As the dog days of summer come to an end it may be hard to believe that a certain well-know coffee chain will soon be handing out warm, custom-crafted beverages in an iconic red cup. If you are a caffeine craving devotee of this coffee-behemoth, you know the childlike giddiness you feel when your local shop first hands them out: The holidays are coming! There is built-in emotional response many people have to this brilliant, seasonal marketing strategy.

Are You Missing Sales Opportunities by Not Identifying Your “Red Cup”?

It is highly unlikely 2017 be a rollercoaster year of radical changes up and down the retail shelf. Brand owners will continue to tell their unique story while seeking real connections with their customers.

Standing out on the retail shelf supports that goal. Tried and true design methodology underpins great packaging, and trends are popular aspects that ebb and flow in response to what is most effectively breaking through the clutter and noise.

(L to R: Steve Powers, HP, Haim Levit, HP, Kevin Davis, president, Advanced Labels NW, Zak Callahan, HP)

Lynnwood, Washington-based Advanced Labels NW, a converter producing high-quality custom tags and labels for the wine and spirits, food and beverage, health and beauty, and vitamin and nutraceutical markets, purchased an HP Indigo 8000 Digital Press at Labelexpo Americas 2016.

Like any packaging project, label orders have a lot of moving parts. It can be easy to get overwhelmed, and you might be tempted to let the experts make the tough decisions for you.

While professional guidance is always nice to have, there are times when you may want to have more control over your brand packaging. And of course making informed decisions starts with... information! We've put together many helpful resources over the years, and we're going to break them all down right here, in one comprehensive list.

Even though the adhesive part of a pressure sensitive label is not seen, it can make or break your packaging presentation on the retail shelf. It doesn't matter how gorgeous your label design is, or how unique your container is – if your labels are wrinkling, peeling, or sliding off, your packaging is going to look bad.

Size, Contrast, Color, Shape, Position, and Whitespace

Using the basic principals of visual hierarchy you can direct shopper’s attention and communicate your brand message more effectively. By varying the weight and importance of visual elements you can create a center of interest, establish an orderly aesthetic, and develop a viewing pattern across your label that communicates the most important information first.

If you're looking for ways to help your labels jump off the shelf, consider matte or gloss varnish treatments on your next label design. Varnishes can be a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd.

Varnish treatments are used to decorate label designs or to simply protect the ink and paper, similar to lamination. When used right, varnishes can have a massive impact on the appearance of your labels.

When you are starting out small, sheet labels are your friend. You can buy them in small quantities and even print them right from your home printer. If you only need a hundred labels and professional quality is just not in the budget, sheets of labels can be the interim solution for early distribution.

But as your business grows, buying labels in sheets is going to cost you more and limit your design and printing options.

A Universal Product Code, or U.P.C., is a common sight on any retail package. The first barcode was introduced over 40 years ago on a pack of Wrigley's gum, and as self-checkout has grown in popularity even consumers have become accustomed to looking for them. More than 5 billion barcode products are scanned around the world every day.

A barcode is required on your labels to stock your products on retail shelves. So unless you plan to only sell your goods in small quantities at a Farmer's Market, you are going to need to generate unique barcodes for each of your products.

Three's Company

Kookaburra Natural Cleaning Products are distributed by ABL Development Inc., a family owned business in southeastern Colorado. The company is the passion of its three owners, sisters Beth, Heidi, and Laurie.

Raised together in the family business, each developed their own individual career specialties. Many of the day to day operations required to own and operate a manufacturing business were learned “under fire”, on the job and under pressure.