What’s in a Label?

What's in a Label We are not talking about the intangible labels we place on relationships, but actual physical labels. Don’t fret! Labels are everywhere, but most businesses take them for granted and don’t realize how much labels can make a difference for your brand.

When you’re a business, it’s important to look at what you’re selling and the type of label you’d need to create.

Labels define your business!

If you don’t believe us, try these four fun exercises the next time you’re out and about. Oh, and put yourself in the shoes of a consumer when you’re doing these exercises below:

Exercise 1: Product identification

At your neighborhood grocery store, walk by the soda aisle. There are so many bottles of different types of soda, but you’re specifically looking for Coca-Cola. Did you quickly scan the label color/design to find it?

Of course you did!

It probably was subconscious…you did not even read the label, you just knew what the bottle looked like and you walked straight to that part of the aisle. Sure, that has to do with Coca-Cola’s bold red color with white lettering, but also because the labels reflect that. Labels help you identify products and/or brands.

Exercise 2: Product Promotion

Your family loves Porto’s bakery (then again, who doesn’t)! Porto’s sells everything from fresh bread to pastries to cakes to sandwiches. When you bring a box of baked goods home, is your family already excited before they see what’s inside?

Yes, they are!

Because when people see the Porto’s label, they already know that whatever is inside that box is bound to be delicious. Their reputation is unmatched. The label carries weight and promotes the brand.

Exercise 3: Product Grading

You just ran out of The Body Shop’s Tea Tree facial cleanser, but you want to try something different. You head to The Body Shop and they have many types of facial cleansers besides Tea Tree (e.g. Seaweed, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and others). It’s the same size and packaging; however, the color of the tube and label is different. Do you look at the label to tell you which type of facial cleanser is for you?

Yes, you do!

The vitamin C tube is orange, the seaweed tube is blue, the charcoal tube is black, the list goes on. The colors chosen for the packaging and label design match the type of facial cleanser. This is an example of a company exhibiting product grading. Product grading is when a brand uses the same label design but changes the colors and text to differentiate it from its other products in the same category.

Exercise 4: Product Description by Law

You are feeling under the weather so you decide to drive to CVS to get some over the counter medication. You mom told you to buy a bottle of Nyquil and a bottle of Dayquil. Now, you’re in your bathroom taking out the Nyquil bottle from the box. You’ve never used Nyquil before, do you look at the label for the instructions on the dosage?

Of course!

When it comes to medication, companies are required by law to include the dosage, side effects, instructions, ingredients and more. Sometimes you have a flap on the label that you need to turn over to expand and learn more information about the product.

Labels are necessary for product descriptions, identification, grading, and promotion.

The more unique your label is in terms of design and shape, the better it is for you…because your product is not the only one on the shelf. We’ve seen people opt for the bare minimum, but that’s not going to help a customer take your product off the shelf.

At Axiom Print, we have experience printing multiple types of labels: