3 Tips For Designing Eye-Catching Food Product Labels
People may say that you can't judge a book by its cover, but that doesn't stop shoppers from judging food products by their packaging in the grocery store. On the contrary, grocery shoppers are very visually driven. Everyone has had the experience of impulsively picking up food that wasn't on the list because they were hungry and it looked appetizing, or deciding to try a new brand because it looked healthier than the old brand. If you can design a label that's able to catch the attention of consumers in this way, your product is liable to be a success. But how can you design a label like that? Here are a few tips that can help.
Know Your Competition
If your labels look too similar to your competitor's labels, you'll find that your product only gets picked up by accident, when customers are reaching for the product next to yours. You need to stand out and distinguish yourself from other brands selling similar products. However, you also have to walk a fine line, because your labels need to look distinctive while also meeting customer expectations. A can of ravioli with a purple and blue label will certainly stand out from all the red, white, and green labels on other Italian foods nearby, but it won't necessarily sell – that label might be too far away from what the customer expects to appeal to them.
Finding a balance between meeting customer expectations and standing out from your competitors can be tricky. Your best bet is to do some test runs. Get a shelf with your product and some prototype labels, and add some competitor's products next to it and on nearby shelves. This will give you a feel for what your label will look like in the store. Does it stand out or blend in? Does the position of the label catch your eye, or does it need to be moved to another part of the package? The answers to these questions can help you determine if your label is good as it is, or if you need to make adjustments before having more printed.
Emphasize Your Brand
There are at least two important things happening on most food labels. The first is a mini-advertisement for the food inside the package. The second is a display of the brand name and logo. As important as it is to use the label space to make the product look appealing, don't do so at the expense of your branding. Displaying your brand prominently on the label may have more of an effect on your sales than you can anticipate.
Studies show that research study participants rate branded products as more satisfying than generic products or unknown brands, even when the actual product behind each label is identical – and should taste identical. MRI technology confirmed that the study participants' brains actually reacted differently to the branded products, creating the perception of a more pleasing taste. Making sure that your brand is displayed obviously – especially if your customers are likely to have encountered other products under the same brand – makes it more likely that they'll experience your product positively, which in turn makes them more likely to become repeat customers.
Label Honestly
It's important to show your product in the best light, of course. But if you're going to show pictures of your product or ingredients that are included in your product, it's important to use pictures that basically tell the truth about your product.
For example, if your product is a yogurt that's going to contain chunks of fruit, it's probably not a good idea to adorn the label with pictures of large, juicy whole strawberries if your product is only going to contain small slivers of the fruit. An artfully posed spoonful of the actual product might be a better choice – your customers won't feel like they've been lied to.
A good label manufacturer will work with you to provide sample labels for you to test out and help you choose the perfect layout and color scheme for your labels. By the time you're finished, you'll have a label that will catch customers' eyes and keep them coming back for more. For more information, talk to professionals that do label manufacturing in your area.