Label design, a synthesis of effectiveness and beauty

What elements today make a label stand out and impress in the memory? Is it possible to identify new trends in design, choice of substrates and printing processes? We talked about this with Laura Moretti, visual communication designer and head of Studio Moretti, Andrea Basile, founder of the creative studio BasileADV and Ilaria Bontempo and Matteo Zantedeschi, both art directors of the communication agency Advision.

By Roberta Ragona

In everyday language, "to label" means to classify someone or something generically and hastily: but there is nothing hasty and even less generic when it comes to labelling a product that must stand out and make a difference on the market.

Labels are an exercise in synthesis and communication skills, capable of summarising a quantity of essential information in a small space, from brand values to everything the consumer needs to know, as required by law, about the product he is buying. Every millimetre of the label counts. But what are currently the characteristics that make a label stand out in the magnum sea of communication? Is it possible to identify signs of the direction taken from the point of view of communication and the sustainability of media and processing?

Anatomy of a seductive label, between aesthetics and matter

In the area of graphic design, Andrea Basile, founder of BasileADV, points out the importance of type design: "In recent years, there has been a particular focus on the typographic aspect of label design, not only concerning text but with the use of fonts as a distinctive graphic element, which integrates pictographic elements and hand lettering. We rely on expert calligraphers such as Giuseppe Salerno, an Italian-Spanish type designer. In bottles destined for high-end wine and spirits, there is a tendency to use graphic and typographic choices with a vintage feel, which refers to the concept of heritage and workmanship honed through a long tradition. In contrast, fonts with strong shapes and a graphic use of black and white for customers with more contemporary identities convey strength and personality."

Laura Moretti notes, in particular, the return of illustration, which allows solutions for brand narration that combine synthesis and expressiveness. "The boundaries between graphics, illustration and typography are much more porous and in a mutual dialogue. For our clients, we often use manual lettering and calligraphy in combination with techniques such as embossing, which allows us to give character to labels without subjecting the materials to processes that diminish their sustainability or make end-of-life management more complicated".

The desire for textured substrates and a particular focus on the sustainability of materials is what Ilaria Bontempo and Matteo Zantedeschi of AD-Vision also see. Bontempo notes: "There is certainly a strong desire for materiality at the moment. Even on labels, we can see that customers are turning to papers with very distinctive textures or processes that use a superimposition of papers. Twenty years ago, coated paper was the preferred choice, but today it is a material that has practically disappeared in sectors such as wine and high-end spirits."


High-end sustainability

But what does a label need to be sustainable? And how can the drive towards sustainability be combined with the aesthetic research typical of the high-end?
As Laura Moretti points out, some characteristics can now be considered essential: "Our labelling projects now include sustainable materials, recycled and FSC-certified paper in almost all cases. We try to consider it the standard to start from and suggest various actions to reuse or recycle the packaging. But it is only a starting point: broadening the horizon, the sustainability of a supply chain must be a strategic business approach, including workers' rights and practices capable of driving change. Companies have realised that social responsibility and sustainability are not just elements of communication, but an integral part of the process, and communicating this to the consumer is the final piece of a job that involves the whole supply chain."

In the field of labelling, this concept translates into ongoing research on materials; as Andrea Basile says: "The main characteristics that a label must have to be sustainable are the use of natural supports and removable glues. At present, the sample books of paper and foil suppliers offer an increasingly wide range of options deriving from the reuse of materials that have been given a second life. One example is the Kurz Group and its exclusive distributor for Italy Luxoro, which offer finishing colours that can be disposed of in normal de-inking processes and do not affect substrates' recyclability. Another example is Fedrigoni Self-Adhesives, which - in addition to FSC papers - also offer materials with significant percentages of materials such as hemp, fruit waste and pomace. One more example is Avery Dennison, which has a paper made from 90% of sugar cane production waste in its catalogue."

Ilaria Bontempo and Matteo Zantedeschi point out that research into materials used in labelling has reached such a stage of maturity that there is no longer any difference in aesthetic performance between a sustainable material and one obtained using the processes that were the standard until a few years ago: "Not all customers seek or require these material effects. In the case of papers, there is virtually no difference between 100 per cent recycled and others, so even a customer with a more refined aesthetic can use completely sustainable materials without departing from their own style. In this case, the difference is really in the practice, without it necessarily becoming a key aspect of the communication, which can focus on other messages that are more important to the target audience, but still having a substantial change upstream."

The IQ of labels

The other aspect that packaging can no longer ignore is the integration of the physical and digital worlds, where the label is the bridge between the physical object and online communication activities, part of an increasingly integrated ecosystem. Laura Moretti emphasises how important this is for a sector in which the product is part of a multisensory experience: "Smart labelling is an ideal solution for integrating value into the label and highlighting high-end products that focus on the experience as an integral part of the story, outside of a rationale based solely on price. The labels of the pack we created for Enoteca Pinchiori's Unico72 chocolate, for example, contain a QR code that leads the user to a multidisciplinary project in which a Michelin-starred chef, a master chocolatier and a graphic designer describe the genesis of this blend created to celebrate the winery's fiftieth anniversary." "The QR code boom," says Matteo Zantedeschi, "is exemplary of a trend that increasingly sees interaction between the physical and the digital. From a technological point of view, it is a design tool that has existed for some time; it became as widespread as it is today when it provided a simple answer to the general communicative need to have access to more information than is printed."

It is not only about product narration but also communication methods that take into account the new habits of users. As Andrea Basile notes: "Smart labelling allows us to meet the needs of consumers who are increasingly used to looking for product information online, even when they are physically in the shops. A new project that we are working on with the Nifo Sarrapochiello winery in Ponte (BN) involves incorporating RFID technology into the labels of the entire product line. In this way, the winery can accompany the consumer through the different stages of natural wine production: from the terroir to the harvest, from bottling to tasting, right up to assessing the environmental impact of the entire production cycle."

But the appeal to the values and region expressed in a product does not necessarily pass through digital technologies but also through intelligent use of the possibilities offered by enhancement. Ilaria Bontempo gives the example of the label designed for the La Villa winery: "For this Amarone, we were inspired by the discovery of the mosaic of the Roman villa in the Negrar vineyards. The label is enhanced with a scratch-off varnish that hides the image of the mosaic, and tied to the neck of the bottle is a medal reproducing one of the Roman coins found during the excavations to be used to scratch off the surface and bring the mosaic to light. In this way, by using extremely analogical elements, we have created a strong link between the wine label and the region of which it is an expression."


The added value of experimentation, personalisation and customisation

At particular times in the communicative life of products, there is an increasing demand for customisation or experimentation that can lead to unusual customised solutions. "Our customers," says Laura Moretti, "envisage the possibility of personalisation in conjunction with specific projects, such as the launch of a capsule collection, a limited edition or a tasting. Numbered edition labels, perhaps made using printing techniques that recall more artisanal imagery, help communicate the event's exceptionality and the value of the product and the experience."

Personalisation is also often an opportunity to experiment, as Andrea Basile points out: "For these short-run editions, it is possible to resort to the use of more unusual enhancements on the labels, such as varnishes mixed with sand, metallic or glitter colours, or the addition of elements such as resin seals. In addition, there is much more of a paper aspect to the label, such as die-cutting and cutting where part of the paper is removed to create graphic effects showing the glass of the bottle".

Matteo Zantedeschi emphasises that the role of designers in the personalisation of labelling is as much about finding the right solution for specific requests as it is about making sure that customers are aware of the technological possibilities available to them for their future strategies: "At the moment, the most common request in terms of personalisation concerns limited editions, with more subjects and different creativity. It is still rare in the label world that there is a strong data-driven strategy to exploit the technological possibilities of consumer-focused personalisation. As designers, we always try to make our customers aware of the possibilities of variable data digital printing. Customers should be aware of it, as it can be the ideal answer to needs that may arise in the future in their communication strategy."

Simple solutions - on the surface - for complex communication problems: perhaps there is no better way to summarise the incredible amount of work concentrated in the small space of a label.


Laura Moretti - Studio Moretti
www.lauramoretti.com
Laura Moretti is the founder and Creative Director of Studio Moretti, based in Florence and Montevarchi (AR). She has created communication and packaging design projects for clients such as Enoteca Pinchiori, Ricasoli and the Institut Français. She teaches at the IED in Florence and is one of the co-founders of the AWDA - Aiap Women in Design Award.

Andrea Basile - BasileADV
www.andreabasile.it
Andrea Basile is the founder and Creative Director of BasileADV, a multidisciplinary communication studio based in Bonito (AV), specialising in branding and packaging with a particular focus on food, wine and spirits clients such as Cantina Camusi, Distilleria Antonellis and Di Iorio.


Ilaria Bontempo and Matteo Zantedeschi - Advision
www.ad-vision.it
Ilaria Bontempo and Matteo Zantedeschi are both Art Directors at Advision, an integrated communication agency based in Marano di Valpolicella (VR) that deals with comprehensive communication campaigns; it has a particular focus on the Valpolicella area and wine design for clients such as Tenuti Ugolini, Cantine Valpolicella di Negrar and Corte Moschina.