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- Labeling and package design have a high impact on a customer’s perceived value of a product.
- Consumers are looking for sustainable and eco-friendly labeling and packaging.
- New labeling products are more cost-effective than traditional ink printing and make it simple to create label variations.
Labeling and packaging are your company’s first chance to make an impression on the consumer. Choose designs that aren’t appealing, and you’ll lose customers before they even pick up your product. These days, consumers are also choosing businesses that use eco-friendly and sustainable labeling and packaging over cheaper standards. Let’s take a look at what to expect in labeling trends for 2025 and what direction to steer your company’s label and packaging decisions.
Premium Design Promotes Brand Recognition
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Adding extra touches to your labeling, like metallic foiling or bold gradients, can turn your product from a ‘maybe’ into a ‘buy it now’. Studies have shown that premium packaging can increase the perceived value by up to 30%. When it grabs attention, your products will stand out among the competitors’ products. Well-thought-out colors and designs help customers recall and recognize your brand, turning one-time customers into loyal repeat customers.
Transparency for Customers
More and more people are putting serious consideration into the ingredients and materials their products are made with. Today’s fast-paced society doesn’t want to bother with putting in the research and scrutinizing labels with fine print. If your company promotes simple ingredients and eco-friendly products, it’s time to boast these points with clear, quick-read labels. This year, the FDA is proposing front-of-packaging (FOP) labels for many foods that would give transparency about sodium levels, saturated fats, and sugars.
Thermal Labels Over Ink Printing
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Label technology is also on the move into the future with more durable, versatile, and cost-effective options. Many manufacturers are choosing to use thermal labels over traditional ink-printed labels. Thermal labels offer high-quality, sharp images with high resolution that have a long lifespan and resistance to environmental factors that might cause labels to fade early. Thermal labels are typically quicker to produce and more cost-effective without the need for expensive inks and toners. Thermal labels are suitable for premium designs as well as shipping labels and barcodes.
Smart Labeling
QR codes and NFC tags are quickly becoming a new standard for labeling. With the vast majority of consumers carrying a smartphone at all times, smart labeling helps consumers with interactive tools like recipe ideas or apps. It can provide access to the company’s sustainability information.
Sustainable Labeling & Packaging
After the holidays with kids, a pile of unrecyclable packaging filling the trash can makes it shockingly clear that we as a society need to make better choices in choosing companies that use more sustainable practices in their packaging. Statistics show that more and more consumers are switching to brands that use biodegradable and recyclable materials without compromising on premium designs.
Easy Customization in Digital Printing
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If you sell items that change with the seasons, digital printing enables easy tweaks to your design. Digital printing is a flexible, quick, and cost-effective way to showcase seasonal flavors and scents or to target customers with regional differences.
Flashy Labels
These days, you can really get fancy in your label-making with metallic sheens, attention-grabbing glitter, textures that delight your fingertips, and AR-enhanced labels that turn shopping into an interactive experience. Customers will be able to scan a label and access tutorials, videos, and other digital content.
Sketch Designs
If flash and flare aren’t where you want to steer your product’s label design, we are also starting to see a more minimalist approach this year. Scribbles and sketches that almost look like they were hand-drawn can complement products that boast simple, clean ingredients and materials, and products that aim for a ‘hand-made’ or from-the-earth feel. Imperfect details, muted or monochromatic color palettes, texture, and human elements make these products appear irresistible to customers who crave a handcrafted touch.
Color Gradients
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We are also seeing a trend for beautiful sunset gradients in beauty and health products. A gentle shift in tones helps create a peaceful vibe and soothing aesthetic. This minimalist approach can help products stand out among competitors that use bold and bright colors.
Connecting to the Roots
Many consumers love products that connect with the past and showcase a rich heritage or cultural authenticity. Label and packaging designs with historical symbolism, traditional patterns, and storytelling illustrations can showcase your product’s origins and backstory, and help you show your cultural pride. This type of labeling is perfect for foods and drinks that are culturally specific, handmade products from artisans, and local businesses wanting to make a connection with their region.
Get on track with modern labels that will help make your product stand out to consumers in 2025. Start your re-design today and see how it affects your profits.