3 Key Elements of a Product Label (Create on a Budget)

If you’re like most small to medium sized commodity companies, your advertising budget is either small or nonexistent, and that’s fine. In fact, it’s probably wise because you can now allocate those funds to purchase more inventory, upgrade machinery, or produce a higher quality product.

However, the downside of a small marketing budget is, potential customers are generally far less aware of your product(s), and won't be introduced to your merchandise until they see it on the shelf between a bunch of competitors.

This is very late in the buying cycle, which is why you need a quick and effective way to differentiate your goods from the crowd. The fastest way to achieve this is with a label.

How to Create Your Perfect Label

Selecting the Color – When it comes to selecting a color or colors for your label, it’s important to think about its purpose. Many choose a color simply because it makes the packaging look more attractive, and those that do aren’t wrong.

However, with that said, there are a few more questions to ask yourself before making the final selection. 

• Does this color represent my brand? (Maybe you have a color scheme that appears throughout your other products).
• Do any of my competitors use this color on their labels? (If your potential customers are seeing your product for the first time, you’ll want to catch their eye and not blend in).

Choosing the Size and Shape – After selecting the right color, you’re going to want to get the proper size and shape. If it’s too small, you’re customer may never see it. If it’s too big, it may overwhelm the packaging and become distracting to the potential customer.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, many people will send their packaging to a designer or send out for samples. The downside is this can really increase your costs. To save money and time, we suggest cutting paper into different shapes and sizes then taping them to your products. This allows you to see how a label would look on your packaging. Now, we understand this is may seem too simple, but when you are on a budget this is can one of the best decisions you make.

Picking the Material – Before beginning the actual design process, it’s a good idea to choose the label’s material. Whatever your design, it ultimately needs to be in sync with your label material. If your potential customers are discovering your products on the store shelves rather than through advertising, we suggest going with a gold or silver foil. Choosing a foil material can help your design stand out from the packaging and catch a person’s eye as they’re looking at the shelf.

By taking the time to get these elements right, you can really get an eye-catching label that results in sales without disrupting your bottom line.