Lightning Labels Blog

Holiday Gift Ideas for Graphic Designers & Other Creative Types

2009-11-20T14:40:46-07:00

Even though many stores have been selling Christmas decorations for a month now, the holiday shopping season officially kicks off with Black Friday - just a week from now. If you are wondering what to get your graphic designer - or anyone with a flair for creativity and passion for technology - here are some great ideas to inspire you. Happy Shopping Season, Ya'll!

Fun Yet Practical USB Drives

Mimobot sells USB flash drives that mimic almost any pop character one could think of, from Darth Vader and C-3CPO to Hello Kitty and characters from that Halo video game I've never played but hear is STILL popular.

Did you realize you can download not only tunes but all kinds of data to an iPod Shuffle? Barely bigger than a postage stamp,the clip on this tiny iPod isn't good for workouts - it also lessens the possibility of losing it in a laptop bag or purse. As a bonus, it also comes in a rainbow of colors. The 3rd Generation 2G iPod Shuffle is on sale now for $55 at Target online.

And now I have seen everything. The Scent 2.0 USB not only totes data from computer to computer, but provides aromatherapy right at your desk. The designer on your gift list just needs to add a little of the lavender oil that comes with it, plug it into any USB drive, and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of aromatherapy right in their office(or home or coffee shop). Currently available from ThinkGeek for $5.99.

If the USB jump drives I've recommended so far sound too impersonal for your gift-giving style, take a little time to customize a plain one yourself. Need inspiration? The DIY blog Instructables has step-by-step directions on how to hide a USB flash drive inside a classic pink eraser or a Lego block.

Books & Magazines (The Paper Kind)

The new Zen of CSS Design Book by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag. Based on the popular website CSS Zen Garden, this book Illustrates the range and potential of Web sites afforded by CSS-based Web design. Currently on sale at Amazon.com for $29.69.

The Encyclopedia of Fonts by Gwyn Headley. $18.21 at Amazon.com.

A one-year subscription to Communication Arts Magazine includes the Design, Advertising, Illustration, Photography and Interactive annuals plus access to premium online content. $53 when purchased online (63% off the newsstand price).

Tee Shirts - Because You Can't Have Too Many ...

And because many creative types work in casual environments. Pick up a tee with a witty saying or an unusual design at Threadless. Threadless is a community-driven online tee shirt store where graphic designers can submit tee shirt designs and earn cash for those that are picked, get paid up to $2500 plus $500 per reprint. New tee shirt designs are released each Monday; with sales prices starting at $9.

Or if you are feeling creative yourself, turn the tables and create a personalized tee for the designer on your shopping list for as little as $12.95 per tee at Zazzle.com.

More Ideas

Credits to purchase vector artwork at istockphoto.com

Membership to the professional design association AIGA

Go Media Vector Packs

New Pantone Swatchbooks

Moleskine Notebooks

Xerox Develops a Breakthrough Silver Ink

2009-11-17T12:35:36-07:00

Xerox recently announced a breakthrough that could have wide ranging implications for a number of industries. The researchers at Xerox have invented a new ink that can be printed on paper or plastic like normal inks, but this silver ink has a special property - it can conduct electricity. This is a huge development for the new field of printed electronics.

In the future, many electrical components such as simple screens, sensors, solar cells, and radio antennae will not be manufactured by traditional fabrication plants, they will be printed. What this means for the label industry is that a product label may have a regular printed component as well as some kind of electrical device built into the label itself. This electrical device could replace the barcode for identification, or it could be something much more sophisticated such as a video screen.

We are not there yet, but when this technology becomes mainstream it will transform many industries. I predict we will start to see some of this become mainstream in the next three to five years. We have already seen some interesting developments that I have written about recently that gives an idea of what we can expect.

Related Articles

PrintedElectronicsNow.com - New Silver Ink Developed by Xerox

Digital Beat - Xerox develops silver ink for wearable or throwaway electronics

New Book on Digital Label Printing

2009-11-10T15:31:29-07:00

Michael Fairley, known the world over as one of the most knowledgeable people in the label industry, has just written a new book about digital label printing. Wow. I wish I had this information when I started Lightning Labels back in 2002. Of course, back then most of the information and products mentioned in this book didn't exist.

The book is called Digital Label Printing - A 'How to' guide to technology, materials and performance for the label converter. It is jam packed full of useful content. If you are considering buying a digital label press, you have to read Chapter 2 which contains probably the most comprehensive review of digital label presses ever written. Even though I follow developments in digital label printing closely, there were presses that Fairley reviewed that I had never heard of. It is very up to date, including new developments that occured just earlier this year.

Like most of Fairley's books, the text is combined with many photos, charts and graphics that make the content easier to read. He even provides screen shots of software packages as well as plenty of label samples.

Now, in the interests of full disclosure, my partner Steve Smith has chatted with Mike Fairley several times about Lightning Labels at industry conferences and some information from their conversations has made it into his book. Check out Chapter 8 (page 74) for a brief description of our business model that Fairley used as an example of a label company using the internet in innovative ways. Regardless of that, I would still give this book a glowing review. It is the most thorough review ever undertaken of this narrow niche of the business world we call digital label printing.

Low Resolution Gets Thumbs Up for Halloween Costume, Thumbs Down for Digital Printing

2009-11-06T09:00:00-07:00

KindaCarsick's blogger dressed up as "Low Resolution Lady" for Halloween this year. Her costume is pure genius; it's been a long time since I have seen a costume this creative!

When it comes to digital printing, however, low resolution is nothing to be admired. A low resolution image that is sharp and clear on your computer screen will likely be pixelated in print ... compromising the aesthetic appeal of your labels, and sometimes the legibility of text images as well. Along with image color mode, having the correct image resolution for any digital files to be printed is EXTREMELY important to ensuring your labels are printed with the correct colors and clarity.

The good news is, preventing your labels from turning out like Low Resolution Lady's face isn't a guessing game. To ensure that your label designs look as beautiful in print as they do on your computer screen, I recommend that you review our art specifications before sending us any design files to be printed.

Here at Lightning Labels, we require all raster (image-based) files to have a resolution of 300 d.p.i. at actual size. And in case you are wondering about our image mode requirements, we only print in CMYK. If you happen to send us a file in RGB mode, we will convert it ... and that might not produce the exact colors you had in mind. And if there is any doubt about how your labels will look in print, you might consider taking advantage of our free press proof offer, which lets you preview exactly what your labels will look like before placing your final order.

Related Posts

Top 5 Artwork Mistakes

What Does "Four Color Process" Mean?

Product Labels: Still the Best Technology

2009-11-03T11:07:55-07:00

I was brushing my teeth this morning and looking at all the products on our bathroom countertop. My wife had been cleaning out our cabinets so everything was on the counter. I was struck by how many product labels I could see. When I counted them all there were 56 different products with product labels - above is a photo of about half of them.

Now, not every product has a physical label on it - several products such as toothpaste are screen printed with all the product details printed directly on to the container. But the vast majority of products use physical labels adhered to bottles. Even major consumer products like Listerine that probably print millions of labels at a time have decided that a paper label is the best way to identify their product.

Despite all the technological advances of the last few years, the best way to identify and market your product at the point of sale is with a colorful product label. And with today's high quality digital label printing, that is perfect for short runs, tiny companies can compete with the likes of Johnson & Johnson. You might not have the marketing clout of the big companies but your product can have a label that is every bit as good.

Jones Soda Dresses Up Limited Edition Cans for Halloween

2009-10-30T13:06:44-06:00

I completely agree with packaging design blog TheDieLine.com that these special Halloween edition cans from Jones Soda feature truly creative designs. If you hurry, you might be lucky enough to find some of these collectors' items in the candy aisle of your local Target store.

Pepsi created its own "spooky" cans this year but the designs fall flat IMHO. What do you think? If you want to check out the Pepsi designs in person, they are being sold in Wal-Mart stores.

Snowed Under

2009-10-28T15:10:56-06:00

We are getting slammed right now with a big fall snow storm, so we are closing early today and we will be closed all day tomorrow (Thursday). We should resume normal business on Friday. We apologize for any inconvenience, rest assured we will work hard to get through the backlog of orders on Friday.

Answer Honestly: Are Molson Beer Labels Using Variable Data?

2009-10-27T11:10:54-06:00

Last week the Bevlaw blog discussed these Molson beer labels. This "Answer Honestly" campaign has been going on for over a year now and it seems to have been successful. Molson have been putting in hundreds of different beer label applications with different wording on the labels to the TTB.

I hadn't noticed these labels before so I stopped by my local liquor store and picked up a six pack of Molson Golden. Then I snapped the photo above in my office this morning. You get the idea here. Each beer in my six pack had a different question on the label. You are given two options with neither option being particularly appealing. It is obviously designed to provoke conversations in bars and living rooms while you enjoy a cold Molson beer.

I have discussed before this idea of using variable data labels as a way to differentiate your brand and this is precisely what Molson has done. Although, I had my press operators take a close look at these labels under a magnifying lupe and it doesn't look like they are printing these digitally, or at least not on an HP-Indigo press. The sharpness of the text is not up to HP-Indigo quality.

Molson is a very big brewery with long labels runs so no doubt they could probably print these labels conventionally, even if they have 200 or more different versions. Regardless of the print method, I applaud Molson for having a bit of fun with their labels and creating a talking point by using variable data.

With digital label printing technology, you don't have to print large label quantities to take advantage of this concept. Any company can decide to create many unique sayings on their labels, to give their labels a bit more punch. It is so difficult to stand out these days on the retail shelf, giving your labels an edge like this can help you differentiate yourself from your competition.

99designs is Another Avenue to Affordable Graphic Design

2009-10-20T14:54:25-06:00

Earlier this year, I wrote about DesignBay, a marketplace for graphic design where you can outsource design projects inexpensively. That post generated several comments, both positive and negative, so I thought I should do a followup post about the market leader in this area, 99designs.

This is how 99designs (and DesignBay) work. Say you need a new logo, or product label, designed. You fill out the specs on their web site along with your budget and wait for the designs to come pouring in. One of the great benefits of this approach is that you don't receive just two or three designs back, you will typically receive dozens of original ideas from many different designers. You will have far more choice and you will likely pay less than if you hired a professional graphic designer.

Now, I know there are many graphic designers who read this blog and who are understandably negative about this idea. The way I look at it is this. If you have a tight budget and simply cannot afford to hire a graphic designer, then 99designs provides an inexpensive option. If you want to make sure that you have a consistent graphic look across all your products, that matches your web site and printed materials, then a professional designer is the way to go. Or if you really want to meet your designer face to face and have a personal relationship with them, then 99designs is not for you.

We work with many startups here with very limited budgets and some of these companies are using 99designs for their product label design. If you are also on a limited budget, or want to see a huge number of ideas, then give 99designs a try.

Related Articles

Enlisting a Global Work Force of Freelancers - NY Times

Designers build portfolios, maybe land jobs at 99designs - ZDNet

Senate Bill Calls for Commercial Cleaning Products to Fully Disclose Ingredients

2009-10-16T09:00:00-06:00

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has introduced a bill requiring household cleaning products such as furniture polish and laundry detergent to fully disclose all ingredients on their product labels, including chemicals that might be hazardous to the long-term health of both humans and the environment. Cleaning product labels are currently required by law to contain warnings designed to prevent short-term harm due to swallowing, contact with eyes, and other unintended uses.

“Moms and dads have a right to know whether harmful chemicals are present in their kitchen cupboards,” Franken stated in a press release about Bill S. 1697. “When my wife Franni and I were raising our own kids, we were constantly concerned with what we used to wash their cribs, their pacifiers, the floors, and surfaces they played on. This is just a common-sense measure to help parents keep their kids safe and healthy.”

The "Household Product Labelling Act of 2009" would also help consumers make more informed decisions about purchasing household products containing ingredients that are safe for most people, but can be major irritants for adults and children with health conditions such as asthma. The proposed legislation would make such information readily available to consumers.

According to the packaging news website Packworld.com, the bill is popular among environmental groups and children's health organizations; and is viewed as "unneccessary and potentially confusing" by the cleaning products industry. The Soap and Detergent Association, for one, is concerned that there is not enough room to put additional information on their members' product labels. The association is promoting a voluntary initiative as an alternative to the bill that would encourage manufacturers to point consumers towards websites and 800 numbers for further information if they did not have room to list all ingredients on their product labels.

You can track the progress of the Household Product Labeling Act of 2009 at OpenCongress.

The Shape of Your Container

2009-10-13T14:51:00-06:00

The September issue of Brand Packaging magazine had an interesting article titled Designing for Retail Realities. The main idea of the article is that we don't just need outstanding packaging that will break through the clutter but we need packaging that stands out in real life conditions - how it actually appears on the retail store shelf.

Yesterday as I was browsing my local grocery store I thought about this article. Many aisles had immaculate shelves with the product labels all pointing in the same direction on the shelf so the consumer could easily see the labels. Then there was the shelf with the product in the photo above. I snapped this photo with my iPhone and you can see that someone had picked up this product and put it back carelessly. It made this product less visually appealing on the shelf.

Now look at the products in this photo above. Again it was taken with my iPhone so it is a little fuzzy but it illustrates my point well. This is a product that shows well, and because of its unusual shape if someone picks it up they will likely put it back on the shelf exactly as they found it.

Most of the products on the supermarket shelf have round bottles with one wraparound product label. So it is easy for a grocery store clerk or a shopper to put the bottles on the shelf in a haphazard way. With a bottle that has an obvious front and back, like the Annie's Naturals brand, there is less likelihood of this happening.

Of course, I am not suggesting everyone switch from round bottles. Almost all wine bottles are round and wine is one of the most label-conscious products there are. But notice that most wine bottles have an obvious front and back label so it is easier to display them correctly on the shelf. Whatever container you use it is important to be aware of the impact that the shape of your container has on your product's visibility on the supermarket shelf.

Italian Fashion Designers Team Up with Coca-Cola to Raise Money for Earthquake Victims

2009-10-07T11:11:29-06:00

Limited edition bottle designs for Coca-Cola were recently spotlighted at Milan Fashion Week. Famous Italian fashion designers such as Donatella Versace and Alberta Ferretti each stamped their signature style on the designs, which can be seen in the video created for Milan Fashion Week above or on the packaging design blog TheDieline.com.

Coca-Cola commissioned the limited edition designs for its "Tribute to Fashion" fundraiser. Profits from the sell of the limited edition bottles of Coca-Cola Light will fund scholarships for young women affected by the April earthquake that killed 229 people and left thousands homeless in Abruzzio, Italy.

Interested in getting your own designer bottle of Coca-Cola Light? Then you better hurry up and book your airline ticket for Milan now! The limited edition bottles are currently only being sold in the fashion epicenter.