You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer to design great clothing labels. Whether you have chosen a woven or printed label, getting them made is easier than ever. Label builders, like the one we have here at Dutch Label Shop, make it simple to design your label with no prior design experience needed. Alternatively, if you have a logo or font already, you can use any design software you would usually use, such as Photoshop or Illustrator, to design your perfect label.
After seeing thousands of designs made into labels we have a pretty good idea of what works, so we have included some helpful design tips to get you started. Keep in mind that these are not rules to strictly follow as we know every label is different. There will always be exceptions to these tips and we encourage you to follow your intuition when designing, they will be your labels after all!
Font & Text
Be stylish, but keep your text legible at a glance. The right font goes a long way in expressing your brand's personality, and you can use this to appeal to your intended customer. If you are taking a classic approach you might look for a typeface in the Serif category, or for something more modern and minimal, a San Serif font might appeal more. Using a Script or Handwritten font can be perfect for getting across your style, however just be careful with any fonts that have a distinctive brushstroke, grain, or texture to them which may not translate into a label as cleanly. For this reason, it can be a good idea to choose something on the simpler side, and to consider the spacing of each letter to keep it clear.
Keep an eye on the size of your letters. When using a label design tool, the minimum size of the letters will be specified. If you choose to design a woven label from scratch then you are free to choose the size of your characters yourself. We recommend any lettering be at least 1.5mm for it to be readable. For hard-to-read fonts such as those in the script family, they will need to be larger than this. Another recommendation is to print your label design at 100% scale on any home printer to get a feel for the size and scale of your design. If you are finding it difficult to read when printed then play around with the size and weighting of the font to see if you can make it clearer.
Brand Artwork & Logo
Leave your mark. A label offers the opportunity to use the same creativity that you used to build your brand, for your brand’s artwork too. How can you do this? By first defining the core values of your company. For example, if your products are modern and designed for a younger buyer, use some of those modern elements such as sleek graphic lines and pop colors in your brand artwork. If your products are ultra-minimal, then reflect that back into your garment label by using a clean font with a lot of white space.
Less is more in logo design. A strong, simple logo will stick better with your customers than a busy logo displaying too much information. A straightforward logo design will also translate well to a woven label without losing any detail. The weaving process used when making woven labels will add a whole new dimension to your logo as it adds texture and a subtle luster. This makes them look much more luxurious than they would on a computer screen.
Colors
Choose the right colors for your label. Select colors that match your brand and ones that frequently occur in your other products as well. Colors can evoke certain emotions, so you can use that to your advantage. Light blue is often associated with freshness, bright yellow radiates happiness, and red is a powerful color that expresses strong emotions. Using colors to create associations in the minds of your customers can be useful for the branding of your product or collection.
How many colors is too many? When designing your labels, keep in mind the maximum amount of colors you can use with your preferred type of label. Woven labels can have a maximum of 12 colors (including any shades), so you will need to make sure your design is under that limit. If your intended design does have color gradients or just more than 12 colors, you might have to go for a digitally printed label that doesn't have any limitations on the number of colors.
For further help on designing your perfect brand labels, make sure to check out our FAQ page. If you still can't find what you are looking for, contact our lovely customer service for any questions, big or small!
