What is a label?

For all graphic designers out there, there is one common question, when they face the challenges of product design – "What is a label?" There is actually a fairly simple definition behind the term. A label is a piece of plastic, or paper which is attached to a product, in order to mark its brand, properties and much more. In the world of advertisement labels play a vital role in helping people get familiar with a company product. In all truth what a label is, is actually a very complex factor for the given product which will mark the acceptance of a given product.

It is not enough to ask yourself the question of what is a label. You need to define what a label is in detail, if you are going to design the right product placement solution. For instance, you can take as an example the different types of labels which will require diverse design skills. Labels are created from different materials which will define their physical characteristics. You have permanent labels, which are designed to stay there, and if they are removed, they will damage the stock they have been placed on. This however is only the basic type of label.

There are also peelable and ultra-peelable labels, which are prepared to be removed at a moment’s notice. They will be placed on displays, books and other such things, but they can still have some sort of design implemented on them. You need to know what the label type is, in order to know what materials you can implement so that the design works efficiently. There are labels, which use improved technology, like the thermal label for instance. These labels will change their color and therefore design when a certain temperature is applied to them. You need to be very well familiar with the technology in order to know how to work with this type of product.

In general, it is easy to answer the question "What is a label?" There are many complexities surrounding this however, and you need to become familiar with all of them. If you are willing to work in some sort of product placement design, you will most likely be designing labels for a big portion of your time. You will also work with a wide set of specialists, who will be there to assist you with the materials themselves – after all, you will be the designer, not the one who manufactures the label. A good piece of advice would be for you to go to Google and type in "What is a label?" There is a large range of materials, including Wikipedia, where you will be able to learn all about what a label is and how you can apply your design choices on it. Take your time and make sure you are well-familiar with the whole matter before you start off experimenting.