The expensive packaging mistakes aren’t usually about the design. They’re a label that’s 2 mm too wide for the jar’s flat area, a nutrition panel that doesn’t fit once the real numbers go in, or 5,000 printed labels missing information the product legally needs. All three are avoidable if you do things in the right order.
That order is: container first, required information second, design third, printer last. Most people start with design and work backwards, which is why they end up redoing it.
Start with the container, not the logo
Before any design, lock in the actual packaging: the jar, bottle, box, pouch or bag you’ll use, and where you’ll buy it. Get physical samples. Then measure:
- The printable area, especially on curved containers. A jar may be 80 mm tall, but the flat area a label can sit on without wrinkling might be 55 mm.
- Where the label starts and finishes. Wraparound labels need a gap or an overlap, and the seam has to go somewhere sensible.
- Anything that interrupts the surface: ridges, embossing, lids, shoulders.
Ask your label printer or packaging supplier for a dieline. That’s a flat template showing the exact shape, cut lines, fold lines, glue areas and bleed. Boxes and cartons in particular need one, because the artwork is designed flat but read folded. A logo that sits beautifully on the flat dieline can end up split across a fold.
Work out what has to go on it
This is where small brands get caught out. Depending on what you sell, Australian rules may require certain information on the label, in certain formats and sizes. We’re designers, not lawyers, so treat this as a starting point and check the official guidance for your product. This is general information, not legal advice.
Food and drinks. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code sets out what packaged food labels need, which commonly includes the name of the food, a lot identification, the supplier’s name and Australian address, date marking, an ingredient list, allergen declarations and a nutrition information panel, with some exemptions. Allergen labelling changed in recent years: under the Plain English Allergen Labelling rules, allergens have to be declared using specific plain names, in bold in the ingredient list, with a separate bold summary statement starting with “Contains”. FSANZ’s allergen labelling page explains the format.
Country of origin. Many foods sold in Australia need a country of origin label, and for some foods that’s the standard mark with the kangaroo symbol and a bar chart showing the share of Australian ingredients. The ACCC’s guide to what origin labels should look like explains which version applies and points to a decision tool.
Net quantity. Most packaged goods, food or not, need a measurement marking (like “250 g” or “500 mL”) on the main display panel, at a minimum text height that depends on the size of the package. The Australian Government guide to selling pre-packaged goods sets out the details. For example, on a package whose largest dimension is 120 mm or less, the printed characters need to be at least 2 mm high, and the minimum rises for larger packs. It also says goods packed in Australia need the packer’s name and a street address in Australia, not a PO box or website.
Other products. Cosmetics, children’s products, electrical goods and many others have their own labelling and safety rules. The ACCC and your industry body are the places to start.
Get this list nailed down before design starts. The required information takes up real space, and on a small label it can easily take more room than the design.
Then design for the shelf
Once you know the space and the mandatory content, the design job is about being noticed and understood in a couple of seconds, usually from a metre or two away, next to competitors.
Know your shelf. Go to where your product will be sold and photograph the shelf. Note what colours, shapes and styles dominate. If every kombucha in the fridge is pastel with a hand-drawn illustration, another pastel illustration will disappear.
Make the front do three jobs. Who makes it (brand), what it is (product name and type), and why this one (the flavour, the variant or a single key point). Everything else goes on the back or side.
Make variants easy to tell apart. If you have five flavours, a shopper should be able to spot theirs without reading. A consistent layout with a distinct colour per variant works well.
Test it at shelf distance. Print a mock-up, stick it on a real container, put it on a shelf among competitors and step back two metres. Can you tell what it is? Does it look like it belongs in that price range?
Protect your brand. If your packaging is your brand, check the name and logo before you print thousands. Our article on trade marks for small businesses explains the basics.
What printers will ask about
Label and packaging printers have constraints that affect the design. Talk to them early, ideally before final artwork.
- Label stock. Paper labels are cheaper but can wrinkle or smudge in a fridge or bathroom. Synthetic films handle moisture better. Clear labels need white ink under coloured areas, or the colours look washed out.
- Finishes. Foil, spot varnish and embossing can look great, but each adds cost and setup. Ask what minimum quantities make them worth it.
- Small text. Very small or thin text, especially reversed out of a dark background, can fill in when printed. Your printer will have a minimum, and it may be larger than you’d like.
- Barcodes. If you’re selling through retailers, you’ll likely need a GS1 barcode. Barcodes have size and colour requirements, and dark bars on a light background scan reliably. Red bars often don’t scan.
- Roll direction. If labels will be applied by a machine, the printer needs to know which way they unwind off the roll.
- Colour. For a consistent brand colour across runs and materials, you may need a spot (Pantone) colour rather than CMYK. Ask for a proof on the actual stock.
The general rules in our guide to print-ready files still apply: correct bleed, safe zones and high-resolution images.
Small runs first
For a new product, a short digital print run is usually a better first step than a big offset or flexo run. It costs more per label, but you can test the design in real stores, find the problems and fix them before committing to thousands. In our experience, something almost always changes after the first run.
The same thinking applies in hospitality, where menus change constantly. Our menu design tips cover building designs that are easy to update.
Your order of work
- Choose and buy samples of the container
- Get the dieline from your supplier or printer
- List every piece of required information and check it against the official guidance
- Draft the back of pack first, so you know how much space is left
- Design the front for shelf impact
- Mock it up on a real container and test it on a real shelf
- Get a printed proof on the actual stock
- Do a short first run
We design labels and packaging for small product brands, from a single jar label to a full range. Our branding and packaging design service can work with your printer on the technical side, and once the packs are printed, our in-house photographers can shoot them for your website with product photography. Get in touch once you’ve got a sample container on your desk.