Their elegant logo is stamped onto a dull silver foil stock with a bright silver foil hot stamp.  Foil stamping was a better option because it would really show the logo.  The logo may not have stood out as much if it was embossed.

We are excited to welcome The Gable Gallery and look forward to working with them on future products!

From a cost perspective, no, two labels are not better than one.  By using two labels, you have just doubled your printing costs.  Sure, one big label would use the same amount of paper, but when you break it into two labels, you need two sets of plates, two different dies, etc.  So yes, you did just double your printing costs.  Ok, let’s be fun and set price aside.

Stylistically, the two labels add an interesting element to the overall look of the bottle.  The bottom label almost acts as a pedestal for the larger top label.  Much like how the bottle sits on an actual pedestal.  Your eye is immediately drawn to the “equal to or greater than” symbol, then naturally flows down the packaging to the product name, Somerville.  Although small, the break between the two labels allows the rich amber color to shine through, making the whiskey’s color part of the design.

The verdict?  Sometimes, two labels are better than one, but only when it won’t break the bank or there aren’t many budget constraints.  Using two labels gives the bottle a unique feel, which could draw in new drinkers.  If using two labels makes a consumer pick the bottle of a shelf, it is worth every penny.

Pennsylvania based Unity Marketing recently did a study on how animal-themed labels impact sales of products.  The focus of the study was wine labels.  Interestingly, they found that labels with an animal have a better chance of being re-bought in the future.  If you think about the wine market, Yellow Tail immediately fits the study’s findings.  The bouncing kangaroo transformed the little known winery into a world-wide powerhouse.

Interestingly, it isn’t necessarily the animal that makes the brand.  For many consumers, animals are memorable and that is what makes the repeat customers.  As one of the researchers noted, “This doesn’t mean that every wine brand needs an animal logo, but what it does mean is that every wine brand needs a memorable label.  Making your label memorable, visually-stimulating and easily recalled will take your brand far in winning shares of customer’s wallets.”

Bottom line – a cute critter can make your product memorable.  But don’t limit yourself to animals.  Knowing your competition and what will stand out among the crowd is key to creating a memorable label.

Real bottom line – Malachy is cute, but don’t put him on a label.

You may have noticed the commercials for Bud Light Platinum.  (Side note: I actually had Bud Light Platinum on Sunday…it is very good!)  So, we don’t usually discuss “non-labeled” packaging, but Budweiser did something interesting with their Platinum beer.  In an attempt to lure some business away from the ever-growing craft beer market, Budweiser re-designed their packaging to attract a more diverse group of beer drinkers.

The most obvious change is the bottle.  Instead of using the traditional brown glass, they opted for a dark blue bottle.  They noted that, “a trendy blue-bottle line extension appeals to a key group of beer drinkers and expands consumer occasions.”  Aside from the blue bottle, they also tried to minimize their name and maximum the platinum.

Here is the problem.  The packaging fits well within their brand, but does nothing to attract new drinkers.  It isn’t interesting enough for an adventurous micro-brewery fan, and it is so obviously an off-shoot of Bud Light, that someone seeking a trendy high-end beer will stay away.  Ultimately, this beer will attract Bud Light drinkers.  After a while, the Bud Light drinkers won’t be inclined to pay platinum’s higher price tag, and it will become a “special occasion” beer for Bud Light loyalists.

This is the problem when you have a big brand.  You can’t just abandon everything that has made you successful in order to gain ground in a niche market, like craft brews.  On the other hand, you can’t attract new customers who have been passing you over without some drastic changes.

In the end, Budweiser is a massive company and they can afford to take risks like this on a new product.  It may not attract the craft beer fanatics they hope for, but at least they are following the trends and trying to respond.  Every brand, big or small, should follow that example.

Estate paper #9 isn’t brand new to us, but it hasn’t been fully integrated into our product line.  It has been slowly gaining popularity as a kraft paper alternative, since kraft has begun to saturate some markets.  It is a beautifully textured, off-white paper, that has the versatility for high-end products or homemade goodies.

Estate #9′s classy properties make it very popular in the wine industry.  It can be printed with ink, embossed, or foil stamped.  Feel free to contact us if you would like to see a sample of estate #9.  It will be our featured product throughout the month of February, so you have 29 days (yay leap year!) to give estate #9 a little love.

You may be wondering why we, a label company, are talking about a museum?  New York is a popular tourist city.  A lot of people come to see museums like the Cooper-Hewitt.  Living in Boston, it is easy for us to jump on the train and be in NYC in a few hours.  Visiting from California?  Not so simple.  It can be frustrating when an attraction on your list of “must do’s” is closed.

So, how does a design museum dissuade your aggravation?  They design funny signs and make you smile.  For example, one of the signs hung outside of the museum says, “After more than a century, I’m due for a little me time”.  Are you smiling?

One of my favorite signs hilariously says, “Like many on Fifth Avenue, I’m having a little work done.”  Ok, now you have to smiling and laughing.  Even the most botoxed babe would be smile at that…if she could smile.

The point of this post wasn’t to make you just smile and laugh, but also to show how a good design can really turn a negative into a positive.  Tourists who didn’t get a chance to visit the museum surely won’t remember showing up to the locked doors with a sour taste.  They will warmly remember the funny signs, and plan to visit the museum when they re-open in 2013.  Yay!

The gist of the article is design firm Mat Dolphin wanted to test out a service offering to create a logo for $42.  They made up a fake plumbing company, Dolphin Plumbing, and contacted the logo design service.  They outlined a few basic qualities of their newly formed company without giving any design direction.  Two days later, they have a variety of logo design options.  After a few rounds of revisions with no questions or suggestions from the design company, they had a logo.  Not only did they have a logo, but they also got a quick label layout (just a wide border around the logo) for stickers they said they may want to print.

The finished logo wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t good either.  There wasn’t anything particularly creative or interesting it.  It was basically the most obvious graphical translation of their company name.

Success story?  The “plumber” now has something professional he can slap on a label.  Most of his clients will just be happy to have him show up when a pipe bursts and water is flooding their kitchen, so who cares what his logo looks like?  Maybe this works for the plumber, but would you want this on a label representing your product?

Think about all the time, work, and passion you have put into your product.  Could a low-cost online design service, where you have no real communication with a designer (or even know who they are) about your product, target market, and goals, truly create a design that would reflect the value of your product?  We often say your label has to speak for your product.  What do you want your label to say about you?

It can be tempting to go for the low cost option, but in the long run, you always get what you pay for.  Good design matters.  Not only does it matter, but it can be the difference between success and failure.

Slogans aren’t just corny rhymes suited for outdated brands.  Even cutting edge companies like Apple have used slogans to shape their brand.  Apple’s was “Think Different”.  With that simple slogan, they literally changed the world.  Kix ceral built their whole business on the slogan, “Kid Tested…Mother Approved.”  Golden Moscow Vodka styled their vodka bottles with a label stating, “Moscow Never Sleeps”.

A slogan can be a quick way to connect with a consumer.  We have become so focused on the visuals, that we sometimes forget the power of good words.  Writing a slogan isn’t as easy as it may seem.  Luckily, Inc. magazine has a few pointers:

• Give them a rhythm, rhyme, and a ring – While they don’t have to rhyme, they should be fluid-sounding.
• Highlight a key benefit – If you have an advantage over you competitors, use your slogan to highlight it.  Think Miller Lite, “Great taste, less filling”.
• Explain the company’s commitment – you may not sell a unique product, but your company does have unique benefits.  Think Avis, “We’re number two, so we try harder.”
• Stay honest – Chances are, you aren’t #1 or the best, so don’t use a slogan that isn’t on the up and up.  Just to further this point, don’t dig for something you are the best at and turn it into a slogan, like “InTouch Labels: The best label printer whose name is InTouch Labels.”  Try to be cleaver.  Think Visa, “It’s everywhere you want to be.”
• Keep it short – no explanation necessary.

Slogans are cool.  They can connect someone to your product.  It isn’t something you can quickly think up, but if you take some time, a good slogan can really tie a design together.

InTouch Labels – We Know Labels.

While the team at InTouch knows basically nothing about making jam, we do know a lot about printing labels. We print their jam labels on an off-white Estate paper (#9 for paper experts) printing four-color process.  Since they have a variety of different flavors, we digitally print their labels to cost-effectively accommodate their changing designs.

If you live in the NYC/Brooklyn area, you can find their jams at a variety of local stores.  If you don’t live in New York, but want to try their jams, take advantage of the “inter-web” and order directly from their website thej.am.