How To Design Wine Bottle Labels

Master the basics - design with your brand in mind

The most important thing is that your label reflects your brand when it comes to the basics – colour, font and imagery. So, if you want to sell your product at the higher end of the market to seasoned wine drinkers, pushing the quality aspect, then it might suit a traditional label best. For example, a cream or white background, gold and italicised lettering, and a sentence or two that mentions the heritage of the vineyard or quality of grape.

We can’t overstate the importance of getting these basic elements right. That’s why, if you hand the task over to us, we’ll make sure we get to the bottom of your brand requirements and target market before designing and delivering a suitable solution.

Dare to (go) bare?

A label with minimal text, imagery and/or colour can be a real head-turner – see for yourself with a quick internet search for ‘minimalist wine labels’. That’s if it’s done right, of course; the style needs to suit your brand and include identifiable markers like your logo. 

Also, minimalism doesn’t just mean what’s on the label. Some wine brands have experimented with the idea for the actual label itself – for instance, by using small, circular labels as opposed to the standard rectangular, wrap-around style. You just need to make sure that you have space on the back for all the necessary information.

Add texture

Your wine bottle catches the eye of a shopper and they take it from the shelf… the hard work isn’t done quite yet! You also need to consider the way the label feels. It’s very possible that a shopper could put your bottle back if it feels cheap to touch.

One way to create a positive, tangible experience for buyers and boost the appeal of your label, is embossing. This raises the pattern, text or image from the label itself, essentially making it 3D. There’s also debossing, which lowers features to make them ‘sink in’ to the label. Either will help your bottle feel great as well as look it!

On a similar note, you need to spend time considering the finish of the label. A quality finish will make your bottle stand out while protecting it from scuffing and moisture at the same time. You could choose gloss or matt, or tactile coating such as textured or sandpaper-like designs.

Bring your bottle into the 21st century

Many wine brands are now integrating digital elements within their physical labels to provide a richer and more seamless customer experience. It’s something you might want to explore, especially if your target market is digital natives. 

One way to do this is through NFC labelling. When scanned, the label can take the customer to your website, product page, contact page, social media site or other channel, where they can find out more about your brand and product. Have a read of the solution we designed and delivered for Gin.co.uk’s bottles.

More than that, NFC labels can build communities within a brand, delivering unique experiences while inspiring consumers to share their own experiences. A great example is Malibu’s 2018 ‘Because Summer’ campaign, where NFC tags attached to 300,000 bottles enabled people to share ‘summer moments’, win prizes and access drinks recipes.

Quality label design from Premier Labels

Let Premier Labels design and deliver a wine labelling solution that will help give your wine the attention it deserves. 

We have robust knowledge of your industry and general labelling requirements, and can offer you a bespoke solution that may include embellishments, screen printing and NFC Smart Labels. Get in touch today to find out more.