A label is the face of a product on the shelf and in a marketplace feed. It explains what's inside, who the product is for, and why it deserves trust — in the same second a shopper decides whether to grab it or walk past. Let's break down what label design consists of, how the development process unfolds step by step, where you can create a label online, and what drives the price.

What label design includes

Product label design isn't just a pretty picture. It's a system of decisions that has to work on the shelf, in your hand, and on a phone screen. A good label includes:

  • Composition and hierarchy — what the shopper sees first: name, flavour, volume.
  • Logo and brand identity — on the label, the logo and design should speak the same language as the brand.
  • Legibility of fine print: ingredients, volume, standards, barcode, mandatory labelling.
  • Shape and die-cut — round, oval, custom. A round label is designed differently from a rectangular one.
  • Technical print requirements: bleeds, colour profile, material type.

Different categories — different rules

There's no such thing as a universal label. Every category has its own codes and shopper expectations:

  • Bottle label design — here shape matters: the label bends, and colour behaves differently on glass versus PET.
  • Water labels: still and mineral water design leans toward cleanliness, blues, and a sense of transparency.
  • Wine label design is about status and character: typography, textured paper, restraint — or, on the contrary, boldness.
  • Beer and soda label design — brightness, personality, often illustrations and humour.
  • Cosmetics, oils, candles, soap — minimalism, whitespace, an emphasis on naturalness.

So before you create a label, it's worth deciding on a style: label design can be minimalist, vintage, illustrative, or craft. The style is dictated not by the designer's taste but by the competitors' shelf and your customer.

Label design stages

Developing a packaging label is a process, not a single template mockup. It usually goes like this:

  • Brief and analysis. We study the product, competitors, category, and labelling requirements.
  • Concept. We work out label design options — usually two or three distinct directions.
  • Artwork. We refine the chosen concept into a final layout: composition, colour, typography.
  • Print prep. We build the layout with bleeds and the correct colour profile — the very file that lets label design and printing go without surprises.
Case in pointAdapting Azure to a new format — the plastic jarSee the case

Label design online: DIY or with a studio

There are two paths. The first is to design a label online yourself. There are label design programs and online builders where you can take a template, swap out the text and colours. There's also free label design in editors like Canva, specialised software (BarTender for standard stickers, for example), and AI label design tools that generate a concept from a prompt. That's a workable option for testing a hypothesis or a small run.

The downside is the cookie-cutter feel. Creating a label online from a ready-made template is fast, but such a label looks like dozens of others and rarely makes a product stand out. The second path is to commission the work from a studio or designer when you need a recognisable, on-brand label design tailored to a specific product and print.

How much label design costs

The price of label design depends on complexity, the number of concepts, the category, and whether you also need packaging design — boxes and labels as a set. The cost of label design from a freelancer versus a studio can differ many times over: a low price usually hides a template and revisions billed separately.

What affects how much label design costs:

  • Number of SKUs — a range of flavours or volumes is cheaper per item.
  • Complexity of illustrations and typography.
  • Whether adaptation for different shapes and print formats is needed.
  • Whether you already have a logo or it also needs to be developed.

How to order

If you need a label designed for your task — from water and wine to cosmetics and sausage — come to adbydad. We create label design for a specific product, prepare the print-ready file, and, if needed, help you order self-adhesive labels with your own design. Send us a brief — we'll propose options and estimate the cost for your task.