Working with designers for new product labels

Creating a new product label design is one of the most important branding steps a company can take, due to the simple fact that package designs can influence consumers before they make a purchase decision. Ad campaigns, influencer marketing and more are essential parts of building a brand, but people eventually end up in a store, comparing different products before buying one.

To make sure an item has maximum appeal at that pivotal moment, companies can step up and work with professional designers when refreshing their branding. While some companies may have individuals in-house who can create a compelling new look, those without such an option can get the help they need from a third party.

Thinking about design with the pros
Food Processing contributor Tim Priest explained that it’s worthwhile for food and beverage companies to hire experts when it’s time to rebrand. A good graphic design firm will take consumer research – carried out by the producer – as a basis, then create a look based on that info. The finished product will convey the essential facts in a remarkably short time using well-chosen visual cues.

Placing trust in an outside expert may be hard for companies, but designers’ expertise in their chosen field can be endlessly valuable in translating a vague concept into an effective showcase for a product. Priest recommended that business owners have faith in the decisions of their chosen designers.

Craft beer field welcomes design collaboration
For examples of the relationship between designers and brands at work, there’s no better showcase than the craft beer industry. This is a space defined by eccentric and bold visuals, saturated with new companies competing for consumers’ attention. The Daily Press, a Virginia newspaper, recently profiled the ways in which graphics pros collaborated with local brewers to realize their ambitions.

For instance, the news source sketched a process in which brewers deliver a name and flavor notes to a graphic designer, who then goes to work turning those ideas into a compelling label look. The two parties collaborate on realizing a complete look. When creating labels for a whole line of flavors, it can pay to generate continuity: The brewery in question color-codes its different types of beers, to create quick recognition and visual interest.

Time to print new labels
Once brands have their new designs finalized, it’s time to print the physical labels. A weak label printer could cause a good visual design to go to waste through insufficient print quality. This is why companies that create labels in-house should rely on high-quality assets such as the Primera LX1000 – browse printers on our U.S. site or Canadian page.