Contrary to what many believe, label design is complicated. An experienced and reliable designer fully understands how difficult it is to create labels that actually manage to reach their goals.
Unfortunately, whenever talking about label design, we have to admit the fact that most are not at all great. This is because of several mistakes made during the design phase. To make your labels better in an instant, here are the biggest design errors that businesses need to understand.
Off Colors
Colors on the end product can be quite different than what you see on the computer screen. Unfortunately, this can be due to several possible reasons. The monitor of the designer might have a bad color configuration, the files might include an improper color makeup, the substrate distorts colors, or the presses are not properly calibrated.
It is always important to get the colors right. Without this, branding is not consistent. The only way to have great color management is to double check everything and to properly communicate with everyone involved in the process.
Blurry Image
Usually, blurry images appear due to one of two common problems:
- File error
- Print error
A print error usually appears when there are errors in the way in which the PDF file was saved or plates are faulty. With file errors, photographic images are usually not of the resolution needed for proper printing. When an image is not a vector, they have a limited resolution that can be used for it to look good. If the image goes over that resolution, the result is pixelated.
The UPC Is Not Right
The UPC code is a very common feature we see on most retail products. But, when the design of the label is not proper, it is possible that UPC scans simply do not work. Usually, this is due to print contrast and/or barcode sizes.
To make sure barcode quality is as high as it needs to be, the design team has to verify everything all throughout printing. Verifiers can be utilized to see the barcode symbols just like scanners do. This lets the designer predict if the scan would be successful or not. Alternatively, simple attention to details can do wonders in guaranteeing that the UPC is correct since it can be manually checked.
Application Problems
Automatic application does sometimes lead to incorrect unwind direction. This means that labels do not come off right from the roll. Alternatively, is also possible that rolls are not of the appropriate size for the applicator. It is common to see such details being overlooked during the design planning stage. This is often because customers just want artworks finished as soon as possible and such important details end up being forgotten.
The good news is that it is very easy to avoid design application problems for labels. You just have to communicate properly with the packager and the printer. As the project starts, visualize the process. Think about how the labels will be added to the products. This makes it very easy to avoid all common application problems.