Labels should be more than just informative; they should also communicate essential information about your brand. Colors, font choices, and icons or other graphics can all take a label from basic to beautiful, working wonders for your products in the process.
Below, we’ll show you how to make stunning—and printable—labels for free using Canva. Then we’ll give you a few tips for making your labels pop, and show you how you can get them printed for as large (or small) a run as you want. We’ve printed custom labels for businesses of all kinds, and we’re happy to pass on what we’ve learned so you can make the process as smooth and streamlined as possible.
3 SIMPLE & STUNNING LABEL TEMPLATES
If you’re not already set up on Canva, do yourself a favour and make an account now. It’s totally free, and only takes a few clicks. Once you’ve done that, check out our top 3 choices for custom label templates below:
1. BLACK & WHITE ELEGANT KITCHEN LABEL
You can’t really go wrong with this simple but stately template, which features clear, minimalist design principles in black and white. Of course, Canva lets you change these features to your heart’s content—but clear and clean is the right way to go for many consumer products since it creates a sophisticated and upscale atmosphere.
2. SWEET BASIL HERBS & SPICES
On the other end of the upscale… um, scale, we’ve got the Sweet Basil Herbs & Spices template, which showcases a distinctly more casual vibe. Don’t worry, though—this is just what the naturopath ordered for artisanal products, especially those that are plant-based or use all-natural ingredients. With the gentle colours and a design that almost looks hand-drawn, it just doesn’t get much more down-to-earth than this.
3. BLUE & RED FUNKY ADDRESS LABEL
The two examples above are great for small-batch products, but the Blue & Red Funky Address Label is bang-on for small businesses and independent creatives looking to assert themselves. With pleasant yet attention-grabbing colours and a quirky design that stops well short of being loud, this is practically sure to appeal to an audience who prefers their branding bright, modern, and balanced.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR LABELS WORK FOR YOU
But hold on there, sport! Before you dive right in with one of the free templates above, stop and consider what you want your label to do for you. Giving some thought to the following can make the difference between creating a label that represents your business effectively and one that doesn’t:
DESIGNING YOUR LABEL
Is your label attention grabbing? Great. What about easy to read? You might think these questions sound basic, but you’d be shocked by how many brands seem to get them wrong—especially smaller ones.
A strong label shouldn’t waste too much space with unnecessary visual details; it should get across the essential information at a glance. Customers have limited attention spans, and if they have to figure out what they’re looking at for more than a second or two, there’s a good chance they’ll move on.
Remember also that your label should be easy to adjust for different products (unless your business only sells one thing). Make sure that your label can be printed at various proportions to accommodate all the bottles, boxes, or bags you plan to put it on.
Finally, make sure your label is in line with your brand. If you run a bakery, you’re probably going to want something homey instead of super modern. On the other hand, if your small business is a motorcycle repair shop, you should probably forget about that Blue & Red Funky Address Label from earlier and go with something a bit more gritty.
PRINTING YOUR LABEL
Having pretty labels won’t help you much if they aren’t well-printed. Don’t assume you’ll be able to get by printing them out yourself and super-gluing them to your products—there’s a good chance they’ll fall off before they get where they’re going! Bottom line: if you want your products to look truly professional, the labels on them should be professionally printed.
Professional printers will be able to create durable and dependable roll-labels for a wide range of products, along with stickers and vinyl decals. Some companies (such as Little Rock Printing) can even print these items for you in single unit quantities, meaning you can order as few (or as many) as you need for a reasonable price.
Better yet, many printers offer the ability to print labels in custom shapes, or on various types of paper. Want a label with a specific texture, or one in the shape of a star? Not a problem when you trust professionals.
FINAL TIPS FOR TIGHTENING UP YOUR BRAND
Great-looking labels will take you a long way, but they’re not the only aspect of your brand you should consider. Your label might convince someone to buy one of your products, but when they decide they love it, they’re going to want to know more about you. That’s why you’ll also want to invest in some more marketing materials.
Print marketing materials like business cards and brochures can be extraordinarily effective, since up to 90% of all direct mail gets opened but only 30% of email ads do. Design these items to fit the same vibe as your labels, then trust your printers to create them all at once while you focus on digital marketing via your website and social media accounts.
Have more questions about making labels for your brand? We’re here to help. Contact us for more information and speak to a team member who can help you put the right label on your products.
