Make Great Labels
Design is planning the form and structure of something, and artistically and skillfully fashioning it for an intended and definite purpose. That definition doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun, but it does encompass all the important aspects of designing a good label.
It should be purposeful; not just throwing things together, but a concerted effort to elicit a response from the viewer. It should have good structure, like a well built car or timepiece. And it should be aesthetically pleasing, not making the viewer regret they looked at it but making them glad they did.
Design principles are a lot like the grammar of a language. In writing, a story is written with words; but a good story is not just about the words that are used, but how those words are arranged throughout the entire story to create a narative. The organization, the sentence structure, and the style, are what give a story its particular voice and make it enjoyable to read. Just like good literature is more than just words, good design is more than pictures and text; its how they are organized and interact with each other that makes something visually appealing.
Below are my interpretations and explanations of the most common and important aspects of good design. These are not rules, but basic concepts that come together to create a more harmonious design. Some are more important than others, and some can be completely ignored at times, but thinking about and considering the impact of these design principles will help you better create and appreciate what goes into a well designed beer, wine, or product label.
Composition
Composition is how all the separate parts of a design interact with each other. All elements on a label should look like they belong together — nothing should seem accidental, cluttered or random. The entire design is more than just the sum of its parts, and everything should look like it belongs exactly where it is, and belongs with everything else around it. In visual design, composition helps us to perceive the overall clear message of the design. If the design elements are arranged properly, the summation of the overall design will be very clear, there won’t be any visual conflicts, and everything will go together like a well designed living room full of furniture.
Visual Hierarchy
When you look at something you don't see everything all at once, there is always an order in which your eyes take in the specifics. Some elements in a design have more visual weight than others and draw your attention. Whether it’s a wine label, a magazine cover, or a work of art…your eyes look at one part and then move on to another. This is the visual hierarchy and should be actively used to guide the viewer's eyes through the design. A good design will purposefully guide the viewer; making them look first at the most important element, then the next, etc. On a beverage label the most important element is often the name, since brand recognition is often of paramount importance. But other times it can be the background or imagery…grabbing the viewer’s attention and making them feel something, before exposing them to the words that convey information. Scale is often used to establish hierarchy...if something is larger than everything else it usually draws your attention first. Color can also be important in defining the hierarchy; there’s a reason stop signs are red…that color grabs your attention. There’s also a reason car floor mats are the same color as the carpet underneath…they’re not intended to be noticed at all.
Space
Space is divided into two parts…positive space and negative space. The things you add to a design, like artwork and text, represent the positive space while the background between those things is the negative space. You don’t have to use every inch of space in a design, filling it up with text, photos, clip art, etc. Negative space can be good; embrace it, use it. Often the more space you don't use, the clearer your message becomes and can imply importance to the design elements you’ve added. Don't make the mistake of thinking if there's a big empty space, that you have to fill it with something.
Color
Color is an interesting element of graphic design because it can be applied to any other element, changing it dramatically. It can be used to make an image or text stand out, and to evoke emotion. Our eyes are drawn by color; small areas of vibrant color can be used to balance larger areas of more neutral colors, and different colors make us feel different things…blue can be cold or serene, green is fresh and alive, black can be elegant or serious. The conscious use of color to create mood, dominance, and balance in a design can be very effective. If there are too many colors randomly used in a design, it can confuse the viewer and degrade the design's intended message (unless of course the intended message was to confuse the viewer). Remember that color is useful for achieving a unified and organized design, but to do so you must be consistent with its use. Consistency is easier to achieve if you limit the use of color choices to just a few. Using too many colors in a single design can be like using too many different font types — this inevitably leads to a messy and confusing piece of work. Make your color choices at the beginning of the design process rather than at the end…leaving color choice to the end will likely end up leading to a superficial application of color. Color, like good design in general, is not cosmetic or veneer…. color choice is fundamental. . Don’t forget to think about how the label will look against the background of the bottle which will frame the label with its own color.
Balance
To understand balance, think of a balance beam or scale. When objects are of equal weight, they are in balance. If you have several small items on one side, they can be balanced by one large object on the other side. Visual balance works the same way. The overall balance of a design is affected by the visual weight of the individual elements, using the size, value (i.e. lightness or darkness), color, etc to create that visual importance or weight. There are three types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and mosaic. Symmetrical balance is centered and is equivalent on both sides. Symmetrical designs are more static than asymmetrical designs and can evoke feelings of formality, structure, and evenness. Asymmetrical designs are more informal and dynamic, with a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, distribution, etc on both sides. Asymmetrical designs can make good, calculated use of negative space and evoke feelings of action and modernity. Mosaic designs are chaotic and random... like a collage. Successful mosaic designs are much less common; they often lack hierarchy and a unified message can be difficult to achieve, leaving the design looking just plain "noisy" and chaotic. An unbalanced design creates a feeling of tension, as if it might tip, or things might slide off the side, just as the unbalanced scale would tip to one side.
Text (typography)
The words you choose to incorporate into your design are only one aspect of typography…how much, how big, what color, which font, and distribution are all just as important when adding text. This can be one of the most difficult aspects of successful graphic design. First you must decide how much text will be needed; usually this is a balance between what you want to say and what looks good… too much and it may obscure the visual aspect of the design; too little and you lose the opportunity to give the viewer important information. In the case of wine labels, if there is artwork on the front, it may be difficult to add a lot of text without detracting from the rest of the design, so a back label might be used to tell the story while the front label is used to make a visual impact with the bare minimum of text. Scale and color should be paid attention to as well, keeping hierarchy and composition in mind. Font choice is extremely important as well since it defines the character and mood, and defines the style of the label. Adding a shadow, outline, or glow to your text can help isolate the text from the background... separating it and adding dimensionality.
Theme
The overall mood, idea, message, or feeling that the label communicates to the viewer is the theme. Sometimes it’s OK to have more than one theme; a novel or movie might have multiple themes, (it made me laugh, it made me cry…) but usually a wine label, beer label, or any other package will only have one. A good design will have one unified theme and all the components will reinforce it; all the content and other aspects of design…composition, color, text, etc should be aligned with that one theme. If the theme is light and whimsical, then bright and happy colors with a similar image and a loose casual font for the text would make sense. A dark serious beer label called “Medieval Broadsword” with angular calligraphy text and a picture of a kitten probably would not make sense.
The above list is by no means a complete description of what goes into good label design, but it does highlight some of the most important aspects to pay attention to. There are no hard rules to art and design…only the creator and the viewer can decide what’s right and what’s wrong. But understanding the concepts, and more importantly understanding why some things look good and others look bad, can help you appreciate the visual world around you.