The best way to compliment your choice of glass bottle or glass jar for your product is with the perfect label and branding. In this weeks blog we take a look at the best practices when it comes to designing, printing and applying your labels.
We go through all the basics when it comes to labelling and branding. From what information is essential to have on your label. All the way to applying the labels themselves.
We've spoken to a wide range of our customers to learn more about their label printing experiences. So we can provide the best information for you. And we've spoken to Steve at Steve Stark designs all about branding and label creation.
Hopefully if you are new and just starting your very own food or drink business this guide will be able to help you. If you have any further questions leave a comment below!
And in exciting news. Sen5es is pleased to announce our very own label printing service. We have teamed up with a label company and worked out some special sizes and prices especially for you! We've got prices for a range of our most popular products. Read on below to learn more about our brand new label printing service!
Food labelling essentials
When it comes to selling food or drink products to the public it's important to follow the guidelines that are in place. This helps to keep you and your customers safe.
It's easy to find this information out and you probably know most of it already. We've all studied the label of our favourite beer, wine or hot sauce.
We've found the following list from the UK governments website and have also included a link to their full guidelines below for you.
You must show the following information on your labels:
the name of the food
a ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date
any necessary warnings
net quantity information
a list of ingredients (if there is more than 1)
the country or place of origin, if required
the lot number or use-by date
any special storage conditions
instructions for use or cooking, if necessary
Label Designs and Branding
We would always recommend working with a professional designer when it comes to designing your label and branding. Just think, this is the thing that will set you apart from your competition and hopefully drive new and repeated sales. So don't skimp on this step.
We spoke to Steve from Steve Stark Designs about the importance of the design of food labels and how with the right label you can do so much! He had a few bits of wisdom to share.
I’ve always been a huge believer in branding being king. Like most people, I gravitate to anything with a killer look. The actual content of a product being a secondary thing for me. I think that’s why it’s so important these days to invest in making your brand stand out against the masses. It’s a competitive market so anything that’ll help boost sales has to be worth a shot.
There’s a lot of tools online for small companies to create things like labels and packaging cost effectively, but I think this contributes to the many average looking products on the market. They all have the same clip art designs on, with the same ideas that don’t make a product stand out against the rest.
Investing and building a working relationship with a professional designer, who can create a look for your company from the ground up will do wonders.
To learn more about Steve and his design business. Check out our interview with him from last year!
Fast Labels have a fantastic article on their website about the 13 best practices for label design. We've picked out our favourite few which we think are the most important.
Hire a designer
Measure your bottle or jar correctly. There's nothing worse than a poorly fitting label.
Think about how your product will look on a shelf amongst other competing products.
Consider the functionality of the label. Is it easy to read?
When working with your designer make sure your logo/branding is prominent
Keep the design nice and simple. Think of your favourite products and see what they do.
Don’t forget about the important labelling essentials as detailed above.
A selection of Steve's work from around the globe!
Label types and Different Uses
There are lots of different materials and options when it comes to labels. Your final product will ultimately help you decide what type of material to use.
Is your product going to be in a moist environment like the fridge. Or maybe it will be exposed to heat like a candle. These sorts of things will determine what type of label you use. For example you wouldn't use a paper label for a beer bottle that will be kept in the fridge and will have to deal with lots of condensation.
There are around 4 main types of labels. Paper, vinyl, speciality and film. We found this great article from M&R Labels all about the different types of labels and what they are good for.
For our example of the above beer bottle. It would be recommended to use a vinyl label as it's more resistant to water and will not peel off your bottle when exposed to condensation.
So before you order your first batch of labels. Consider where your products will be stored and what sort of environmental factors it will be subject to.
Applying Labels To Your Bottles Or Jars
Once you've chosen your branding , had your labels designed and had them printed. The next stage is actually applying them to your product. You can buy tools which help with this but it's also possible to do by hand.
As your business grows it may be worth investing in simple labelling machinery. Labelling 1000 bottles at a time may get a little tiring and time consuming. Sometimes the investment is worth it!
To apply your labels by machine or by hand there are 4 simple steps to follow.
Clean the area. Make sure the glass you are putting the label on to is clean and dry.
Let the labels reach room temperature. Allowing the labels to reach room temperature will give the adhesive the best chance at sticking.
Apply them to the bottle. Line them up carefully and take your time applying the labels. Nobody wants a wonky label!
Let them fully set. Leave them at least 24 hours before moving and handling too much. You don't want your label to slide out of position.
We recently visited The Lazy Scientist who uses this hand operated machine to apply his labels.
Sen5es Label Printing Service
We have recently teamed up with a fantastic label printing company. So that we can bring you even more value from your purchase with us.
We have measured our most popular jars and bottles and come up with the best label sizes for each! From our 150ml Worcester sauce bottle (popular with hot sauce makers) to our 500ml amber beer bottle (perfect for home brewers and breweries alike). We have the perfect size label for you!
All you need to do is work out your branding and labelling as mentioned above. Let us know the size of bottle/jar and how many labels you need and we will then get some more information from you and provide a quote.
At Sen5es we like to help out our customers as much as possible. And we feel this is one of the best ways to do it. We will take the hassle out of label sizing and printing. Just let us know what you need and we will do the rest!
Some of our customers amazing labels
Conclusion
In conclusion the best practices for branding and label design are to outline what it is your selling and how you will set yourselves apart from the competition.
Don't be afraid to contact a professional graphic designer or artist and see if they can help. Don't forget you don't have to go with the first designer you come across. Their art style may vary greatly from what you want to achieve.
Research different label producers and see what labels they offer. Do they offer different types of labels which will be better for different products? What kind of printing techniques do they use. And importantly how much will the labels cost you?
Apply labels carefully to avoid poor aesthetics. Even though it may take longer, taking the extra time to apply labels correctly will help improve your sales. As you and your business grows. Consider investing in labelling machines. Make sure you double check to make sure they work with your type of label!
What did you think of our latest guide? Was it helpful? Did we miss anything or do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments below.
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All the Best
The Team at Sen5es