Do your food labels match the official brand font?

Food companies can spend lots of time coming up with a logo or official brand name, and this typically includes the typeface used for displays. To ensure brand consistency, all affected products need to display the same font and make it clear they refer to the same things. Custom printed labels makes this process smoother, since they will have the business’ sanctioned, signature look.

A lot goes into a distinctive font, but much of it comes down to color and placement on the piece. Choosing a distinctive and appropriate color that matches the stock of the label and its background helps emphasize the product name, its official brand and other important details. A name that’s a little off-center could grab attention and convey a sense of fun and liveliness, if used correctly.

PSFK recently profiled a company with a vibrant public image rebranding associated products. Southwest Airlines has revealed images of snacks, pins and other merchandise that will be affected by a planned redesign called “Heart One.” This includes the development of a special typeface called Southwest Sans that is bold, rounded and rendered in starkly contrasting soft colors.

Dan Rhatigan, a type director with the company that has helped with this initiative so far, described what values the new rebranding process is intended to communicate to others.

“The typefaces need to have a personality that encourages the friendly spirit and interaction that is essential to Southwest, but also have a neat functionality that shows that the company is responsible and accountable,” he said.

Getting this balance right can take time and experimentation, which also involves adjusting the current labels to better effect. Working with in-house printing solutions gives businesses the chance to produce labels on their own time.