The Many Embellishments You Can Add to Your Label Design

When it comes to the design of your product packaging, label embellishments act like the seasoning that completes a tasty dish. 

While they seem like a relatively minor aspect of your label design, label embellishments make your product attractive and intriguing, and can have a huge impact on how customers perceive your brand. 

In a sea of products, all competing for attention on the shelves, standing out is crucial. 

Label embellishments like foiling, embossing, or tactile printing can catch the eye of potential customers and make your product instantly recognisable. 

Not only is your label a way to identify your product, but it’s also a powerful marketing tool that can influence purchasing decisions. 

By incorporating these embellishments, you can convey ideas about your brand and product, using them to tell your story. 

In this blog, we explore the many label embellishments available and how they can be used to enhance your label design. 

Foiling

Foil printing is a specialised printing process that uses heat and pressure to apply metallic or pigmented paper (foil) to the surface of a label to create a shiny, eye-catching design. 

Foils are available in a wide range of colours and finishes, helping to create different aesthetics depending on your brand. 

For example, brands looking to portray the luxury, sophistication and premium quality of their product may choose gold or silver foils. In comparison, a brand looking to create a modern or trendy vibe may choose a holographic or coloured foil. 

A great example is a project we recently completed for Blackwell, who crafts premium Jamaican rum. Blackwell approached Premier Labels because they wanted to create a label design based on a James Bond 007 limited edition release of their product. 

The label needed to hint at dark, rich, luxury, and a one in a million experience, just like Bond. We achieved this by printing the Blackwell name in bright silver foil on a sensuous satin black background. To contrast, we positioned the 007 James Bond logo beneath, printed with a striking gold foil. 

Foil printing is a popular choice, particularly with beverage brands, where it is used to highlight logos, imagery, and brand names. However, the versatility of foil printing means it can be used to enhance any design, whether for a jar of compote, a candle, or a perfume bottle.

Duplex labels

Duplex labels have two layers. They have both practical and aesthetic benefits, allowing you to present double the amount of information than a standard label. For instance, a pharmaceutical product may be required to include information about side effects and production. Alternatively, duplex labels can be used for intriguing designs.  

Our label design for The Only Way is Gin is a perfect example of how duplex labels can be used to achieve an aesthetic. 

The back of the bottle features all the usual product information you would expect to find on a beverage label. However, through the use of a duplex label, we were able to create a striking design: an explosion of vibrant colours that can only be seen through the front of the bottle, which has been left clear apart from a small, black label featuring the brand’s name. 

Ultimately, duplex labels are suitable for any brand who are willing to explore their creativity through their label design.

Swing tags

Unlike standard labelling, swing tags and tickets are not stuck onto your product but attached like a gift tag using string or ribbon. 

Typically made from materials like cardstock or leather, swing tags act as an extension of your packaging, used to provide additional information such as key ingredients, other products in the same range, recipes, or your brand story. 

They also have tactile appeal; when you see one you want to reach out to discover what’s written on the inside. 

Swing tags and tickets can also be used as a cost-effective and attractive way to display marketing campaigns and limited edition releases without having to alter your main label design. 

Industries that benefit from the use of swing tags are those whose brand’s marketing circulates around storytelling, whether that’s for wine or spirits or beauty products.

Embossed labels 

Embossing involves creating raised or recessed designs on label materials. A metal die with a bespoke design is pressed into the label under pressure, sometimes with added heat. This process creates different heights in the card stock, adding texture and dimension to labels for an eye-catching design and tactile experience. 

Embossing is a process that requires experience and expertise to perfect, making it a more expensive printing technique than other label embellishments. For this reason, embossing is associated with premium quality and luxury. 

Similar to foiling, embossing is a printing technique that is popular with beverage brands. Our work for Kromati Rum demonstrates how label embellishment techniques can be combined to create a create a greater impact. Using foiling and embossing, the Kromati name and logo leap from the label in glowing copper against a matte black backdrop.

Tactile Printing

Tactile printing involves the application of specialised inks or coatings to create raised textures on labels, enhancing grip and usability while complying with regulatory requirements. 

This printing technique is commonly used in industries such as pharmaceutical and cosmetic, where customer safety and experience are essential. 

However, tactile printing can also be used to create engaging and memorable elements to your label designs.

Take your labels to the next level with Premier Labels

At Premier Labels, we never underestimate the importance of small details. 

Label embellishments are so much more than decorative flourishes; they're tools that can boost your shelf presence, enhance the perception of your brand, and create a memorable experience for your customers that will have them coming back for more. 

Are you ready to make a lasting impression? Get in touch with our team today.