Custom labels can help make your brand and your products much more professional. If you’re making your own products from home or manufacturing products through a company that doesn’t print custom labels, chances are investing in custom labels is going to pay off.

When consumers buy a product, they expect to pick it up and have a well designed label on the front. The label helps convey a sense of professionalism. It increases customers’ trust in the product. Sometimes it even causes them to buy the product itself.

A top notch label should look crisp and sharp. It should last a long time and it shouldn’t peel, even when it’s exposed to water, heat, dryness and other extreme conditions. There’s nothing worse for your brand than someone opening a box with your product in it, only to see the label wrinkling.

Did you know that the iPhone’s packaging costs almost 10% of the entire product? Why did Steve Jobs spend so much time, energy and money on creating the packaging? The simple answer: It makes a difference.

Have high quality, impressive custom labels done. It might seem like an expense today, but in the future you’ll definitely find that it pays for itself many fold.

Getting Custom Labels Done

Thinking about getting custom labels done? Here are a few things to look out for.

First, you want to have fantastic artwork. The artwork should ideally be done in vector format. Vector artwork can be scaled up as large as you want without losing resolution. Even if today you’re only making art for a snack bar, in the future you may want to have that art on billboards. Having vector art allows you to do that without a hitch.

Make sure you get a proof of the item or image before you go into mass production. Switching from RGB color on your screen to CMYK color in print can sometimes have strange effects. Getting a proof printed will allow you to make sure that the edges, the text, the colors and everything else comes out exactly the way you want it in print.

A great custom label company should be able to either design a label for you completely from scratch, or incorporate your own artwork and/or brand into the design for you. They should be able to pick a font for you and typeset all the text so it looks fantastic next to all your images.

Finally, they should be able to print your custom labels for you at an affordable price.

Round Labels

Round labels are fantastic for a wide range of different things. For one, they can be used on a variety of products, like cookies, Frisbees and anything else that has a round shape. They’re also often used for causes. For example, a “Cancer Support” organization may choose to create labels or stickers that can be distributed to help promote their cause. You can use them as bumper stickers, or use them like other labels on products and packaging.

Round labels can be designed in a perfect circle, or they can be designed in an oval. If you have an abnormal shape, your label maker may still be able to set the printer so that your precise shape is maintained. Most printers have standard diameters that they print to. Again, however, if your size doesn’t fit their specifications, you can always ask to have your label custom printed.

Label Design Tips

Your label should have a central focus of attention. Usually that’s the product’s name, but it could occasionally be an image in the center instead. The focus should convey some clear benefit, so people know why they should choose your product rather than another. In other words, put your core message in the middle, as clearly as possible.

Use white space wisely. Don’t over-crowd your label. Instead, try to make it so your label looks classy and profession. It’s tempting when you’re designing a label to draw attention to the label. However, a truly great label shouldn’t draw attention. Instead, it should subtly add to the overall vibe and mystique of the product you’re promoting.

If you’re not 100% sure you love a design yet, you could try commissioning several designs. Then, you can choose the one that you really love to move forward with mass production.

This is a guest post by Kyle Brigham for YourLabelsNow.com. The company specializes in printing labels like custom labels and round labels.