The Face of Your Brand: Product Label Design Tips to Help You Attract Customers

Product label design tips to attract customers

The right product packaging and design increase the odds of consumers stopping to examine your offerings. An experienced designer considers a brand’s target audience, brand colors, fonts and materials to create a product label that truly stands out.

However, not every business has the budget for a designer. Fortunately, straightforward tips and best practices can boost any organization’s product packaging appeal. Consider the following ways to improve your product label design and help differentiate your product from the competition.

1. Solidify your brand identity to guide your product label design.

Your brand identity provides a roadmap for all future product packaging and labeling. Deciding on the message you want to communicate to potential customers about your brand will help you determine what content should go on your label.

Your company’s mission and values are excellent places to start when designing your brand identity. What does your brand represent? How can you visually communicate your company’s ideals?

For example, if you sell comfort food and want your products to stir up memories of Grandma’s cooking, your branding may be family-oriented and rustic. Your labels will have a very different look and feel than those of a health food company focused on vitamins and vitality.

2. Know your target audience before designing product labels.

Your product labels should reflect your target audience’s tastes and preferences. When you understand what resonates with them, you can design packaging that grabs attention, strengthens engagement and increases sales. Before you begin, conduct thorough market research to uncover your audience’s aesthetic preferences and purchasing motivations.

Here are three effective ways to gain insight:

• Focus groups: These sessions let you interact directly with your target market, ask follow-up questions and spark discussions among participants that reveal deeper insights.
• Customer surveys: Short email or text surveys can gather valuable customer feedback about which label styles your customers prefer.
• Competitor research: Study competitors’ designs to see which visual trends resonate with consumers in your industry and identify opportunities to set your product apart.

3. Choose the right material for your product label.

Once you’ve defined your brand image, it’s time to pick the material that will bring it to life. The physical qualities of your label are just as important as your visual design; they affect both first impressions and long-term brand perception. A label that smudges or tears in transit can quickly undermine your product’s credibility.

The base of your label, called the facestock, determines its texture, finish and durability. Your product image is printed on one side of the facestock, while the adhesive sits on the other.

Facestock is typically either paper-based or film-based:

• Paper: Numerous types of paper-based facestock exist in several finishes, including high gloss, semi-gloss and matte. Ask your printer for samples of each if you’re not sure what look you prefer. The type of facestock you select may affect what you can print on the labels. For example, if you want a metallic foil label, you’ll need a specific type of facestock. Paper labels are a common option and work well when packaging glass bottles or jars.
• Film: Films are a good facestock choice if you need extremely durable labels. Film material options include vinyl, biaxially oriented polypropylene and polyester film. Vinyl materials are often used in static-cling labels — excellent options if you need labels for glass applications, such as oil change reminders on car windshields or labels on goggles and glasses. Because there’s no actual adhesive, they’re easy to remove.

If a static-cling label isn’t an option for your product, you must consider what type of adhesive will go under your label facestock. There are four primary adhesive types:

• Permanent
• All temperature
• Removable
• Repositionable

Permanent and all-temperature adhesives are robust and designed not to move.

4. Select product label colors carefully.

Beyond the physical attributes of your label, you must design it thoughtfully and choose colors that best represent your product. If your brand has specific colors associated with it, you’ll likely match that aesthetic on your product labels to maintain consistency and a cohesive brand image. If you’re starting from scratch or have no particular palette established, consider reviewing your competitors’ labels and evaluating ways to use color to differentiate your products from a sea of similar offerings.

Most people understand that different colors evoke various emotional responses and associations. For example, brown and green tones represent an earthy, organic feel, while purple is often associated with royalty and quality. Blue is considered a universally appealing color. Consider how color psychology may affect your product label palette choices.

Your printer is an essential partner when choosing colors for your product labels. Ask your printer about its resources and ability to print multiple colors using spot or process color on your labels:

• Spot color: Spot color, sometimes referred to as solid color, is printed with one ink at a time. It is vibrant but limited in scope.
• Process color: Process color comprises four different ink colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black) — known as CMYK. This printing method uses tiny dots printed in each of the four colors to create images.

Some label types and sizes will limit your ability to print colors, so check with your printer before finalizing your design. Your printer may also offer unique printing options, such as fluorescent inks, foils or embossing.

5. Use your labels to emphasize what makes your product different.

As you refine your label design, look for ways to showcase what sets your company apart. Does your founder have a compelling story? Does your business support a charity or rely on locally sourced ingredients?

Your packaging is a chance to connect with customers emotionally. Use your label to tell them why they should trust your brand, how you differ from competitors and what they can expect when they choose your product.

Think about your target market’s challenges and make it clear in your label copy how your company helps solve their problems.

6. Demonstrate sustainable business practices on your product labels.

Today’s consumers increasingly want to support brands that prioritize sustainability, including eco-friendly product packaging. According to a 2023 McKinsey study, products making environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims saw 28 percent cumulative growth over five years, compared with 20 percent for those without such claims.

Green packaging reduces waste and helps eliminate pollutants like plastic bags and straws. Companies embracing this trend gain the benefits of sustainability without major time or cost investments.

Consider using lighter materials, recycled or biodegradable options, and flat-packed products. These choices can reduce shipping costs, minimize transportation needs and maximize shelf space.

Highlight your sustainability efforts directly on your product labels; customers notice and appreciate brands that are transparent about their eco-friendly practices.

7. Be clear and specific on your product labels.

Your label design should look great, but its main purpose is to clearly present your product to customers. That means prioritizing clarity and transparency over flashy visuals.

Don’t make buyers guess what your product is or how it works. Include essential details so consumers can quickly decide whether it meets their needs, such as ingredients, directions, storage information and size.

Keep your text concise and easy to read. Even the best design can fall flat if your message gets lost in cluttered or hard-to-read labeling.

8. Focus on brand consistency in your product label design.

While many factors influence your product labels, it’s important to review your final design through the lens of brand consistency. Consistency builds familiarity and trust — key drivers of long-term growth. According to Marq’s State of Brand Consistency report, 68 percent of organizations say brand consistency has contributed to 10 to 20 percent of their revenue growth.

A consistent brand identity reinforces recognition and credibility every time a customer interacts with your products. Stick to your brand guidelines, including your approved color palette, logo variations and fonts, to ensure your labels feel instantly recognizable. Your label design should also reflect your company’s tone and style, creating a familiar experience for both new and returning customers.

Why your product label design matters

Companies eager to launch products or save money may overlook brand packaging best practices. However, this is a crucial mistake that can hurt their bottom line. Well-executed product labels can help you sustain and grow customer relationships, elevate your brand and secure your product in consumers’ minds.

Here are the top reasons why your product label design and overall packaging quality matter:

• Product label design helps you make a great first impression: Consumers see your product before touching it. They may spot it on a store shelf or unbox it at home after delivery. These initial moments are crucial because they form an instant reaction to the product’s appearance. You want your product to make a powerful first impression, not be forgettable.
• Product label design can give you a competitive edge: In crowded marketplaces, a standout product package grabs attention. If your product label is visually appealing, practical and informative — and tells the story of your company’s background, passion and quality — you’ll set yourself apart from the competition.
• Product label design enhances brand awareness: A cohesive product label reflects the quality of your business. Consumers remember compelling designs, and truly unique packaging can even go viral on social media, creating valuable buzz.
• Product labels make solutions clear to consumers: Consumers buy products to solve a problem. For example, they purchase drain cleaner when they have a clogged sink or copy paper when they need to print documents. Stating your product’s purpose clearly helps consumers make split-second purchasing decisions.
• Product labels help you comply with laws: Depending on the product, federal or state laws may require specific information on your label. The FDA requires nutrition facts panels on most food products, while the FTC mandates care instructions on textile items. Although these regulations primarily apply to pharmaceutical and food products, ingredient lists, health warnings, hazards and usage instructions keep companies accountable for customer safety. Ensuring your label complies with relevant legal requirements reduces product liability risk and builds trust with customers.
• Product packaging protects your offerings: Protecting your product from damage is critical, whether you’re fulfilling an e-commerce order, shipping wholesale or stocking shelves in a retail location. Packaging that withstands your product’s weight, prevents tampering and moisture damage, eliminates sharp edges and accommodates multiple pieces will increase durability and reduce the likelihood of damage.
• Product labels can help you track items and stay organized: Stock-keeping unit (SKU) and batch or lot numbers provide real-time visibility into product locations and quantities. Labeling products with these identifiers helps you track them in your warehouse and during shipping and facilitates recalls if necessary.
• Product labels identify your products: Serial numbers, lot numbers and hard-to-replicate label details — such as watermarks, custom die-cuts, metallic finishes, embossing and holographics — accurately identify genuine products. Registered trademarks and logos give your items a professional look and legal protection if anyone attempts to replicate your brand unlawfully.

Jamie Johnson contributed to this article.