A product label serves an interesting double function in that it is meant to both inform the consumer and be visually attractive. This latter quality is just as important to long-term brand strength, and can be a force in making sure the name and purpose of a business occupies a large space in the customer’s mind. It can all start by making labels that are valuable as both collector’s items and advertising.
This may seem irrelevant to long-term success, but a company shouldn’t underestimate the way well-made packaging can stand the test of time. For example, the Montreal Gazette recently spotlighted the case of Alain Laliberte, a Canadian man in possession of an extraordinary amount of wine labels.
According to the article, while the exact tally has yet to be made, the former sommelier’s collection is said to number somewhere in the region of 160,000 labels, well above the current international record. But Laliberte recognizes that there is more to these labels than their ability to be stored and kept as trophies: they can communicate a lot of interesting information, he said.
“It’s interesting that some people find an interest in these small pieces of paper,” he told the Gazette. “Some of them are pieces of art.”
In this way, companies can think of the long-term value of the labels they design and focus on making labels this way. And this sort of careful design consideration doesn’t have to just apply to wine labels, but any brand looking to add a little bit of a unique touch to its product that might make it stand out over time.