labels Need help Creating a Label
- Thread starter DawgBite
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salsalady
Business Member
Sethsquatch does some nice work. No idea of his rates. If you were to go to a local graphics designer, you would probably be looking at $400-$500 for them to fully design and work up your idea into a label, maybe less if you only have then desing a logo.
Your label will consist of a couple different components. Some will change from sauce to sauce others will stay the same. Work up your logo first. That will stay the same for every label. Once you have the logo, you can incorporate that design into a label(which will include your ingredients, contact info etc), which you can do yourself just using Word.
Someone (Matanzima??? I think???) used an online multi-choice designers format. You post what you want and a whole bunch of designers throw up ideas, and you pick which one you like best. Can't remember what that was called, and I think there was a vote thread for the final design choices on here somewhere. Have a look in this topic, maybe you can find it.
GL!
Your label will consist of a couple different components. Some will change from sauce to sauce others will stay the same. Work up your logo first. That will stay the same for every label. Once you have the logo, you can incorporate that design into a label(which will include your ingredients, contact info etc), which you can do yourself just using Word.
Someone (Matanzima??? I think???) used an online multi-choice designers format. You post what you want and a whole bunch of designers throw up ideas, and you pick which one you like best. Can't remember what that was called, and I think there was a vote thread for the final design choices on here somewhere. Have a look in this topic, maybe you can find it.
GL!
I think the estimate is pretty good, but bear in mind that whomever you work with will have to be available later for updates if you're working with a co-packer & adding the nutrition panel.
Think of the label as 3 panels - the main panel (your logo & name), a "romance panel" (made with love out of unicorn kisses and fairy dust by a dedicated team of elves that wub you - use on everything, will help you grow 3" in height in a month) and the information/nutritional panel (nutrition, ingredients, company contact, etc).
If you check my "labels done" in the Promotions forum you can see my full label to illustrate this.
Of course those requirements vary state to state & situation to situation. Just wanted to illustrate that it can be a long process - my mfgr is liable for lable content so they got final approval - which meant many revisions, adding nutrition data when they calculated it, verbiage (don't / can't misrepresent ingredients or apication or benefits) etc.
The logo is the hardest & most rewarding but the debil's in the details.
Good luck, and +1 on Sethsquatch - love his labels.
Think of the label as 3 panels - the main panel (your logo & name), a "romance panel" (made with love out of unicorn kisses and fairy dust by a dedicated team of elves that wub you - use on everything, will help you grow 3" in height in a month) and the information/nutritional panel (nutrition, ingredients, company contact, etc).
If you check my "labels done" in the Promotions forum you can see my full label to illustrate this.
Of course those requirements vary state to state & situation to situation. Just wanted to illustrate that it can be a long process - my mfgr is liable for lable content so they got final approval - which meant many revisions, adding nutrition data when they calculated it, verbiage (don't / can't misrepresent ingredients or apication or benefits) etc.
The logo is the hardest & most rewarding but the debil's in the details.
Good luck, and +1 on Sethsquatch - love his labels.
salsalady
Business Member
The "logo" part of the label is super important. Your business name and identity, it's a cornerstone of your business. Take some time and get the look and feel of the name/logo right. Don't rush it. Once you have that center piece of the business identity, it can be used for all of your marketing/branding things. 'Course, first and foremost is having a good product.
Customers have to like the product to buy it again, and repeat buyers are the key to long term success in any business.
I'd rather be selling a good product with a black-n-white-no-graphics label to repeat customers than making a one-time sale based on a catchy name or funny graphics. People will buy the first time on the label, they'll buy the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time on the product.
There are a couple other threads regarding label development....look for one from Crazy8...and the Matanzima one. There is also talk in those threads about using Photoshot, AdobeIllustrator and Word programs to get going.
PhotoshoP!
Customers have to like the product to buy it again, and repeat buyers are the key to long term success in any business.
I'd rather be selling a good product with a black-n-white-no-graphics label to repeat customers than making a one-time sale based on a catchy name or funny graphics. People will buy the first time on the label, they'll buy the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time on the product.
There are a couple other threads regarding label development....look for one from Crazy8...and the Matanzima one. There is also talk in those threads about using Photoshot, AdobeIllustrator and Word programs to get going.
PhotoshoP!
SL it's like you're cut from the exact same cloth - you just voiced my exact belief. Good product 1st, label is important but not more important
Once you find your identity I totally agree, stick with it. Branding is hugely important. There are exceptions to every rule but I think keeping it simple helps.
I learned so much through the process of completing the labels - the "potatoes" of it can be tedious.
But the "meat" was super fun to develop - I worked on the logo with my designer for the better part of a few months off & on.
Love your post SL - it's like you read my mind.
Once you find your identity I totally agree, stick with it. Branding is hugely important. There are exceptions to every rule but I think keeping it simple helps.
I learned so much through the process of completing the labels - the "potatoes" of it can be tedious.
But the "meat" was super fun to develop - I worked on the logo with my designer for the better part of a few months off & on.
Love your post SL - it's like you read my mind.
SL and LDHS you guys/gals are awesome that you so much for your input. At the moment I will just be giving away samples for people to try, at first I just want some feed back. I have made 3-5 batches of sauce from store bought peppers and my friends and family could not get enough. So, I think I'm on the right track, I just need to perfect it. Again, thank you for your valuable input. Any other help/suggestion/tips would be greatly appreciated.
Do yourself a favor & search through SL's posts in this forum - she's offered a wealth of information from a solid knowledge standpoint. While I've learned a lot on my own, I learned a ton from SL!
If you still have questions after that feel free to drop me a PM. Taking it from where you are to producing at scale/starting a business is a huge step and one I've just gone through.
Good luck & like I said - read everything on the business forums by SL - that's a fantastic start for you!
Scott
LDHS
Logo and label should be done separately. You may find a designer that can do both, but the main differences are:
Logo: This is your brand. You will use this on all of your products and in all of your marketing. This should be done in vector art. This means you can resize this logo for all applications. If you need a banner for a tradeshow you can't blow up pixel art from a label design. That is sized for a label and if blown up will be all pixels. Vector art is done in Illustrator, not Photoshop, and is shapes, not pixels. So you need someone that works in Illustrator. This will be $250-500.
Label: Now that you have the logo you send this to the label designer to use on the labels. This is pixel art at the size of the label. The designer can make the logo any size you want on the label w/o any distortion. If you have more than one sauce try to do a boilerplate label not only for brand recognition but so you can keep costs down by just changing colors, or a few words, etc. LDHS, above, did this. Take a look.
Your logo will be universal, and would look exactly the same on a billboard, or on a button.
Logo: This is your brand. You will use this on all of your products and in all of your marketing. This should be done in vector art. This means you can resize this logo for all applications. If you need a banner for a tradeshow you can't blow up pixel art from a label design. That is sized for a label and if blown up will be all pixels. Vector art is done in Illustrator, not Photoshop, and is shapes, not pixels. So you need someone that works in Illustrator. This will be $250-500.
Label: Now that you have the logo you send this to the label designer to use on the labels. This is pixel art at the size of the label. The designer can make the logo any size you want on the label w/o any distortion. If you have more than one sauce try to do a boilerplate label not only for brand recognition but so you can keep costs down by just changing colors, or a few words, etc. LDHS, above, did this. Take a look.
Your logo will be universal, and would look exactly the same on a billboard, or on a button.
You didn't jump the gun. You can ask the artist to send you various comps to get an idea of where you are going then you pick one to run with.
X2 on doing them separate & in the order THP mentioned. I got really lucky & have a designer who's capable of Illustrator & all other media - to THP's point, she just did my sell-sheet, my PowerPoint, and my business cards all with same logo. Then I used her art for t-shirt/banner guy. Made my life really easy.
Also take your time with your image - if you hsve a soecific idea in mind ir not, it should be an iterative process. A good designer is going to ask you a lot of questions about look & feel, colors & complimentary secondary & tirtiary colors, background, highlight, etc.
For that reason is highly recommend getting the quote based on project rather than an hourly rate. For mine she spec'd it at a quoted cost for my logo. Then for the label she charged by the hour as there was a lot of back & forth with the mfgr for compliance, nutrition, ingredients, etc.
Finally, HAVE FUN - creating your logo/branding should be the most fun part of this process other than creating/eating yummy hot sauce. Slow down & think a lot about it then enjoy the process of the creative collaboration with your designer/artist.
There will be plenty of time for signatures, regulatory issues, printing, contracts, etc later. Enjoy the moment.
Also take your time with your image - if you hsve a soecific idea in mind ir not, it should be an iterative process. A good designer is going to ask you a lot of questions about look & feel, colors & complimentary secondary & tirtiary colors, background, highlight, etc.
For that reason is highly recommend getting the quote based on project rather than an hourly rate. For mine she spec'd it at a quoted cost for my logo. Then for the label she charged by the hour as there was a lot of back & forth with the mfgr for compliance, nutrition, ingredients, etc.
Finally, HAVE FUN - creating your logo/branding should be the most fun part of this process other than creating/eating yummy hot sauce. Slow down & think a lot about it then enjoy the process of the creative collaboration with your designer/artist.
There will be plenty of time for signatures, regulatory issues, printing, contracts, etc later. Enjoy the moment.
salsalady
Business Member
If you see something on another label or in another logo that you like, save it to show your artist if you can. Obviously you don't want to copy another logo, but if you see a color combination or font, take it to your artist to put together.
"I like this font, this style, this feel, this look...." Whether it's a cartoon caricature, or an old-tyme photo look, if you can show your artist an example, that will help the process along and get you a logo that's your own unique logo.
And definitely HAVE FUN!
"I like this font, this style, this feel, this look...." Whether it's a cartoon caricature, or an old-tyme photo look, if you can show your artist an example, that will help the process along and get you a logo that's your own unique logo.
And definitely HAVE FUN!
This is what THP was referring to with "boiler plate" style...
And this is how the finals turned out:
Just an example of branding. I've seen companies who use different images for each flavor and different logos and such - each to their own. I prefer the consistent look.
Also, I agree with SL - but not entirely - about looking at other imagery to determine your tastes. Rather than hot sauce labels though I'd recommend looking at graphics for all kinds of product labels. Think about products that you like. When developing my logo my designer asked me what kinds of imagery I liked in products - what did I consider a "classic". I suggested a few things...she suggested a few things... I told her I wanted a symbol of luck - unfortunately the 4-leaf clover looked more like I'm selling "Irish sauce" and the rabbit's foot was a bit grim so we landed on a horseshoe. I also told her I wanted a dog, "something iconic like a black lab".
She mocked up a basic label in each of the 4-5 styles - we ended up going with a hybrid of a couple.
Just giving insight to the process I went through - it can be quick if you really know what you want, but I trust the designer's eye more than my own. you can have a very basic concept in mind and the designer can refine it for you, or you can have a detailed image in mind and instruct the designer accordingly as you go through the process. I feel like I have good taste but I'm not a great artist - so I let my designer do the "heavy lifting" and gave feedback for revisions based on what I and a select group of friends thought. Over time we added things like the hot pepper silhouettes at the bottom, added "hot sauce" to the horseshoe (partially for trademark/legal reasons), we modified the horseshoe to have more shadow effect, changed the LUCKY DOG to a gold fade effect, etc, etc, etc. In the end I think she created a really cool graphic that I absolutely love, and also something iconic that a lot of folks seem to like too.
Another suggestion is to have accuracy in labeling. I've read many product reviews that will downgrade your product if you have say, skulls and blood and boobs and death and explosions and terror on your label, but your sauce tastes like unicorn kisses and kitten purrs heat-wise. I opted to avoid that whole game and just do a label I love without any of that - mine's a food product not a crazy-hot sauce so I wanted my label imagery to be accessible. If you have something on your label that looks like a cover of Heavy Metal magazine you're really limiting your audience in my opinion because that imagery, no matter how cool or edgy you think it is, won't resonate with everyone and it might be a downright turn-off to some.
If you're selling 9,000,000 scoville sauce, by all means - scare people with your label, just like a hornet or a black widow or a kimono dragon engenders a healthy respect with their appearance. Just saying to plan accordingly.
Does your sauce have a name yet? There's a great place to start.
And this is how the finals turned out:
Just an example of branding. I've seen companies who use different images for each flavor and different logos and such - each to their own. I prefer the consistent look.
Also, I agree with SL - but not entirely - about looking at other imagery to determine your tastes. Rather than hot sauce labels though I'd recommend looking at graphics for all kinds of product labels. Think about products that you like. When developing my logo my designer asked me what kinds of imagery I liked in products - what did I consider a "classic". I suggested a few things...she suggested a few things... I told her I wanted a symbol of luck - unfortunately the 4-leaf clover looked more like I'm selling "Irish sauce" and the rabbit's foot was a bit grim so we landed on a horseshoe. I also told her I wanted a dog, "something iconic like a black lab".
She mocked up a basic label in each of the 4-5 styles - we ended up going with a hybrid of a couple.
Just giving insight to the process I went through - it can be quick if you really know what you want, but I trust the designer's eye more than my own. you can have a very basic concept in mind and the designer can refine it for you, or you can have a detailed image in mind and instruct the designer accordingly as you go through the process. I feel like I have good taste but I'm not a great artist - so I let my designer do the "heavy lifting" and gave feedback for revisions based on what I and a select group of friends thought. Over time we added things like the hot pepper silhouettes at the bottom, added "hot sauce" to the horseshoe (partially for trademark/legal reasons), we modified the horseshoe to have more shadow effect, changed the LUCKY DOG to a gold fade effect, etc, etc, etc. In the end I think she created a really cool graphic that I absolutely love, and also something iconic that a lot of folks seem to like too.
Another suggestion is to have accuracy in labeling. I've read many product reviews that will downgrade your product if you have say, skulls and blood and boobs and death and explosions and terror on your label, but your sauce tastes like unicorn kisses and kitten purrs heat-wise. I opted to avoid that whole game and just do a label I love without any of that - mine's a food product not a crazy-hot sauce so I wanted my label imagery to be accessible. If you have something on your label that looks like a cover of Heavy Metal magazine you're really limiting your audience in my opinion because that imagery, no matter how cool or edgy you think it is, won't resonate with everyone and it might be a downright turn-off to some.
If you're selling 9,000,000 scoville sauce, by all means - scare people with your label, just like a hornet or a black widow or a kimono dragon engenders a healthy respect with their appearance. Just saying to plan accordingly.
Does your sauce have a name yet? There's a great place to start.
have fun in the TD~