When purchasing the outrageously expensive canned food for my diabetic dog I took a look at its label and thought – boy we could create a much better label! Is it just the prescription dog food labels that are so bad or are all veterinary labels this ugly? Let’s take a look at Hills Prescription Diet and the well-known Purina Alpo brand.
1. Does the label announce what’s inside the package?
At first I thought neither label said dog food on it! But then I found the words “DOG FOOD” in white lettering on a white background down in the corner on the Purina label. Really white on white with a grey outline? Hills also uses white lettering to identify the contents of the can but in the smallest type possible on the bottom front of the can in the green band. You probably cannot even see it in the photo! They do have a picture of a dog on the label. The Purina label has a picture of the food – it almost looks good enough for a human to eat.
It is clear that both companies do not understand that a quality label design should clearly announce what is inside the package. The nod goes to the Purina can for the photo of the food.
2. Does the label attract attention?
The Hills can with its white background and simple lettering does not grab your attention; even their photo of the dog is light and meek. The Purina Alpo can with the bold white lettering on the red ribbon does catch your attention as you scan the shelves. We do not like the purple band on the top as it clashes with the red ribbon. The photo of the dog food with its deep brown beef chunks and gravy served in the white bowl is very appetizing and is a nice compliment to the red. This can defiantly attracts my attention.
So two for Purina Alpo let’s see if Hills can take the next category.
3. Does the label instill confidence?
Purina is one of the oldest and most advertised dog food brands around so just seeing their logo on the front of the can gives a buyer some confidence about the product. The Hills brand has a very official looking clinical nutrition seal on it and says it is veterinary exclusive in three languages! It also clearly states that it is low fat and diabetic which give me the confidence that this is what my dog needs. As Purina just relies on their logo for confidence and Hills tries to instill confidence with some added information I am giving the nod to Hills.
Purina Alpo wins this fight paws down but their designers should really examine the labeling issue and increase the presence of the words “Dog Food”. Hills looks very similar of the house brands we have been looking at but this one is not even a bargain. With a price tag double the Purina one would think they could afford a professionally designed label!
I invite you to participate in the “Good Label, Bad Label” forum. We’ve all seen a bad label or twelve, so please feel free to send us some awesomely bad examples and your submission could be included in our series!
Blue Ribbon Tag & Label offers a wide range of services and products, including food labels, pharmaceutical labels, cosmetic labels, veterinary labels and expanded text labels. If you need a professionally designed label, contact us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.
