6 Factors To Consider When Adding Text to Labels
Although images and headers can relay a clear message on their own, the inclusion of descriptive text elements helps improve your label's ability to communicate pertinent information. Adding text to your labels enables you to provide your clientele with detailed information about your industry, company, products or services.
Whether you want to retain your image layout or plan to create an entirely new label design, you must carefully integrate the text elements into the composition to create the intended impact. Whether you’re providing important information to your staff or encouraging clients to embrace your company, it is important to get the label just right. Here are six important factors to consider when adding text to your labels.
Contrast
When you create your labels, you want your readers to quickly absorb the information without much effort. The colors you choose for your labels will directly influence the chance at successfully hitting that goal. Text and background colors in similar shades are nearly impossible to read without straining the eyes.
To make your labels instantly readable, amp up the contrast between the text and background tones. If in doubt about the right color combination to pick for your labels, choose a white font with black border for high visibility on nearly all background colors.
Size
The use of two different font sizes helps the label quickly catch the eye and pull the reader into the document in an instant. For printed works, the most comfortable minimum font sizes for readability range from 10 to 12 point. At this size, general readers will not have to put out any extra effort to read the information on your labels. For headers and titles, use a font that is at least 10 points above the 10 to 12 point minimum for a comfortable contrast.
You must remember to pay attention to any mandated text size minimums for your industry, however, to avoid penalties and other repercussions.
Style
The font style also plays a role in the public perception and acceptance of your label design. You will want to avoid fonts that display poor kerning or excessive decorative elements. In addition to being easy to read, the fonts should reflect your company's personality and purpose.
If you cannot find a suitable font combination, consider fonts from the serif family. In general, both decorative and minimalist serif fonts allow for improved readability in printed works. If your label will display both letters and numbers, make sure the similar elements are distinguishable from each other before committing to that particular font option. To avoid a cluttered, messy look, only use two different fonts for your label design.
Space
The white space you leave on your label design also plays a role in the way the text looks. Resist the urge to overpower the design with too much written information. Strive to achieve a nice balance o text and open space, especially if you need to include a barcode in the design. The barcode requires at least 1/4 inch of space around the edges to allow the scanning tool to pick up the information without interference. When necessary, you will also need to gauge the proper amount of space to leave for handwritten customer inputs. You can use an average space allowance at first, but consider using customer feedback to alter the gap measurements at future label printing sessions.
Clarity
When it comes to using text in your label design, you must cater to your demographic to ensure clear understanding. Ambiguous phrasing, trendy acronyms and internal abbreviations could alienate a portion of your clientele if they are not aware of the meaning behind your script.
If you are unsure about your selected phrasing, you can run a focus group to check understanding or simply omit it from the final label design to avoid confusion. Of course, if your labels target a specific demographic with full understanding of your selected phrases, abbreviations or acronyms, you can include those text elements in your label design without worry.
Symbols
Symbols can increase the impact of your text by reinforcing the given message in a subtle, yet powerful way. The symbols need to be well known and big enough to clearly decipher. If the symbols lose their shape or clarity at smaller sizes, you may want to rethink their use on your label design.
You must also think carefully about all of the symbol meanings to avoid inadvertently skewing your message. Only use one to two symbols on your label to strengthen the impact of the overall design.
Creating Your Custom Labels
Once you create your perfect custom label design, you can have your order printed off by United Ad Label. The inclusion of labels in your business operations will help improve communications and increase your company's standing as an industry leader.
As you integrate custom labels into your operations, you can experiment with new designs to find the perfect element layout for your needs. Visit our Custom Label Designer for more information!
