When it comes to your products one of the most important things to always consider is the label and packaging. The label on your product will be what people see first and the first impression is key. The label should catch the eye of consumers immediately because they may just get a glance at your product while browsing the shelves. An eye catching label is more important than just a normal first impression because it is what people will remember, and can potentially be the deciding factor between your product and a competitor’s product.

The Goal = Top of Mind Awareness

The goal for any brand should be top of mind awareness. Good packaging is a huge step towards achieving the desired awareness and is the reason that you need to ensure your packaging stands out above the competition.

When you think about some of your favorite brands what do you remember first?

When asking a group of people that question, the answer that you will hear the most is the appearance of the label and/or the packaging. Every product that you sell should always have a label that stands out and the product should be easily identified by that label. Your brand logo should also be easily visible on all of your product labels. The 3 most important parts of your label are the logo, the layout, and the colors since these are the first things that the eyes will be drawn to.

Top of mind awareness is something that brands should always be thinking about because no one wants to be forgotten. Spending the time and effort on your packaging is just as important as the product itself. The product is still very important of course, but your first impression is the key to success in often over saturated markets.

Here are some other important factors that consumers will remember and will help your label be a success.

Sensory Impact

This is where the color and overall appearance comes into play. The senses are tied to the emotions and the eyes are the dominant factor in decision making. In order to be remembered you need to try and create something that will have that lasting impact on the senses to invoke the emotions.

Clear Message

Both the message and any symbolism used on the label should be clear and concise. If these are confusing to the consumer then your brand will be easily forgotten.

Unique

This one goes without saying, but if you want to stand out you need to make sure that your label and packaging are unique.

Consistency

Keeping the memory alive is what you should be aiming for. Your brand logo, product label, and packaging should remain consistent just like your products.

Visualizing and Designing

When visualizing your label and product appearance as a finished product it is always wise to think of it from a consumer standpoint. As a consumer yourself you should consider some of your favorite products including their labels and product packaging.

Ask yourself what some of your favorite brands have done to stand out over the years when it comes to their labels. Are they easily identified while quickly browsing the shelves? Do they stand out on the shelf next to competing products? In most cases your favorites are very memorable, which is why you remember them and how you know them when you are shopping.

Next you should spend some time looking at the packaging that your competitors are using. What makes their labels stand out? What can you incorporate into your labels to make them visually appealing to consumers? And how can you make your product labels better than the competition?

Once you answer these questions it is time to start planning how you want your labels and packaging to look. This includes the colors, typography, and the layout. It is important to come up with a few different options for your labels before it gets narrowed down to just one. Another important factor is to keep them fairly simple. One thing that you do not want is a cluttered label that can be hard to read.

The Final Steps

The next step in the process is having coworkers give their opinions on the design, ask friends and family, and you can even consider getting a small focus group together to help see what they think of the different designs. A focus group will give you a better idea of how a consumer would feel about the product label since they are an outside party. Once you have gathered other opinions you may gain some new insight into your ideas. This may warrant some changes before settling on one design. If all goes well it is time to start narrowing down your design to the one that will become the products final label design. The feedback you have received will be valuable information to help you decide on the final product.

After you have multiple opinions it is time to make the final edits and run it through your quality control channels. When these steps are all finished it is time to get your label and packaging ready for production so you can get the new label on the product and on the store shelves!