Words have power. And those on a product label? They are often the first and only interaction a consumer has with a brand. This makes typography a critical element in product label design.

The type you use on product labels shouldn’t just be legible — it also needs to be readable. Readability goes beyond how legible or well-defined the typography is. It is about how easily a label can be read and understood as a whole.

Readability looks at how the type sits on the design and whether the consumer understands everything your brand is trying to convey in the very tiny real estate it has on a product label. It involves factors like font size, line spacing, and the overall layout on the product label. 

In this article, we will be discussing how good typography lends itself to readability, how you can harmonize design and typography to ensure readability, and some best practices to follow.

Key typography elements for readability

While typography involves several elements like kerning and X-height, this article will focus on the simplest elements that you can work with to ensure readability.

Font

Many designers choose sans-serif fonts for body texts as they are considered a bit more modern than serifs and are generally easier to read. Serifs are great for headlines or accents, giving a classic and authoritative look to your labels.

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Font size

The text should be large enough to be read easily from a normal viewing distance — you don’t want your consumers squinting at labels in the supermarket. Also, create hierarchy by using different font sizes to distinguish between headings, subheadings, and body text.

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Pro-tip: Choose a font size that is proportional to the label’s dimensions.

Line spacing

Make sure there is enough space between different lines of text for easy reading. Too much or too little spacing can hinder readability — when in doubt, Goldilocks it!

Remember that font styles and sizes can also affect line spacing. Larger font sizes generally require more line spacing. Similarly, condensed fonts might need more leading than expanded fonts.

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Letter spacing

Similar to line spacing, letter spacing, too, assists with readability. In smaller fonts and condensed typefaces, increasing letter spacing enhances the clarity of individual letters. Use letter spacing smartly to achieve visual balance and draw attention to specific words or phrases.

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Alignment

Alignment helps you create visual hierarchy, guiding the consumer’s eyes to important information on the label. 

Choose alignment based on the label copy and its desired effect. While left alignment is generally considered the most readable for blocks of text, right alignment lends itself to creative and artistic effects on the product label. Centered alignment is also great for headings and shorter text blocks.

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Best fonts for labels

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to what is the best font for product labels. Different font types work for different labels based on the emotions they are looking to invoke in consumers.

Serif fonts are usually considered traditional and elegant. Sans-serif fonts, on the other hand, are generally considered modern and clean.

While these two are more common packaging fonts, some designers also use script and decorative fonts, albeit mainly on headlines. The former adds a personal touch while the latter is unique and attention-grabbing. Both, however, are best used sparingly to ensure readability.

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6 best practices for readable labels

Creating a label that is both visually appealing and easy to read requires a balance of design elements. Here are 6 best practices to keep in mind for typography packaging projects.

1. Contrast is key

Contrast helps you enhance the clarity, visual appeal, and overall effectiveness of your product label design. Here are 4 ways in which you can establish contrast while designing a product label:

• Color: There needs to be a difference in lightness or darkness between your label copy and background. High contrast improves legibility and readability. Also, ensure the color combinations you use are visually appealing.
• Size: As we already discussed, varying packaging font sizes creates a hierarchy, making it easy to differentiate between different types of text on labels. For instance, legal or regulatory information is usually in the smallest font size.
• Weight: Use different font weights to emphasize different information on your labels. For example, the product name may be in bold, large font weight as opposed to the ingredient list in regular weight for easy readability.
• Style: Remember, it’s not always just serif or sans-serif. Combine different font styles to create hierarchy, but tread carefully. Too many style differences can create confusion on a label.

2. Understand your audience

This is not just for NPD teams. As a designer, you need to fully understand your ideal customer so as to not unknowingly exclude them from consuming your product. Some factors to consider are their demographics (age, gender, location,...), psychographics (lifestyle, values, interests,...) visual acuity, and dexterity. 

Completely understanding the audience persona will help you to create labels that resonate with your customers.

3. Use color psychology

Color doesn’t just help you create contrast in label designs. It also helps you highlight specific information and evoke the mood you want. For example, a food label could use red for allergen information and green to indicate organic ingredients.

Color can also pull attention towards a call to action or create visual hierarchy on the label design.

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4. Prioritize information

We’ve talked about hierarchy a lot through this article. But it’s so crucial, it deserves extra attention. Use typography, size, and placement to establish a clear hierarchy of information. Establishing a hierarchy also helps you present the most important information prominently on the label.

Hierarchy is the invisible guide that directs the consumer’s eye when they read labels. While customers may not consciously realize it, hierarchy is the reason why they instinctively notice the product name and brand first before moving on to nutritional information and ingredient lists.

5. Optimize layout and organization

Similar to visual hierarchy, the way you utilize white space and create uncluttered layouts massively help in creating a clean, readable label that is also visually appealing. Consistent alignment creates a sense of order, while balancing elements gives you a visually pleasing label composition. 

6. Test, test, test

Conduct user testing to gather feedback from potential consumers. This will help you identify areas of improvement and further refine your product label design.

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By following these best practices, you can create labels that are readable, effectively communicate product information, and engage consumers.

Wrapping up

Typography helps you ensure your product labels give consumers the exact information they need without confusing them. An online proofing tool and label compliance software like Artwork Flow can help you bring your team together to review typography packaging design together. This way, your product labels get approved fast and your brand can go to market much faster. Get in touch with us today if you’d like to learn more.

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