How to Design a Product Label: Step-by-Step

October 29, 2025
admin

Designing labels that sell and comply with India’s rules isn’t guess work; it’s a process. This set of information gives Indian founders, brand managers, and designers a clear, practical path to create FMCG labels that look premium, print flawlessly, scan reliably, and clear compliance checks.

We’ll also showcase how to design a product label size/dieline, information to include, branding, materials/printing, legibility, colour & fonts, adhesive choice, barcodes “smart labels”, vendor selection, and estimating quantities, so you don’t miss anything important.

The Importance of Labels Matters Right Now

India is now the third-largest packaging market in the world, making store shelves quickly become much more crowded. Because of this rapid growth, the quality of your label is hugely important. A strong, professional label helps customers remember your brand, lets you charge a fair price for your product, and ensures you stay compliant as food rules change.

Measure the printable area on your actual container, flat panels on cartons, curved wrap on bottles, or small caps.
Ask your printer for a dieline with bleed, trim, and safe zone. For your exact SKU and container size.
Consider variants early (250 ml vs 500 ml) so you can reuse layouts with minor swaps.
This foundation reflects the first “size” step rivals highlight and prevents rework later.

What must go on the Label?

The process of how to design a product label follows with different types of vertical:

Mentioning the name & address of the manufacturer, MRP (₹), net quantity, month & year of packing, and other declarations as per the Legal Metrology. Keeping them legible and prominent.
As per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations implemented in 2020, for mandatory panels like veg/non-veg logo, nutritional table, ingredients, allergens, FSSAI licence & logo, batch/lot, dates, claims, use the latest compiled guidance. Keeping in mind the recent directions tightening claims, e.g., FSSAI ordered brands to avoid “100% purity”-type of absolutes on labels and promotions.
Cosmetics Rules, 2020 / CDSCO should include English/Hindi labelling with manufacturer details, batch number, dates, warnings, and category-specific declarations.

Maintenance of Brand Consistency

Lock your logo, clearspace, brand colours, and type hierarchy (Headline → Subhead → Body → Legal).
Use consistent iconography (e.g., claims icons, certification marks) and variant logic (e.g., flavour colours).
Keep a one-page label style sheet so future SKUs match today’s look. This aligns with competitor guidance on “branding before anything else.”

Materials And Printing: How to Design a Label

Competitor checklists emphasise pairing the right substrate with printing methods like digital, flexo, and screen, for durability and cost. For the best results, this needs exact points to know how to design a product label:

Food jars / FMCG: White PP/BOPP with matte lamination (grease-resistant, wipeable).
Beverages: Wet-strength papers for condensation; test on chilled bottles.
Cosmetics: Silver BOPP for a metallised premium look; pair with spot white.
Pharma/OTC: Tamper-evident or destructible films; clean peel if required for secondary packs.
Sustainability: Explore recycled papers, wash-off adhesives for PET recycling, and water-based varnishes.
Competitor checklists emphasise pairing the right substrate with the right printing method (digital, flexo, screen) for durability and cost.

Legibility Beats Cleverness

Target 7–9 pt minimum for body text on most FMCG labels; 10+ pt if the surface is curved or textured.
Keep high contrast ratios; avoid white text on light tints for ingredients/allergens.
Use real print proofs legible on screen ≠ , legible on foil, or textured papers.

Convert final colours to CMYK or define Pantone spots for brand hues; request printer swatches on your actual stock.
Restrict to 2–3 typefaces max; pick a clean sans for legal info.
For premium SKUs, consider spot varnish on the logomark and cold foil for accents and test light/dark shelf environments. Competitors call out colour & font discipline as a distinct step.

Adhesive Matters: Climate, Surface, Lifecycle

HDPE/LDPE bottles: require adhesive tuned for low-energy plastics.
Chilled chains: pick cold-temperature or wet-strength adhesives.
Returnable glass/recycling goals: wash-off or clean-removal adhesives.
This is often skipped, yet rivals list “choose the type of adhesive” for good reason.

Smart labels, barcodes & QR: Make Your Trustworthy

In India, GS1 India is the only authorised provider for barcodes beginning with the ‘890’ prefix essential for retail and marketplaces. Don’t buy shady third-party numbers.
QR codes are now mainstream for authenticity, traceability, and storytelling: surveys show high consumer usage, and India’s QR label market is projected to grow rapidly this decade. Design with adequate size/contrast and test across common phones.
Real-world adoption: state and city bodies increasingly use QR verification (e.g., Andhra Pradesh’s liquor authenticity app). Conversely, poorly implemented QR programs can fail. Kolkata’s “green cracker” case shows why secure codes and robust backends matter.

Pick the right labelling partner

Look for end-to-end capability: prepress, colour management, multiple print processes (digital for short runs/VDP; flexo for large runs), finishing (lamination, foil, emboss), and regulatory savvy for Legal Metrology/FSSAI placement.
Ask for press-matched proofs and a colour profile for your exact stock.
Validate GS1 integration, serialisation, and QC (barcode grade reports). This showcases competitor checklists on selecting a labelling partner.

Quantify Your Needs: Control Cost

Estimate MOQ & reorder cadence per SKU; avoid overprinting variants that will change.
Use digital for trials/seasonals (no plate cost), flexo for steady movers.
Bundle common components (e.g., back panel) and variable-print the flavour band to save tooling. Competitors close with “quantify your custom labeling needs.”

Compliance Mini-checklist

Legal Metrology: Name & address; MRP (₹); net quantity; dates; clear, prominent declarations with minimum numeral heights.
Food (FSSAI): Veg/non-veg logo; nutrition table; ingredients & allergens; FSSAI logo & licence; batch/lot; claims aligned with current directions (avoid absolute “100% purity” claims).
Cosmetics: English/Hindi; batch no.; manufacturer/importer; expiry; warnings. Barcodes: GS1 (’890’ for India) with print quality grade; don’t shrink below scannability thresholds.

How to Design a Label: A Fast, Repeatable Workflow

Lock container measurements → get the dieline.
Map mandatory and marketing info
Build the brand grid like the logo zones, hierarchy, and colour tokens.
Choose substrate and adhesive for your use case and climate.
Decide print method (digital/flexo) and finishing (matte, foil, emboss).
Place and grade barcodes/QR; test on multiple phones/scanners.
Produce a press-matched proof; verify legibility and compliance.
Run a pilot batch; test on the actual line (wrap, curl, bleed).
Approve; document a one-page spec (stock, adhesive, inks, tolerances).
Set up version control for future variants.

Common Mistakes With Simple Fixes

Tiny type for ingredients/allergens → Raise base size and compress legal using a narrower font, not a smaller size.
Over-metallic designs on curved bottles → Add spot white under type; increase contrast.
Barcodes failing at checkout → Print darker, avoid glossy overprint directly on code, and increase quiet zones.
Claims that invite scrutiny → Align with FSSAI directions and keep evidence files handy. The Economic Times

Recent numbers worth noting

India’s packaging industry crossed ₹7.36 lakh crore in 2024 and is set for double-digit growth, implying fiercer shelf competition and more label SKUs.
QR use is booming, consumer surveys report heavy scanning rates, and India’s QR label market could expand at a fast clip through 2031, with a plan for on-pack digital journeys.

Why Indian Brands Choose Prakash Label

Learn from the best how to design a label. Whether digital or a big flexo run, Prakash Label produces flawless color, sharp small font, and quality finishes, matte, foil, emboss, or tactile varnish. Our engineers select the appropriate paper or film and adhesive to match the weather and cold-chain storage of India and rigid plastics, and test it with your actual stock. Require GS1 barcodes 890, serial numbers, smart QR codes? We offer grading and validation to them. Fast service, nationwide delivery, compliance assistance (Legal Metrology/FSSAI labels), and variation management that scales with you are all to be expected. To have labels that are not only great looking, but also they have to work perfectly, give Prakash Label a call.

Conclusion

Once you do this India-centric, compliance-first workflow, including acquiring the cut lines, order of information, paper/glue selection, print approach, and heavy barcodes/QR codes, you will have made labels that sell, scan, and pass inspection. Maintain a current specification sheet, make pilot samples, and build to variability so that you can expand without recreations. As competition intensifies in the Indian packaging market, good labels become a major strength. In the case of teams that begin at present and expand over time, here is how to design a product label to get driven by in the real world.

FAQs

1) Do I really need the best labelling companies to sell online?
Prakash Labels is currently flourishing in its work, leading the industry and manufacturing some of the best A1-level labels.

2) Should I add a QR code, and what size works best?
Yes, for authenticity, traceability, and UTM-tracked landing pages. Use high contrast, at least ~20 mm on pack for most FMCG, with clear, quiet zones. Test on common Android/iOS devices post-print.

3) What must be on my label to stay compliant in India?

Legal Metrology: MRP (₹), net quantity, month/year, name & address, batch/lot.
Food (FSSAI): veg/non-veg logo, nutrition table, ingredients, allergens, licence no.
Keep body text ~7–9 pt+, avoid absolute claims unless substantiated.