional, you can look into Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and other products in Adobe Suite. It may be costly, but this can be the best option if you require additional complex editing tools. 2 Be Consistent Your brand should be consistent among your products. It may be easier to show what product it is in a product label, but not which brand it is. Having consistent branding in various products is a common marketing practice as this creates more recognizable products. 3 Clarity and Readability What does good design bring when everything else is unreadable? Take note that although labels are meant to be attractive, they should be clear and understandable that customers can know what the product is just with a glance. With that, your brand and product name should be easily visible from most angles. Finally, details are meant to be read as the product is picked up, so don’t worry about those. It’s a big factor for products that you plan to display for retail. 4 Use Combination of Fonts The general rule for using fonts is using two to three fonts only. This rule is to make a contrast in your design that can grab people’s attention. Take note that the fonts you choose have different styles, sizes, and thicknesses. But, hey, if you need more than three fonts, feel free to do so. It’s just a general rule. If you want to be more playful with your branding, you can use more fonts as long as it works for you. 5 Sprinkle with Fun and Personality The goal of each product is to have something to connect with the customer. Bringing out some personality in your product label will bring a spark to some customers. When designing your product labels, the goal is to deliver the product story through graphics, colors, and typography. This will help your product stand out and even be talked about. 6 Don’t Clutter; Leave Some White Space Leaving enough white space contributes to the product label’s clarity, as this can prevent a cluttered design that can be confusing for viewers. Having white spaces in labels can bring out other elements in your design to stand out. Having white space can also bring an elegant and clean look to your product. Wrapping Up Creating a product label is more designing on how it would look. Just think of it: There is a high chance that another product similar to yours is already in the market, and it covers your customer’s needs. Of course, there are several ways to market your product, but product branding can be a big factor to bring in a new customer. Bring out the best colors of your product label with Enko Sheet Labels! Along with their good quality, they are affordable and available in bulk and wholesale, perfect for your growing business! Our sheet labels are available in numerous sizes, compatible with most laser and inkjet printers. Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Like & follow our social media pages to see more updates and promotions ! Tags: Product Labels Gene Paul Lim
