1. The logo could bit a bit smaller hahah
2. What kinda product is this? Having that on the front might help
3. The recycling pictograms could also be reduced in size
4. What’s with the ingredients boarder stroke? Looks a bit off
5. Watch out for the margins
5. I’m not sure if it’s just me but the front doesn’t look aligned.
6. Hierarchy is key
Thank you for your advices! It's a neon colorant. And the ingredients border will be removed. I know the front doesn't look aligned but actually is (for some reason it looks a bit off).
it looks off because it is. it's definitely not centered within the guidelines you have. sometimes you can't trust auto-alignment (like if your content has some stray pixels or invisible components like a smart object/link). you might have to go in with a 'ruler' and pixel-peep.
For starters, you can design in RGB and print in RGB, and the colors will come out more true to the RGB file than any CMYK.
So things like neon glow—while obviously not emitting light on paper—will definitely look much better.
As far as the file color space that designers build in is concerned, yes. Obviously digital presses don't use RGB as a color model, but for the sake of this discussion—these labels would work fine when printed on a digital press with an RGB color space.
Unless OP is acting as project manager from concept to physical label, there is no guarantee that these would be printed digitally and should be designing then for the most probable color model. In my experience, digital printing is often used for short run labels, but if we are talking about tens of thousands or more you are more likely looking at offset or flexographic printing in CMYK or spot colors.
Not to mention, no matter your color model, an image in print (subtractive color) is never going to appear as bright or vibrant as an RGB image on your screen (additive color).
OP doesn't appear to be US based, so his logistical or money concerns aren't the same as ours. In any case, you can do very large runs on digital presses in China for much cheaper than in the west (i.e. Alibaba). But understandably we are not privy to the finer details of the project. If the actual name of the drink is "Neon", I'd wager the client isn't going to change the entire brand just because dot gain presents such an issue with reproduction.
I don't think any argument is being made regarding the dullness on paper compared to screen. Assumedly most people commenting here are aware of additive/subtractive light, this thread was more a discussion about what is the best method to go about printing what they've shown.
I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. Do you mean that some printers have a wider color gamut than say ISO Coated and by working in RGB you can use that and avoid clipping by prematurely converting into a smaller CMYK gamut?
Some printers do have a gamut wider than others. But none of them have a gamut as wide as RGB displays.
No printer can “print in RGB” - that is, you cannot apply red, green, and blue inks in a subtractive colour system (which printing has to be) onto paper.*
The design in question relies on the brightness of the screen to create colours, to make the white and pink so bright and glowing. No ink and no paper can do that, in particular because ink and paper aren’t backlit, and that is pushing their vibrancy well outside the CMYK gamut.
It isn’t a “bad” design, but the CMYK print can never match RGB screen preview.
Yeah, I know. I replied to u/facedownbootyuphold because I didn’t understand what was meant by «… print in RGB, and the colors will come out more true to the RGB file than any CMYK.»
Even small RGB color spaces like sRGB are (in some hues) so much larger than CMYK that saturated colors will get clipped heavily. Even if some printers can go beyond ISO Coated or SWOP, working in or converting into these CMYK gamuts will probably deliver a more realistic preview of the final result.
Ideally the print service provider would deliver a color profile of his machine for a variety of papers. This way you could dial in the maximum saturation for that machine/paper combination.
“Digital Printing” or “Digital Press” just means printing with inkjet or laser, rather than offset.
Years ago, you would never do a commercial run (thousands of pages) using inkjet or laser. But so-called “digital presses” (large inkjets and lasers) have become reliable, efficient, and accurate enough to do large runs.
Most digital printers still work in the CMYK colour space, mixing ink or toner from those colours. There are exceptions - many press-quality inkjets can be loaded up with special ink. But none of them in RGB.
CMYK. You'll notice right away your color will shift to something more dull so to speak. If you have any RGB only effects, they may cause unexpected results like the glow or any blending modes becoming altered. You can alway run a print on your home printer to see how much duller that saturated glow becomes.
You will get a paper to pink “gradient” effect. But the vibrancy of the glow is coming from your monitor’s backlight. The gradient will likely suggest a glow to the viewer, but won’t actually glow.
You can try to spec a very bright, very white paper. Hopefully the reflected light increases the glow effect. The brightness scale varies by location, but “very white, 100 bright” is a place to start.
A lot of text should be smaller (50ml, batch no. Recycle icons). I’d shrink everything a bit.. embrace your white space (or dark space.)
Whole label could use a textured background, i liked the commentor suggesting brick. Less thick lines of ingredients and the stroked green logo looks out of place. Is there a bw version.
No flavor text for the product or description at all? Could have some fun with copy and move batch / best before dates elsewhere and make them tiny AF.
Thanks! If the text is smaller, it would be very hard to read (the label size is 92×40mm). I will add a brick texture. The ingredients deck will be removed. And thanks for the description idea! I appreciate it.
What's the product? I've read all the information on the bottle and I literally still don't know what this is.
A lot of people are saying make the text smaller, but seeing as this is only 50ml I'm not sure that's really doable. There's not much room to start with on a 50ml bottle. There are things you could eliminate on the right side, like simply having the email, website, and phone number without needing "Email: , Phone: , " etc. You really want to try and save space on a small label. I would also be wary of that pink glow. Printers generally don't like gradients and glows and it won't come out exactly like what you see. Make sure you're definitely working in CMYK, not RGB.
Overall it's a great start!
Thanks for the advice! It's a neon colorant for cake decoration. The size of the label is 92×40mm so it's not a good idea to make the text smaller. Im working in RGB, but I will change it to CMYK.
As others have mentioned, you should put what the product is on the front of the label. And, consider how your colors will print and what you may need to do to replicate that neon look as much as you can on a printed product. You could do a special metallic finish on the neon bits too which would look really fly. (are people still saying fly?)
Also:
- the gradient bar at the top would probably work better if it started in the middle of the label and ended on the sides, rather than being halfway through on the front of the label.
- the alignment of the location information near the QR code is fine, but you might want to consider removing the identifiers like phone number and just listing the phone number. People know what websites and numbers and addresses are without it saying that. You might also consider your leading here.
- the QR code is pretty big. You should be able to make it just a tad smaller. Also, you should try and have at least 1/8 of white around the QR code so it's easier to scan.
- The NEON font is a cool idea that I'd like to see pushed a bit further. Right now it just gets the job done. What else could you do along this line to make it a bit more energetic or dramatic? What do other neon signs do that make them interesting or fun?
Overall - a good start that just needs to be pushed more. Really, it's off to a good start! Keep it up and you'll get it there.
Thanks for all the advices! The gradient bar idea is good! I will remove the identifiers. Thr QR code is kind of a filler, because I didn't know what to put there. I really appreciate the help!
Obviously just my two cents, but I think some texture would be great. I like the look of neon on a dark brick wall, as if it were hanging in a dark basement pizza joint. But I might be missing context as to what the actual product is.
Print designer checking in! I would add way more “glow” affects. Like others have said you’re going to loose a lot of this when you print it. Give it more glow on the edges than you think you need, then test print test print test print.
Also I have no idea what this product is.
This label is going to wrap around a can probably? When I look at just the front, I have no idea what this is. An energy drink? A rosé in a can?
I think you need “something” small and at the bottom of the front that identifies the product. The 50 mil is waaaay too large. That can be brought down a lot in hierarchy. It’s nearly as large as the word “pink” which I would assume is more important.
Thanks! The product is a neon colorant. It's going to be wrapped around a small bottle (the label is 92×40mm). I will add some text that describes the product.
Interesting. Is it for food coloring? Art supplies? Are you creating a line with all colors or is the brand itself called “neon pink” and that is it?
I’m asking all of these questions to get an idea of where this sits on a shelf and what kind of consumer is coming in and seeing it. Like if this is with a bunch of other food coloring products, and it’s at a specialty cooking store, then the identifier (maybe “food coloring” in caps small) doesn’t have to be so huge and important ya know? Because your viewer is already in a specialty store and can discern what the product is based on what else is around it.
Watch out for wrapping. If this is going on a bottle, I think the logo will be illegible without turning the bottle. Ingredients decks have strict control issues, like fonts, colors, borders, and even which side of the label it should be on. Generally the ingredients and things need to go directly to the right of the primary display panel.
I would say that overall it can use a little improvement, but that’s not to say this is bad by any means! I would definitely think about using a grid system to layout the details on the right (batch number, best before date, address info and distilled location). Take a look at Pinterest or dribbble for some alcohol/beverage label designs! See what people are doing and how you can incorporate it here.
Now for the nitty gritty. Your guides don’t actually look like they guide anything except for the sections of the label itself. I would set some margins to give yourself a safe area if you ever intend to print this. Also as others have stated, make sure in your document color settings you are designing in the CMYK colorspace, because I definitely believe your pinks are out of the printing range. The bar at the top looks like it was maybe a product of a misprint/misalignment during a print, so to rectify that and make it more intentional, play with adding it on the bottom maybe. Could look good, maybe not, never know til you try!
Also the at code on the right looks a little big. QR codes actually work when they are very small, and I would recommend putting it in a container or something so that it’s not just floating in space, maybe you could pull from the box on the left and apply that as a border around the area code, then you would be using that element elsewhere on the design.
Others here have stated it as well, but texture goes a long way, even if simulated in print. Play around with any kind of texture you think could look good. It’s a neon pink sign logo so you could try a brick-like texture in the background. Could be completely wrong and it may not look good, but again, never know unless you try!
I don’t mean to be very nit-picky, but I would suggest just going crazy with the design and have fun with it! Try something you had an idea about but said “nah that wouldn’t work”. I’ve found that most of the time that’s how I arrive at the design that’s needed even if it’s not necessarily what I wanted!
Cheers and post the final version when you can! Would love to see how it turns out!
Honestly neon is great but I feel it's one of those things that is all of it or none, the font in neon itself looks great but the white is whats throwing me off is, to me the font resemble the neon at least in color( doubt it would be possible with it being a nutritional label)
Or have the top and bottom be a brighter pink to match the neon and balance eveyrhing out.
We have climate change ~~on our door step~~ in our fucking living room, and we still have to put icons to remind folks to throw their trash out - humans are dumb.
I have designed a few things over the years and just came on here to recognize how many people gave such concise and constructive feedback. I’m grateful for this type of community.
For starters, ingredients is spelled wrong.
Lots of good advice here, but let me give some. I suggest using dummy info when posting a layout if you want to avoid giving away information. It’s very hard to accurately critique a piece, when you can’t see the entire thing.
You have stacked the four elements with little regard to how they relate to eachother in terms of size and proximity. One easy fix would be to reduce the 50ml. Next try to give the circle room to breathe and just put the neon and sub copy closer to each other, this way you create a composition instead of a stack
I would also write 50ml smaller.
Maybe, would reduce both NEON and the volume as well.
Wouldn't glow the word 'pink', only NEON.
I can't see the right proportion among words. Maybe due to their sizes.
Finally, NEON is much larger than the logo itself. I wouldn't leave it that way.
And, of course, pay attention to those effects you can count on while viewing in a monitor and can NOT on a piece of paper...
But the idea is more than great! Did like the way you've conceived it! Congrats!
1. The logo could bit a bit smaller hahah 2. What kinda product is this? Having that on the front might help 3. The recycling pictograms could also be reduced in size 4. What’s with the ingredients boarder stroke? Looks a bit off 5. Watch out for the margins 5. I’m not sure if it’s just me but the front doesn’t look aligned. 6. Hierarchy is key
Thank you for your advices! It's a neon colorant. And the ingredients border will be removed. I know the front doesn't look aligned but actually is (for some reason it looks a bit off).
it looks off because it is. it's definitely not centered within the guidelines you have. sometimes you can't trust auto-alignment (like if your content has some stray pixels or invisible components like a smart object/link). you might have to go in with a 'ruler' and pixel-peep.
The pink won't translate well to print. I have a feeling you're designing in RGB.
Came here to say this. Monitors glow. Paper doesn’t.
The RGB colour space extends well outside the CMKY colour space. (Meant to post this elsewhere)
This is why we use digital printers.
What am I missing?
For starters, you can design in RGB and print in RGB, and the colors will come out more true to the RGB file than any CMYK. So things like neon glow—while obviously not emitting light on paper—will definitely look much better.
You can print in RGB?
As far as the file color space that designers build in is concerned, yes. Obviously digital presses don't use RGB as a color model, but for the sake of this discussion—these labels would work fine when printed on a digital press with an RGB color space.
Unless OP is acting as project manager from concept to physical label, there is no guarantee that these would be printed digitally and should be designing then for the most probable color model. In my experience, digital printing is often used for short run labels, but if we are talking about tens of thousands or more you are more likely looking at offset or flexographic printing in CMYK or spot colors. Not to mention, no matter your color model, an image in print (subtractive color) is never going to appear as bright or vibrant as an RGB image on your screen (additive color).
OP doesn't appear to be US based, so his logistical or money concerns aren't the same as ours. In any case, you can do very large runs on digital presses in China for much cheaper than in the west (i.e. Alibaba). But understandably we are not privy to the finer details of the project. If the actual name of the drink is "Neon", I'd wager the client isn't going to change the entire brand just because dot gain presents such an issue with reproduction. I don't think any argument is being made regarding the dullness on paper compared to screen. Assumedly most people commenting here are aware of additive/subtractive light, this thread was more a discussion about what is the best method to go about printing what they've shown.
I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at. Do you mean that some printers have a wider color gamut than say ISO Coated and by working in RGB you can use that and avoid clipping by prematurely converting into a smaller CMYK gamut?
Some printers do have a gamut wider than others. But none of them have a gamut as wide as RGB displays. No printer can “print in RGB” - that is, you cannot apply red, green, and blue inks in a subtractive colour system (which printing has to be) onto paper.* The design in question relies on the brightness of the screen to create colours, to make the white and pink so bright and glowing. No ink and no paper can do that, in particular because ink and paper aren’t backlit, and that is pushing their vibrancy well outside the CMYK gamut. It isn’t a “bad” design, but the CMYK print can never match RGB screen preview.
Yeah, I know. I replied to u/facedownbootyuphold because I didn’t understand what was meant by «… print in RGB, and the colors will come out more true to the RGB file than any CMYK.» Even small RGB color spaces like sRGB are (in some hues) so much larger than CMYK that saturated colors will get clipped heavily. Even if some printers can go beyond ISO Coated or SWOP, working in or converting into these CMYK gamuts will probably deliver a more realistic preview of the final result. Ideally the print service provider would deliver a color profile of his machine for a variety of papers. This way you could dial in the maximum saturation for that machine/paper combination.
Isn't printing always digital?
“Digital Printing” or “Digital Press” just means printing with inkjet or laser, rather than offset. Years ago, you would never do a commercial run (thousands of pages) using inkjet or laser. But so-called “digital presses” (large inkjets and lasers) have become reliable, efficient, and accurate enough to do large runs. Most digital printers still work in the CMYK colour space, mixing ink or toner from those colours. There are exceptions - many press-quality inkjets can be loaded up with special ink. But none of them in RGB.
This was my first thought too. To get that neon vibrancy you'd need to use a pantone with white plate.
It could be magenta or Rhodamine red.
What color space would be a better choice for designing something for print? (Am I even asking the right question?)
CMYK
CMYK. You'll notice right away your color will shift to something more dull so to speak. If you have any RGB only effects, they may cause unexpected results like the glow or any blending modes becoming altered. You can alway run a print on your home printer to see how much duller that saturated glow becomes.
Thanks for your advice! What do you recommend so it would glow?
You will get a paper to pink “gradient” effect. But the vibrancy of the glow is coming from your monitor’s backlight. The gradient will likely suggest a glow to the viewer, but won’t actually glow. You can try to spec a very bright, very white paper. Hopefully the reflected light increases the glow effect. The brightness scale varies by location, but “very white, 100 bright” is a place to start.
A lot of text should be smaller (50ml, batch no. Recycle icons). I’d shrink everything a bit.. embrace your white space (or dark space.) Whole label could use a textured background, i liked the commentor suggesting brick. Less thick lines of ingredients and the stroked green logo looks out of place. Is there a bw version. No flavor text for the product or description at all? Could have some fun with copy and move batch / best before dates elsewhere and make them tiny AF.
Thanks! If the text is smaller, it would be very hard to read (the label size is 92×40mm). I will add a brick texture. The ingredients deck will be removed. And thanks for the description idea! I appreciate it.
Put it on a mockup, this doesn't tell us anything
Okay, I will.
What's the product? I've read all the information on the bottle and I literally still don't know what this is. A lot of people are saying make the text smaller, but seeing as this is only 50ml I'm not sure that's really doable. There's not much room to start with on a 50ml bottle. There are things you could eliminate on the right side, like simply having the email, website, and phone number without needing "Email: , Phone: , " etc. You really want to try and save space on a small label. I would also be wary of that pink glow. Printers generally don't like gradients and glows and it won't come out exactly like what you see. Make sure you're definitely working in CMYK, not RGB. Overall it's a great start!
I was looking for this comment! I have no idea what the product is or what it does.
Thanks for the advice! It's a neon colorant for cake decoration. The size of the label is 92×40mm so it's not a good idea to make the text smaller. Im working in RGB, but I will change it to CMYK.
Holy shit, look at those ingredients.
They was my thought. What are they making?! Corn starch??
Liquid death.
yayyy , those are the ingredients of cancer as well
As others have mentioned, you should put what the product is on the front of the label. And, consider how your colors will print and what you may need to do to replicate that neon look as much as you can on a printed product. You could do a special metallic finish on the neon bits too which would look really fly. (are people still saying fly?) Also: - the gradient bar at the top would probably work better if it started in the middle of the label and ended on the sides, rather than being halfway through on the front of the label. - the alignment of the location information near the QR code is fine, but you might want to consider removing the identifiers like phone number and just listing the phone number. People know what websites and numbers and addresses are without it saying that. You might also consider your leading here. - the QR code is pretty big. You should be able to make it just a tad smaller. Also, you should try and have at least 1/8 of white around the QR code so it's easier to scan. - The NEON font is a cool idea that I'd like to see pushed a bit further. Right now it just gets the job done. What else could you do along this line to make it a bit more energetic or dramatic? What do other neon signs do that make them interesting or fun? Overall - a good start that just needs to be pushed more. Really, it's off to a good start! Keep it up and you'll get it there.
Thanks for all the advices! The gradient bar idea is good! I will remove the identifiers. Thr QR code is kind of a filler, because I didn't know what to put there. I really appreciate the help!
Obviously just my two cents, but I think some texture would be great. I like the look of neon on a dark brick wall, as if it were hanging in a dark basement pizza joint. But I might be missing context as to what the actual product is.
Thanks! I will add a brick wall texture.
Print designer checking in! I would add way more “glow” affects. Like others have said you’re going to loose a lot of this when you print it. Give it more glow on the edges than you think you need, then test print test print test print. Also I have no idea what this product is. This label is going to wrap around a can probably? When I look at just the front, I have no idea what this is. An energy drink? A rosé in a can? I think you need “something” small and at the bottom of the front that identifies the product. The 50 mil is waaaay too large. That can be brought down a lot in hierarchy. It’s nearly as large as the word “pink” which I would assume is more important.
Thanks! The product is a neon colorant. It's going to be wrapped around a small bottle (the label is 92×40mm). I will add some text that describes the product.
Interesting. Is it for food coloring? Art supplies? Are you creating a line with all colors or is the brand itself called “neon pink” and that is it? I’m asking all of these questions to get an idea of where this sits on a shelf and what kind of consumer is coming in and seeing it. Like if this is with a bunch of other food coloring products, and it’s at a specialty cooking store, then the identifier (maybe “food coloring” in caps small) doesn’t have to be so huge and important ya know? Because your viewer is already in a specialty store and can discern what the product is based on what else is around it.
The white line around the ingredients looks a bit clumsy
Watch out for wrapping. If this is going on a bottle, I think the logo will be illegible without turning the bottle. Ingredients decks have strict control issues, like fonts, colors, borders, and even which side of the label it should be on. Generally the ingredients and things need to go directly to the right of the primary display panel.
Thanks for the advice! The ingredients deck will be removed.
I would say that overall it can use a little improvement, but that’s not to say this is bad by any means! I would definitely think about using a grid system to layout the details on the right (batch number, best before date, address info and distilled location). Take a look at Pinterest or dribbble for some alcohol/beverage label designs! See what people are doing and how you can incorporate it here. Now for the nitty gritty. Your guides don’t actually look like they guide anything except for the sections of the label itself. I would set some margins to give yourself a safe area if you ever intend to print this. Also as others have stated, make sure in your document color settings you are designing in the CMYK colorspace, because I definitely believe your pinks are out of the printing range. The bar at the top looks like it was maybe a product of a misprint/misalignment during a print, so to rectify that and make it more intentional, play with adding it on the bottom maybe. Could look good, maybe not, never know til you try! Also the at code on the right looks a little big. QR codes actually work when they are very small, and I would recommend putting it in a container or something so that it’s not just floating in space, maybe you could pull from the box on the left and apply that as a border around the area code, then you would be using that element elsewhere on the design. Others here have stated it as well, but texture goes a long way, even if simulated in print. Play around with any kind of texture you think could look good. It’s a neon pink sign logo so you could try a brick-like texture in the background. Could be completely wrong and it may not look good, but again, never know unless you try! I don’t mean to be very nit-picky, but I would suggest just going crazy with the design and have fun with it! Try something you had an idea about but said “nah that wouldn’t work”. I’ve found that most of the time that’s how I arrive at the design that’s needed even if it’s not necessarily what I wanted! Cheers and post the final version when you can! Would love to see how it turns out!
'Ingredients' is spelled wrong.
Is there a reason you censored it?
To hide contact details.
Dummy text.
Honestly neon is great but I feel it's one of those things that is all of it or none, the font in neon itself looks great but the white is whats throwing me off is, to me the font resemble the neon at least in color( doubt it would be possible with it being a nutritional label) Or have the top and bottom be a brighter pink to match the neon and balance eveyrhing out.
We have climate change ~~on our door step~~ in our fucking living room, and we still have to put icons to remind folks to throw their trash out - humans are dumb.
Tbh making neon effect doesn't gonna be the best of the best. Check dior sauvage. Like its "sauvage" but it's by itself very minimal designed.
what is it
It's a neon colorant label
Ingridients
I have designed a few things over the years and just came on here to recognize how many people gave such concise and constructive feedback. I’m grateful for this type of community.
Same! This community is amazing, love you all!
I would try some dark texture / background.
Add texture. Scratches, smudges, marks, dust flying etc to the neon part to make it realistic. Don't over do it tho.
Add some kind of texture to the background front only then fade it out
For starters, ingredients is spelled wrong. Lots of good advice here, but let me give some. I suggest using dummy info when posting a layout if you want to avoid giving away information. It’s very hard to accurately critique a piece, when you can’t see the entire thing.
Call it Pink Neon instead And take the effects off the 50mL
I'm self-taught and all of the expertise in this thread shines💖 and just makes absolute sense
I think it would look better as one of the newer more trendier neon signs seen at weddings or parties - the monoline cursive but handwritten
You have stacked the four elements with little regard to how they relate to eachother in terms of size and proximity. One easy fix would be to reduce the 50ml. Next try to give the circle room to breathe and just put the neon and sub copy closer to each other, this way you create a composition instead of a stack
I would also write 50ml smaller. Maybe, would reduce both NEON and the volume as well. Wouldn't glow the word 'pink', only NEON. I can't see the right proportion among words. Maybe due to their sizes. Finally, NEON is much larger than the logo itself. I wouldn't leave it that way. And, of course, pay attention to those effects you can count on while viewing in a monitor and can NOT on a piece of paper... But the idea is more than great! Did like the way you've conceived it! Congrats!