Lately we have been comparing in house brands with national brands. Since summer is quickly approaching, today we are putting Walmart’s Equate Kids Sunscreen against Banana Boat’s Kids Sunscreen. Why these two brands you ask; because the equate label told us to do! Yes, on their label it says compare to Banana Boat Kids SPF 50 lotion- so we are.
1. Does the label announce what’s inside the package?
Both labels have a cute drawing of a sand pail under a sun and clearly say SPF 50. The Banana Boat emphasizes KIDS and the main feature of the product, “tear free” with sunblock in small plain print. On the equate label SPF 50, Kids, and Sunscreen are fairly equally in size and attention.
Both brands clearly tell you what is in this bottle but Banana Boat’s “sunblock” is a little small and plain for us. And as this is the first in house brand to have quality professionally designed label we give the nod to equate.
2. Does the label attract attention?
It is clear that both companies have high quality label designs, and both would be attractive to potential buyers. The equate label leaves a lot of white around the edges of the bottle going with that in house brand philosophy of white will stand out against the sea of color on the shelves and it does provide a nice backdrop for the label. The Banana Boat label hits you with a color punch of blue, red and yellow. That color combination leaps into your face as you walk down the aisle.
Banana Boat grabs more attention. So now it is a tie.
3. Does the label instill confidence?
Banana Boat has been in the sunblock and tanning lotion market for a very long time and the general population is aware of them. Apparently the equate brand recognizes Banana Boats reputation as their label asks you to compare their product to Banana Boat’s – remember that is why we are doing this. I like the pediatrician tested seal with the check mark on the Banana Boat label as it looks very official.
We agree with equate, Banana Boat has the confidence and the win!
We are very impressed with the equate label. This in house brand is the first we have seen that is poised to compete with the big boys. (Publix, Walgreens perhaps you should take a lesson from the Walmart’s designers.)
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.

Are you kidding me?  Walgreens has merged all their private label brands, like Deerfield Farms and Chief Karlin under their new brand name Nice! It is not the merging we are aghast at it is the packaging.  For this battle we will compare Walgreen’s new label design against their old label design on their house brand raisins.

1.  Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

Deerfield does a great job letting you know that this is a box of raisins.  In the center of the visual appealing design is a photo of raisins and the word raisin is in large white type on a red ribbon. There is no doubt what is in here.  On the other hand the Nice! box emphasizes the brand name as it front and center, dominating the label.  There raisins on the label but they in some sort of snowflake design, not sure how this works as they are California sun dried raisins.  The label does have the word raisin on it and It does stand out in red against the stark white background but not in a “nice” way. Deerfield gets our vote here.

2.  Does the label attract attention?

Walgreen executives claim they went with this no-frills white background on the Nice! packaging so it would stand out against the sea of colored packages.  It stands out but in a poor cousin sort of way.  There is nothing appealing on this label and do I really want “nice” raisins?  The Deerfield label presents the raisins in an eye-catching design with the sun rays radiating from behind the raisins.  The picture of the raisins stands out against this yellow background and they are framed in a bold red border with the word raisins in white on a red ribbon.  This looks like the raisins I want to serve my family.

3.  Does the label instill confidence?

The professionally designed Deerfield label with the tight clean logo gives you the impression that these people know what they are doing.  The green logo is a great contrast to the yellow background.  Deerfield may not be a house hold name but they look like they should be.  The bare bones label of the Nice! brand does not instill any confidence as I have not heard of them before.  It says nothing about being the house brand for Walgreens; at least with the bad Publix label you recognize the Publix name.

What amazes me the most here is that after spending two years on the brand name and design this is what Walgreens came up with! They should have adopted Deerfield as their brand name as they are the clear winner here.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

Hey packaging and designers didn’t you read the blog I wrote a year ago about pineapples?   Let’s try it again with these two cans of cranberry sauce.

1.  Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

Ocean Spray does a great job of letting the customer know what is inside this can with an appealing visual design of sliced jellied cranberries and large bold lettering announcing what is in there.  Yes, that is the main purpose of a food label – to let the shopper know what is inside the package.  The red lettering jumps off the stark white background allowing you to easily read what is in there.  Although Publix also choose read lettering on a white background it does not work!  Why they choose to emphasize the word “ Jellied” when the item in the can is cranberry sauce is just mind boggling. They do tell you that cranberries are in there but in small, soft grey lettering.  It is not even a competition here – the win goes to Ocean Spray.

2.  Does the label attract attention?

When you walk down the aisle all you see is “Jellied” – not the attention I think the Publix brand cranberry sauce is going for. This line of Publix branded food products is intended to pass the savings from marketing and professional label designs onto the consumer. But really, some common sense would be an improvement here; emphases the food item not how it is prepared. The Ocean Spray label has a nice contract of their blue logo with the red lettering of this label.  The farm in the background of this label conjures up images of delicious, farm fresh produce.  Although this item does go through some processing it is still the image we like for our food. The Ocean Spray label catches the right attention.  This one also goes to Ocean Spray.

3.  Does the label instill confidence?

The Publix label actually makes me question the intelligence of their executives.  It is an incredibly stupid mistake they seem to make on many of their labels – emphasizing the adjective they use to describe the food item instead of the item in the container.  Ocean Spray has a wonderful repetition and emphasizes this in the professional quality of the label.  Let’s be honest jellied cranberry sauce is all pretty much the same, so the quality or the appearance of quality is what get you to purchase this product.  Ocean Spray wins here.

In the case of Ocean Spray versus Publix jellied cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray is the clear victor with much more professional label sweeping all three categories.  Publix designers you are 0-2 against the competitors.   Wake up – just a little bit of effort and common sense can go a long way to improve your labels.

The Ocean Spray design team takes labeling to a whole new level…. Look at the back of this label. The back of the Ocean Spray looks like the front label without the photograph – I don’t think I have ever seen that before and I can’t remember ever seeing anything like that. It is a lesson to be learned. Any potential Blue Ribbon customers, this is a lesson to remember when creating your next 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!

At Blue Ribbon, we have an art department of talented artists proficient in the latest technology and graphic design equipment. Yes, they also have common sense and vision.  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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

Spring is officially here!  Although depending on where you live you may have thought spring has been here for a while. With spring comes barbeques. And what is better than some spicy, jerk seasoned chicken wings hot off the grill?  This week we are examining two spicy Boston Jerk Seasoning labels.  Ocho Rios Jerk Original Boston Seasoning and JCS- Jamaican Country Style Boston Jerk Seasoning.  These two seasoning contain almost the same ingredients.  Both are products of Jamaica, inspired by the Boston area of Jamaica.

1.       Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

The JCS label is very easy to read, boldly telling you that this is Boston Jerk Seasoning- very hot and spicy. There is a little history of jerk barbequing on the back of the label is interesting when you take the time to read it. Although the JCS logo takes up as much space on the label as the Boston Jerk Seasoning, you defiantly know what is in this jar.   The Ocho Rios label is a very colorful, professionally designed label depicting a meal using the seasoning with some the peppers, garlic and other seasoning ingredients around the meal.    This label is rather busy with information all over it.  The little thermometer on the side even rates the product on a spicy scale. If the viewer takes the time to read all the information you will know everything you need to know about this product. Both labels announce what is in it but the JCS label is very clear (almost too clear) and very easy to read at a glance.

2.        Does the label attract attention?

As we mentioned above the Ocho Rios label is very colorful.  The warm yellow background plays nicely with the rich brown color of the seasoning in the jar.  The image of the food and vegetables on the label conjure up memories of a great, perfectly seasoned meal prepared in the warm outdoors.  The starkness of the JCS label grabs your attention but no wonderful image is inspired by its label.  The label does use the colors of the Jamaican flag in the stripes trimming the label but a Jamaican flag would be a better representation of its origin. The JCS logo is front and center of this design but does nothing to promote the product.  The hummingbird in the logo is only a poorly drawn distraction.  This label does not look like much thought or design went into it.  The Ocho Rios label is a much hotter label.

 3.       Does the label instill confidence?

The simplicity and the starkness of the JCS label gives it a generic feel more like a supermarket brand than an imported item. JCS tries to instill confidence with the placement of a gold award seal dated 1994, informing you that the brand has been around awhile.  One would think after more than 15 years they would design a better label. The Ocho Rios logo contains a nice sunset with five red stars – not sure what the stars are representing.  But stars usually mean well done.  The ingredients and directions are in three languages giving the impression that this is an imported product used in other countries.  Knowing nothing of either brands reputation the Ocho Rios with its warm colors and thought out label gives it a more confident look.

The clear and colorful winner in this spicy contest is the Ocho Rios label. The JCS label defeated itself with too simple of a design.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, beer is on our mind, and not beer dyed green but real Irish inspired beer.  With all the beers available today we choose an Irish beer brewed by an American company and an Irish beer that originated in Dublin, Ireland. Samuel Adams Irish Red, part of their brew master’s collection and Guinness draught.  Both companies brew several versions of beer.

1. Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

At first glance one would think so but upon further examination neither of the labels mentions the word “beer” on it! We are familiar with the shape of the bottle; we know it is a beer bottle but only due the heavy marketing in this beverage field.  The Samuel Adams label actually depicts a colonial gentleman holding a stein of beer.  The Guinness bottle does not mention or show that it is indeed a beer. It is implied with the “Brewed in Dublin” and that it is a pasteurized stout, but it does not state it is a beer. We are going just on provided information from the labels and not from our inherited Knowledge.  The Samuel Adams’ label is clearer as they display a picture of their product.

2.   Does the label attract attention?

The labels and bottles convey totally different messages.  Although both bottles are almost identical in shape the similarity stops there.  Both labels are eye catching put in opposite directions. The Guinness is a sleek black bottle with an even slicker black label.  The type is simple but elegant with white and gold lettering.  Aimed at the sophisticated drinker this label attracts the drinker who looking to impress; the traveled gentlemen in the black leather jacket or the person who wants to be. Not sure what the harp logo is symbolizing but it does tell you it was established in 1759. This label is a bit mysterious. Samuel Adams is made in America and appears proud of it. From its slightly rustic and corny drawing to its “Product of America” and their declaration of a Boston Beer Company- they are proud to be from here and you should be too!  The colonial gentleman in the drawing implies the company’s long history of beer brewing.

3.  Does the label instill confidence?

Both brands have amazing reputations and due to advertising are household names to any beer drinker.  Each label also has a distinct character and catches the eye but in such different ways. These brands emphasis their long tradition of brewing beer.  Samuel Adams is stressing how special this beer is by calling it part of their brew master collection. The Guinness label carries the founder’s signature.

It is a tough call here but my nod goes to Guinness for its classic design. The black Guinness bottle with the sleek label gives the impression of a smooth, dark beer that tastes great.  On the other hand our marketing company prefers the rustic design of the Samuel Adam’s label with its clear picture of beer drinking enjoyment. Seeing that this is a beer from their brew master collection makes them want to try this variety today.  What’s your call?

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

1. Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

If one is looking for a box that says good ole coffee, without getting fancy, on the front of its packaging, than no, neither of these choices do that. If one somewhat knows what they are doing when purchasing coffee, they’d probably stare at these two options before making a choice. From packaging alone, Maxwell House displays a cup of coffee on the front making it a little bit clearer of what they are selling.

2. Does the label attract attention?

Both labels are attractive yet are very different. Folgers went with the red packaging and sunrise illustration on the labeling, which is smart because red goes well with the warmth of coffee and the sun rising with waking up early, but the contrast of the labeling and package are little too close so it’s hard for the label to really jump at you visually. Maxwell House on the other hand has blue packaging, which doesn’t necessarily go well with the warmth of coffee but shows coffee beans and says “Rich Original,” which is clearer to the consumer of what they are buying. The contrast of color between the blue and the labeling also makes for clear communication. Folgers “Classic Roast” description, may be a little bit confusing to new coffee buyers.

3. Does the label instill confidence?

Both brands have amazing reputations and due to advertising (and Folgers ridiculously catchy jingle) are household names. Each label also has it’s meaning and catches the eye but it is clear that Maxwell House’s label simply has more purpose and better contrast that makes it more appealing to the eye. With a coffee cup and coffee beans right there on the label it just instills a little bit more confidence in the product than Folgers. Although Folgers has an attract scenery on their label, it’ simply just doesn’t make as much sense the consumer who is in a hurry at the super market.

In the battle of the best coffee, the trophy goes to Maxwell House. The label has a clear message, allows you to clearly see what its selling and simply stands out more than it’s competitor. Sorry Folgers, your jingle is timeless though.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

When it comes to toothpaste we’re always looking for the few basics: strength, taste, whitening or non-whitening, mouthwash, etc. Everyone’s preferences for toothpaste are different and it’s important our toothpaste labels tell us what we want to know.

1.     Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

Both Crest and Sensodyne pretty successfully announce the product they are marketing. Crest clearly says that it is toothpaste with Cool Mint flavor and includes extra whitening. Sensodyne, also, announces it is toothpaste, but for customers with more sensitive teeth and, it too, markets whitening on its labeling. Therefore, both labels equally provide what the consumer wants to know.

2.      Does the label attract attention?

Crest’s label design and shining light behind the brand name visually pops out at you. It also creates separation by the arrow and white background to showcase the Extra Whitening and the Cool Mint flavoring with a toothpaste illustration. Sensodyne, on the other hand, because it is marketing a more sensitive-type toothpaste has a more settle approach to its label. It works for the brand because Sensodyne’s labeling focuses more on comfort and effectiveness. You can see the marketing importance differences between the two brands by what they showcase with more color, Crest being the “Extra Whitening” and Sensodyne being the “Maximum Strength with Fluoride”.

3.      Does the label instill confidence?

Crest, being the Coca-Cola of toothpaste, is not only a very trusted household name but has impeccable design to its labeling. The label itself somewhat exemplifies fresh and cleanliness in its design. Sensodyne, too, being one of the first and only toothpastes to really tailor to the sensitive audience is also a trusted source. The label does not jump out at you as much, but does include more detailed information relating to strength that, to some, could be more important than a pretty design. Sensodyne also included a badge on its labeling that somewhat makes the toothpaste look more approved by dentist. Both designs equally instill a sense of confidence in its credibility but in very separate ways.

Deciding who won the battle of the labels is a tough choice because Sensodyne’s label is very informative and to the point, but Crest wins in that at first glance a costumer would probably reach for it first.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

When it comes to your (very) basic t-shirt, most of us are chiefly concerned with price. Since standard white tees are factory-produced at a rate that might rival the speed of a blinking eye, style is the low man on the totem pole in a consumer’s decision to buy. Since the only difference we can see between these two brands of plain white t-shirts is their respective labels, this week’s Good Label vs. Bad Label should prove exceptionally interesting.

1.  Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

Both labels clearly announce that there are “5 t-shirts” inside the package. Fruit of the Loom doesn’t see a need for bells and whistles or flowery claims and promises – just good, old-fashioned, need-to-know facts. This is a value pack of t-shirts, they’re for men and you should buy them. Hanes is also pretty basic, but tried just a bit harder with its “Lay Flat Collar” seal and bullet-pointed list that emphasizes features that make their shirts more comfortable (not to mention its trademarked “ComfortSoft” blend of materials, whatever that means). Regardless of the two brands’ respective marketing tactics, both effectively communicate to consumers exactly what their product is.

2.  Does the label attract attention?

Upon first glance, Hanes grabs the eye with its bold red and bright green colors. Although you’re probably expecting a “but” right about now, we maintain that Hanes’ label easily trumps Fruit of the Loom’s. Sure, Fruit of the Loom chose blue, a ‘masculine’ color, and employed a minimalist approach to appeal to most men’s preference for just the aforementioned need-to-know facts. But we’re not here to speculate on whether or not “most men” would prefer a simplistic label – the bottom line is that Hanes has the more attractive, attention-grabbing label design.

3.  Does the label instill confidence?

Both brands are established, household-name companies with favorable reputations. That fact aside (along with our appreciation for Fruit of the Looms’ lovable “Fruit Guys”), we pretty much covered this category just a moment ago. Hanes marketers clearly did their homework and know that when a man is buying basic tees, his primary concern is comfort. If these two packs of t-shirts were hanging right next to one another at the same price, the only way to choose between them would be the label. We’re sure both brands offer comfy t-shirts, but only Hanes is talking about all the effort they’ve put into making theirs the most comfortable. No tag? Lay flat collar? “ComfortSoft”? We don’t know exactly what that is, but it sounds pretty good to us.

In the battle of the basic T, Hanes wins for its smart approach to label design. When two products are essentially identical, a good marketer knows that the label is their only shot at stating their case and beating the competition. Although Fruit of the Loom’s label doesn’t feature anything that would persuade a shopper not to buy their product, they were overtaken by a competitor’s clear realization and use of basic marketing principles. And that’s enough to declare Hanes the hands-down victor.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

While we’re still averaging 80-degree highs here in South Florida, most of the country is slowly easing their way into a “real” winter season. For those of you who are all too familiar with the drying effects a winter breeze can have on your hair and skin, we feel your pain (at least 8 or 9 months of the year, anyway). For this reason, we decided a feature on two brands of all-natural lip balm would be fitting of the season.

1.  Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

Yep. There really isn’t much to be said about these two labels in this regard. One’s lip balm, the other is lip “butter.” Either way, we know exactly what we’re getting with each product. Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is 100% natural, and is fortified with vitamin E and peppermint. Chapstick’s Lip Butter is also 100% natural, and contains a “special blend of five natural butters.” Both are succinct, just the way we like ‘em.

2.  Does the label attract attention?

Burt’s Bees is a pretty popular brand, but despite its ubiquity, we’re judging it objectively. Burt’s package stands out purely for its relative uniqueness. While it probably isn’t the first lip balm to use beeswax as an ingredient, Burt’s marketers took it to the next level by focusing the label design around the actual insect itself, not to mention Burt’s mug. How many other lip balm packages feature a black and white drawing of an older gentleman’s face surrounded by a commonly-feared bug? If you said, “None, that would be insane and would never sell,” you’re half right. Since the world often conspires to reject new ideas, a quirky approach to label design can have detrimental effects to a brand. Luckily, Burt’s ended up being hugely successful.

So what about Chapstick’s label? We’ll still argue that it stands out with an attractive, well-balanced design that features fruits to convey the message that it is, indeed, natural. Pardon our light misogyny, but we also have to argue that the color palette was clearly chosen with a woman in mind. For the sake of universal appeal, we’re declaring Burt’s Bees the victor in this category.

A colleague made an interesting point regarding Burt’s Bees eccentric approach to label design. Sure, Burt’s has realized great success despite its unorthodox label, but we have to pose the question – can this national brand take it to the next level without changing its look to something more mainstream? What do you think?

3.  Does the label instill confidence?

In the age of organics and a growing preference for chemical-free products, both lip balms may have a leg up on their other competition. And both brands have a very strong consumer base, so we’ll judge on the label alone. Both are 100% natural, but since we prefer to choose a clear winner, we’re scrutinizing these professionally designed labels carefully. Chapstick references five nondescript “natural butters” that make up its product, but Burt’s specifically names three main ingredients straight away – beeswax, vitamin E and peppermint. And it also proudly displays its seal as a product certified by the Natural Products Association. For all of these reasons, we trust that Burt’s is being the most honest.

While both lip balms have strong brand names behind them, Burt’s is simply more unique and more credible. After careful examination, we can definitely see what all the buzz is about.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.

We’ve done label comparisons on supplement products several times in the past, so we’ll save you the diatribe about just how unregulated the industry is (which also means pretending all claims are legitimate, for the sake of the blog of course). A quick troll of any bodybuilding forum will teach you that there are innumerable protein powder brands on the market, and that despite the lack of any proven science behind the claims, every muscle-bound gym rat is convinced their favorite is the best. We chose two popular brands with two completely different approaches to label design for this week’s Good Label vs. Bad Label.

1.  Does the label announce what’s inside the package?

As always, we’re putting aside brand recognition to focus on one question: which brand immediately tells you that it’s protein powder? Since we know you can’t read the microscopic type on Syntha-6’s label, we’ll spell it out for you – “An Ultra-Premium Sustained Release Protein Powder.” Win. You won’t find a mention of “protein powder” in between Muscle Milk’s overwrought scientific claims. Although Syntha-6 loses points for its infinitesimal font, it wins this category due to the fact that if Muscle Milk weren’t in the protein powder section at GNC, we’d have to do a little digging to make sure this “protein supplement” is what we’re looking for.

Our designer disagrees. Well, that’s putting it lightly. He’s downright disgusted. Even though Syntha-6 clearly has a professionally designed foil label, he feels that even though the phrase “protein powder” appears, the teeny font renders the effort completely useless. He suggests the designer of the Syntha-6 label go back to undergraduate school and start with crayons. Ouch!

2.  Does the label attract attention?

Finally! We’ve been waiting to discuss this category. These two labels couldn’t be any more different. Muscle Milk went with a more cartoony look, a fairly ubiquitous theme for protein powder marketers. Despite the amusing conveyance of its highly scientific formula, Muscle Milk’s label does draw attention with bright colors and sharp contrasts. You’ll never get higher contrast from any two colors over black and white, a smart choice for the placement of the name of the product.

Syntha-6 opted for the minimalist mod approach with a clean label that focuses on the basics – brand name, a well-written description of the product and simple phrases that communicate the product’s intent. The shopper isn’t immediately overwhelmed with a barrage of information. The bright red color immediately catches the eye and sets it apart from competing brands. Although a case can be made for either label, Syntha-6 wins for color choice and simplicity.

3.  Does the label instill confidence?

Here’s where it gets tricky. Syntha-6 may have swept the last two categories, but when it comes to getting a consumer to trust your brand, the more information the better (generally speaking). Muscle Milk is targeting the informed fitness fanatic, with detailed information that explains precisely how their product performs in the body to create lean muscle (if you don’t understand the terminology, there’s a picture to help you out…). Where Syntha-6 succeeded with its focused design, it fails when it comes to setting itself apart by explaining the specific advantages a shopper would get from choosing it over any other brand. Muscle Milk takes this category hands down.

Or maybe not so hands down. Our designer chimed in on this category too, and feels that since Syntha-6 has a high-quality foil label, it should be tied with Muscle Milk. We can see his point – one informs, the other attracts. Whether or not it’s the smartest way to judge a product, we all make decisions based on appearance alone once in awhile.

Although Syntha-6 won two out of three categories, we can’t declare it the winner. In an unregulated industry, consumers can only rely on the information provided by the manufacturer of the product, and the more scientific buzz words a brand uses, the more likely it is to sell. The bright red may catch the eye, but it’s Muscle Milk’s calculated approach to label design that trumps the competition.

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, call us at 1-800-433-4974. We’ll get the job done.