labels Nope, not another label critique thread!

Gemini Crow Sauce Company

Gemini Crow Sauce Company

This time, I want you guys to glance over my new website.....
 
Notes before hand: The design aspect hasn't really bean yet....Background / color theme and all that stuff...Still going over that with my designer.....
 
Thinking more content wise, and stuff....What else should be included? More pages? less pages? condense pages?
 
I have bookmarked and have gone through 20-30 different hot sauce websites that I took bits and pieces and ideas from.
 
One thing I am not thrilled about is my store-front.....Right now, it lists each product via text....I am going ot need my designer to fix the code, so i can have a single picture of each sauce, that when people click on it, will them lead them to an option where they can buy 1,2, or 3 packs....etc...
 
I think i need to beef up the about us page....bio is in the works....
 
anything obvious though??
 
www.geminicrow.com
 
gratzi!
 
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Knee jerk from reading this:
1. You need some sort of heat scale. If not 1-10, a thermometer or a flaming feather or whatever - use "mild-med-hot" like i do on my heat scale. I don't say "1-10" and people get it.

No one expects you to be a mind reader but this is a basic standard that the consumer demands. I just did 3 festivals in 3 weeks and can tell you 1st hand: people LOVE the thermometer. I have customers shopping by it sometimes because they can't handle any heat, they don't know (or care) what's in it, but their husband/boyfriend/creepy uncle Carl likes [mild/med/hot]. Anything you say to these people will go in one ear and out the other because their only engagement with you will be to read the heat index and hand you money.

No index, no money.

Huge misstep in my opinion.


2. As for having an unpronounceable name as a conversation piece I'll just say each to his own...I'd probably go in a different direction.
;)
 
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Ok, it is time to do a new run of labels, and I decided to fix/update some of the things I decided not to do last time around...The overall overwhelming interest I have received from local stores and online shops had me take the plunge and add a barcode to each label.....I don't know why I didn't catch it, but the left panel and center panel were vertical, and the right (nutritional panel) was horizontal....it always irked my OCD when i saw labels do this, and I wound up doing it myself, so that has been fixed.....I added my co-packers name to each label, just because......and then i fixed some text, yadda yadda yadda....of course, i wanna run it by you guys......hoping to launch the re-brand by the nyc exp in late April.....
 
Here is the current label followed by the updated future one........fire away please!
 

 
 
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OOOooo!!!! NICE!!!!  Like the background change, all vertical orientation is good...
 
 
two comments (knee-jerk stuff here)
 
There is a good portion of the customer base that don't drink and more specifically don't drink red wine.  I think the Red-Wine-Esque profile could be described like-
 
"The melange of blackberries and raisins gives Blackberry Belle a layered rubust sweetness while the habanero peppers provide...."
 
The word "melange" already strikes as (hoity-toity???) I dunno....but throwing in the red wine reference when red wine is not a part of the recipe seems ...(pretentious?)  besides that there are a shit-ton of different red wines, and if a person tasted one red wine and didn't like it...they would associate that to your sauce. 
 
 
Second note-
(148ML) looks way larger that 5 oz.  maybe it's cuz of the capitals with the brackets.  IIRC, metric measurements don't have to be as large a font as US measurements.
 
 
5 oz / 148 ml
 
I would reduce the font size of (148 ML) so the overall height of the parentheses is equal or less than the 5. 
 
Overall, Great Look!  and like I said, total nit picky stuff.  take it or not~  Glad to see the Next Generation of labels.
2 more----  Blackberry Belle feels like it should be schooched up just a smidge to center it between the other texts.
 
 
Remove "all Natural" from the product name, put it somewhere else, but not in the product NAME.  "all natural" is a description and is subject to interpretation.  Some will say sugar is not all natural because it is refined.   :rolleyes:  WHatever, that's not a discussion for here.  The other reason is, when registering for some things, you have to type in your product name as it appears exactly on the label.
 
Entering "Gemini Crow Sauce Company Blackberry Belle Blackberry Habanero All Natural Hot Sauce" into a competition or on a FDA product registration is a bit much. 
 
Again...just quick reactions and overall liking the label. 
 
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salsalady said:
OOOooo!!!! NICE!!!!  Like the background change, all vertical orientation is good...
 
 
two comments (knee-jerk stuff here)
 
There is a good portion of the customer base that don't drink and more specifically don't drink red wine.  I think the Red-Wine-Esque profile could be described like-
 
"The melange of blackberries and raisins gives Blackberry Belle a layered rubust sweetness while the habanero peppers provide...."
 
The word "melange" already strikes as (hoity-toity???) I dunno....but throwing in the red wine reference when red wine is not a part of the recipe seems ...(pretentious?)  besides that there are a shit-ton of different red wines, and if a person tasted one red wine and didn't like it...they would associate that to your sauce. 
 
 
Second note-
(148ML) looks way larger that 5 oz.  maybe it's cuz of the capitals with the brackets.  IIRC, metric measurements don't have to be as large a font as US measurements.
 
 
5 oz / 148 ml
 
I would reduce the font size of (148 ML) so the overall height of the parentheses is equal or less than the 5. 
 
Overall, Great Look!  and like I said, total nit picky stuff.  take it or not~  Glad to see the Next Generation of labels.

2 more----  Blackberry Belle feels like it should be schooched up just a smidge to center it between the other texts.
 
 
Remove "all Natural" from the product name, put it somewhere else, but not in the product NAME.  "all natural" is a description and is subject to interpretation.  Some will say sugar is not all natural because it is refined.   :rolleyes:  WHatever, that's not a discussion for here.  The other reason is, when registering for some things, you have to type in your product name as it appears exactly on the label.
 
 
Click to expand...
 
Thank you!
 
The 'red wine' descriptor actually came from customers doing taste testing themselves....That seemed to be alot of the description of the sweet aspect of the sauce before the heat kicked in, so I ran with it...but i hear what you're saying, and i think i like your descriptor better.
 
Noted on the oz/ml.....  do you think i should frame it, or even the text, like the previous label?
 
I'll move BB logo up a bit....don't want it to intefere with the crow image, but that can be brought up as well....noted.
 
not sure i fully understand about the 'all natural' thought.....thats more of a quick description ofr people who don't wanna take the time to read the left panel....hanst been an issue with any competition or awards entry, and i plead ignorance when it comes to submitting it against FDA policies... :/
 
but I like the suggestions.... :)

UPDATED with Ann's suggestions!
 
 
 
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There are some regulations about using nomeclatures like All Natural, Organic (which is much more regulated), and I may be way off base but I think that high fructose corn syrup can be listed as "all natural".  That's why I'm saying do a whole lot more research before linking All Natural in your Product Title.  You can include the words (or similar) in the romance panel.  The blackberry extract would raise a question just from reading the label.  How was it extracted? Is it "all-natural"?  I'm being a very harsh devil's advocate here....
 
LIKE the 5oz  re-work.  Is the circle around it to be on the label or just for our attention.  The weights/meaures should not be highlighted with a circle. they are a requirement and not for JoeBlow consumer.  
 
Maybe offset the weights to the left and put a Circle (like whats on the OZ ) on the right, and slightly off-kilter for "all natural" in the oval to the right ... 
 
two lines, off-kilter with the oval around....
 
 
Gemini Crow, I'm being a harsh nitpicky critic.  I really like the newest rendition and I may be wrong (very often am wrong when questioning things of this sort  :) ) So just check all the ins-n-outs of using wording like "all natural" in  your product name.

sheesh! did I totally hijack this -not a label critique thread-?
 
 
 
sorry~~~~~~
 
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salsalady said:
There are some regulations about using nomeclatures like All Natural, Organic (which is much more regulated), and I may be way off base but I think that high fructose corn syrup can be listed as "all natural".  That's why I'm saying do a whole lot more research before linking All Natural in your Product Title.  You can include the words (or similar) in the romance panel.  The blackberry extract would raise a question just from reading the label.  How was it extracted? Is it "all-natural"?  I'm being a very harsh devil's advocate here....
 
LIKE the 5oz  re-work.  Is the circle around it to be on the label or just for our attention.  The weights/meaures should not be highlighted with a circle. they are a requirement and not for JoeBlow consumer.  
 
Maybe offset the weights to the left and put a Circle (like whats on the OZ ) on the right, and slightly off-kilter for "all natural" in the oval to the right ... 
 
two lines, off-kilter with the oval around....
 
 
 
Click to expand...
 
 
Ann, 
 
I am humbled and appreciate every second/minute of thought you spend sharing your experience and knowledge in regards to my labels or whatever question I bring to the table. Same to Lucky Dog Scott , THP, and anyone else who has contributed their well intended expressions of support and/or criticism. If I didn't, I wouldn't keep coming back. 95% of my time on this message board is spent in the business and/or marketing forums. I pride myself on having 'usually' a pretty clear vision of what I want my stuff to look like visually, but rely on you guys to help be the second and third set of eyes and coach me on the legalities and any other technical stuff that comes from creating a consumer product which is appealing and abides by the local laws of the land.
 
With that, thank you thank you thank you. In the end, it's up to me to balance my vision and possible stubbornness with what is best to satisfy the buying public and the FDA and any other authoritative figure who is out there trying to bring the white man down!
 
I put the oval frame around the weight/measure cause I had done it on the old label and it didn't make waves. I thought it was just kind of floating there by itself....The average Joe customer most likely doesn't care, and I like it....I'll see if anyone else shares a thought....Same with the romance panel...I had my designer frame it, so given a potential customers limited amount of time they are willing to give to look over the bottle, hopefully there eyes will get drawn right to the sell.
 
I will look into the 'All Natural stuff as well'.... Again, it was on my old label and didn't really cause a stir...I only have 14 months of experience being in front of the public and while thats' nothing, from dealing with people, the only questions I have ever gotten have centered around the sugar and salt content. At some point, I may get called out on the all-natural aspect, but from what I took from your opinion, it is subjective as well...Can't please or agree with everyone...
 
Few changes I have slept on and will probably make.....The picture you see on the screen is obviously enlarged and not the size of a label that fits on a 5oz woozy....Some of the small text is truly small for my eyes...I may have a bit of that enlarged...Perhaps its my 42 year old eyes, but I have trouble reading a lot of stuff on hot sauce bottles....LOL
 
So keep it coming! Whether I wind up agreeing with any suggestions or not, they are always put on the table. I want the best product and packaging I can do within my means, and you guys are what help me get there!
 
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I agree with everything Salsalady said - ESPECIALLY the "all natural" in the product description.

For one, it sounds like bullshit & many consumers assume it's bullshit. One could argue that extract is "all natural".

For another, it's not a sauce description so it looks weird where you have it.

Thes better for the romance panel. If you're trying to say it's not an extract sauce, a little starburst "no extract!" Is more effective. Hell, a little "all natural" starburst would work well too.

And as SL mentioned, in some areas the term is regulated.
 
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Lucky Dog Hot Sauce said:
Thes better for the romance panel. If you're trying to say it's not an extract sauce, a little starburst "no extract!" Is more effective. Hell, a little "all natural" starburst would work well too.

 
Click to expand...
 
In essence, how i had it separated on my current label, is a more ideal 'placement'...or should i figure out a way to work it into the romance panel text and remove from the center all together...
 
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I agree, move it to romance if it's important. 
 
Your attitude is spot on.  Ask for suggestions, take 'em or leave 'em, nothing personal~~~
 
Also, if you haen't already done so, check all your ingredients for sub-ingredients.  Specifically, I'm thinking of the blackberry extract and raisins.  I just googled raisin ingredients, Sunmaid raisins are just grapes, Sunmaid golden raisins are grapes and sulpher dioxide.  Some other brands may have other stuff in/on them. 
 
edit- the first blackberry extract I googled had 4 ingredients, the next one had 5 ingredients.  Those have to be called out in the ingredients.  I don't know what you are using, so this may not be relevant~ 
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
I vote the old look. Definitely.
I miss the "olde world" feel and charm it had.
Click to expand...
 
 
I'm gonna ask her to throw the 'new' layout over the off white label with the distressed lines....
this was more all about adding the barcode and verticalizing (i made that word up) the right panel, and we just continued on....
I'll lay em both out in the next day or so....
 
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I mean the fonts and banners of the middle section.
Actually the entire middle section.
 
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The Hot Pepper said:
I mean the fonts and banners of the middle section.
Actually the entire middle section.
Click to expand...
 
I never really 'loved' the banner that we used on the current label. Same for the fonts.
At this stage, i don't know why I allowed myself to roll with it. Probably due to a time issue and I just had to roll and get'er done.
And at this point, and hundreds of different variations of the label that have gone through my head and kept me up at nights, I don't even remember what my original vision was anymore. LOL.
I think it was trying to 'copy' vintage 70's-esque condiment labels, or even grindhouse-esque. But without being hokey or obviously contrived. While I have an amazing technical designer for my promotional side of things, I don't think she has the experience or vision to make it happen on her own, and mainly relied on crude mock drawings of what I was looking for to become my labels reality. I'm being kept on a short leash by the Mrs. in regards to spending until this hot sauce stuff proves to be a sustainable more than part time endeavor for the family. At some point, probably, in the next year, I may have to pull the trigger and hire a true professional design firm (ala Jeff from Sam&Oliver) for a true branding formation.
 
Funny enough, as critical as I am about the non-sauce aspect of what I'm doing, I get nothing but overwhelming feedback from customers and even non-customers who just stop by my booth, cause my stuff looks so interesting...Perhaps I just need to invest in some confidence boosting counseling...hmmmm
 
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Gemini Crow Sauce Company said:
dude.....do you know how different my life would be, if that was built into my DNA profile? Sigh. lol
Click to expand...
No one is immune - Secret Aardvark is an extremely successful company with a quirky adorable label. It's charm was in its simplicity and funky off-beat design.

I was just at Heat Hot Sauce Shop last week & noticed they changed their label - same aardvark, but it looks "crisp" and frankly a little corporate/sterile now.

Heat said almost every customer who saw it complained about the label change.

If it ain't broke, don't fuck with it fix it.
;)
 
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A.
 
This has character.
 

 
B.
 
This looks more generic, it seems you went for more of a "pop" factor when that wasn't needed. Because what now pops looks very generic. "Presents..." is a bit cheesy, like a movie... and seems forced.
 
Yes, in A the top and bottom don't pop as much, but the label "as a whole" definitely pops, your eye goes straight to the name, and the rest has charm. In B the new bold areas take away from that, you do more of a scan than a center look.
 
Keep A!!!!!!!!!! If it started out on a budget and from your own sketches who cares? It came out awesome. I don't see any need for a new designer.
 
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