Lightning Labels Blog

Easily Readable Serial Numbers

I was catching up on my blog reading over this past weekend and came across another interesting post from Seth Godin from a couple of weeks ago. This one was about serial numbers. Here at Lightning Labels we print a lot of serial number labels, and in most cases you can see that little thought has gone in to the creation of these serial numbers. Godin provides a list of several things to consider when creating serial numbers.

The keys points I believe are these:

1. Break up long numbers with dashes.
2. Never run a string of more than three identical numbers in a row. 89355555232 is bound to be a problem.
3. Don't use 0 or 1 or O or I in serial numbers that combine letters and numbers. 0O1I42 is asking for trouble.
4. Print your serial number (much) larger than you need to.

If someone is calling a technical support line and they have to read a serial number there is already most likely some level of frustration. If you can make the serial number very easy to read then at least that won't make the situation worse. It is simple to do, costs almost nothing and can only help your business.

Your Packaging Should Sell Your Product

I think we would all agree that one of the primary purposes of product packaging, including the product label, is to sell your product. You can have a wonderful new product but if it has inferior packaging most likely few people will try it. The Packaging Diva, JoAnn Hines, tackles the question "How to Tell if Your Packaging Will Sell Your Product" in her latest blog post.

If you are involved in the design of your current packaging this article is a must read. Hines presents five questions you need to answer that will help determine whether your packaging will sell your product.

1. Who is your core consumer?
2. What is the competitive environment for your product packaging?
3. How does your consumer shop?
4. What is your packaging’s USP - Unique Selling Proposition?
5. What are the consumer hot buttons that your packaging must reflect?

Thinking about these questions will help you analyze your product's packaging. Whether you are just getting started with your packaging, or have an established product, it is always useful to consider the impact your packaging is having on your current and potential customers.

Judging a Wine by its Label

A couple of weeks ago, Mike Carter reported on his Serious About Wine blog about a new study that was published last month in the Journal of Marketing.  Titled "Holistic Package Design and Consumer Brand Impressions", the main finding of the study is that yes, we do in fact judge a wine (and many other products) by its label.

Many studies have been done that have emphasized the importance of the label and packaging in wine and any other retail products, but this study went a step further. It tried to get answers to exactly how we are judging the packaging, and what factors are influencing our judgments.

The authors of the study, two marketing professors (one from Oregon and one from Germany), photographed 160 wine bottles. Then they showed these photos to 125 graphic designers to analyze the aesthetic attributes of each bottle. They sorted the designs into five primary design types: massive (or bold), contrasting, natural, delicate and nondescript. Then they showed the bottles to 268 consumers in Oregon, asking 15 questions about each bottle's brand personality. Not limiting the study to just wine, the researchers repeated the analysis with photos of 120 fragrance bottles.

The results of the study will assist brand managers in selecting or modifying package and label design for achieving desired consumer responses to their products. For example, the label pictured here for Wine by Joe is categorized as a massive design, and people found these designs eye-catching but they expected the product to be lacking in sophistication and to be less expensive.

If you are interested in learning more about this study you can read the full report here.

Custom Labels for Frozen Products

We get many calls from people who want to put labels on their ice cream or some other kind of frozen product. What kind of material can stand up to the harsh conditions inside a freezer? Well the good news is that our standard White BOPP material is up to the task. The adhesive on this material is good down to -20 degrees which means it should be fine inside most commercial freezers. The minimum temperature that you can safely apply this label is 23 degrees, so unless you have a labeling machine deep inside your freezer, it will work fine. This material is also designed to withstand the water and ice condensation that could occur on the container.

With the standard adhesives available today you simply don't have to worry about your labels sticking whatever kind of frozen product you have. Here at Lightning Labels we have plenty of customers who apply their labels to ice cream, frozen yogurt, meat, bread and many other products that spend most of their life in the freezer.

Thinking More Deeply About Type

This morning, Seth Godin wrote this provocative post on his blog. It is about type and typestyle, and it is mainly geared at people designing brochures, presentations and other type heavy pursuits. But this certainly got me thinking about type and product labels.

Virtually ever product label we print here at Lightning Labels has some type. Many labels have a lot of type: ingredient lists, nutrition facts and other product information, and I wonder how much thought goes into the design of this type. Spend two minutes to read the PDF tips Godin created and you will achieve better looking labels.

We work with many professional designers, but the vast majority of the label artwork we see here is the do-it-yourself kind. Sometimes the difference is obvious. So heed tip #1 - if you want professional results hire a professional. We have an in-house designer here, but we are just as happy to work with any professional graphic designer. The bottom line is you only have to pay for the design once, and you can use the same design for months or years worth of product labels.

Of course, you may have some talent for graphic design and be able to produce excellent looking artwork. Either way, I encourage you to take a look at the type on your labels and make it an integral part of your label design, not just an afterthought.