Wine labels need to be successful at every stage of their lifespan, from the moment they are spotted in the store to the moment the bottles are uncorked. Life and Style in Southern Illinois recently interviewed a series of professional winemakers and graphic designers who create wine bottle labels for a stable of different clients.
One of the designers mentioned in this piece is Rebecca Ritz, who spoke about the different criteria she applies to label designs to gauge success. Her comments show how professional winemakers need to take the time to design and print materials that don’t lose their luster when the consumer takes the bottle home.
She says that a shopper will connect with the ideal wine label three times: when they see it, when they hold the bottle in their hands, and when they actually use the wine at home. Each time, the consumer regards the label in different ways that companies need to anticipate.
For example, certain display techniques are most effective when a consumer is investigating the wine label up close. Label material, color, and placement all play a role in selling the product here.
“This is where your brain picks up design cues that tell you this is an expensive bottle of wine — like subtle colors, a serif font, textured paper, foil or embossing — or less expensive if the colors are bright and the typography is whimsical,” she said.
One demonstration of a design that awards close inspection is the use of a “word cloud” made up of brightly colored adjectives describing the wine. UK grocery chain Tesco recently announced that it will be using this approach for wines based on user reactions in a tasting later this September.
There are many ways to use label printers to make the most out of packaging at multiple stages. Follow these leads with the equipment that lets you produce high-quality labels on your own.
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