Walking down the aisle of your local superstore, your eyes are bombarded. Bright colors assault you from every row. A menagerie of shapes jump off the shelf as traditional boxy packaging competes with triangulated and circular cartons for space. Odd textures creep into your peripheral vision, and every so often, a metallic glisten distracts you from your shopping quest.

Let’s face it, it’s an oversaturated marketplace. For every brand of chocolate chip cookie out there, you’ll find ten more lurking in the wings, hoping to gain a chunk of the sales. These cookies might be virtually indistinguishable in appearance and in taste, and so the only way to catch the customer’s eye – and perhaps, cause them to switch brand loyalty – is with distinctive packaging.

And companies are certainly stepping up to the challenge. From juice cartons shaped like actual fruit slices, to beer bottles baring Nacho Libre masks, to CD packages resembling packaged lunch meat, to detergent hiding inside dumbbells, today’s shelves are more interesting – if not more overwhelming – than other. That doesn’t even take into account the hordes of conventionally packaged products that attempt to use fancy materials, like corrugated cardboard, metallic, shiny labels, or fabric en lieu of standard cardstock. When the big popular brands get on board with this unique approach, the proposition of making your product stand out seems hopeless.

It’s especially important to stand out on the shelves as a private brand because increasingly, customers are choosing private labels for reasons beyond cost. Target, Safeway, Publix and other large retailers all have private brands that sell competitively, even though they are often priced at the same point as their big brand counterparts. Target uses a label for their Threshold product that is both simple and elegant, conveying a classic appeal that resonates with choosy consumers. Publix has built an entire array of healthy, organic products under the Greenwise name, and aggressively markets them through displays, signage and online marketing.

If you’re convinced that stepping up your packaging game is a wise next step for your product, you’re probably right. And whether that means revamping your label design or changing up the look of your package entirely, we can best suit your needs. You might want to print off five different variations of a label to evaluate, and our company allows for low-cost prototyping thanks to short run capabilities. If you use a company like Vibrant Graphics, you can also benefit from our flexible packaging capabilities – with our creative staff and technical know-how, the sky’s the limit when turning your ideas into reality. And you might even benefit from the “no label” look which we achieve through in-mold labels, another way to give your product the competitive edge.

Although it’s loud on the shelf, you can quiet the chatter when your product clearly stands out above the rest. That’s trickier than ever in the modern marketplace, making a reliable, innovative printing partner essential.

If you’ve been just thinking about where the volume control is to ‘turn down the visual noise’ from your competitors so your brand can be ‘heard’ I suggest you take a few minutes to check out www.vibrantgfx.com. This team is exceptional at assisting you to through the process, from dream to design, production to delivery, and we’ll suggest unique packaging and labeling ideas along the way. Request a free quote or sample and get started today

Individual athletes had to train and prepare for years just to meet the criteria before being invited onto the team.  The coaches then weeded through this crop of outstanding athletes to find the best of the best – who would give the team the gold medal advantage heading in to the Olympics. There was an unspoken expectation that each individual would come prepared to perform at the highest level.  Anything less would dash their Olympic dreams altogether. 

I found it interesting when the TV commentators would comment if there was a ‘rookie’ on the team and speculate if the ‘first time jitters’ would impact the overall team’s performance, even though this ‘rookie’ had great potential and had beat out many other skilled athletes to qualify to compete at the Olympic level.  The only difference was not being part of this team.    

When it comes to the business world, lack of team experience can be just as detrimental. Business decisions are often based on team cohesiveness and its byproducts: knowledge, responsiveness, quality, and problem solving skills. If one company outperforms another on all of these measures, then they have the inside track to winning the job. Likewise, new employees are often selected based on their perceived ability to mesh with the existing team – the less they seem able to do so, the less likely they are to get the job.

I talk often about ‘teams’ in our company only to realize that it’s the individuals that make up that team; each with their own set of skills and expertise.  And when combined together the power of these collective individuals brings out the best of the best.  That’s why it’s so important to hire employees who fit our team mentality, and it’s also why we’ve established a group of industry experts to comprise our team. It makes you less prone to rookie mistakes, which come when individuals lack knowledge of the system in place. Of course, mistakes occur in any company, but a strong team is much more likely to compensate and overcome.

Our current staff members have joined at various intervals along the way, and today we offer over 70 combined years of printing expertise. Each Vibrant team member has a solid knowledge of all printing techniques in the industry – not just digital – and believes in the outstanding potential of the digital process. We’ve all had the opportunity to work in various sectors of the printing industry, which allows for a solid perspective of digital’s place in the industry, as well as its distinct advantages. Just like Olympic athletes, we’ve put a lot of training into our trade, and while they are no gold medals on the line, we think exceeding our customers’ expectations is even more important.

You’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to selecting a print provider, as coaches do when they select their starting Olympic lineups. Those decisions come down to performance, and we think our team has the winning combination of savvy individuals who can keep you on top of your game. 

If you would like more information about the benefits and unique solutions Vibrant Graphics experienced team can bring to your product label, please call us at 414-352-0759 or visit us at www.vibrantgfx.com. We’d be happy to provide you with no cost samples of our ideas to use.    

In product packaging, prototypes are used by Brand Managers, Product Managers, and Packaging Engineers to determine the effectiveness of the look and ‘feel’ of a new label or package concept, and in the world of label printing, there’s a lot to keep in mind. What type of materials could be used? How readable is the text using selected font sizes, font types and also consideration for multiple language options? Are the critical corporate brand colors to remain accurate on different materials? How does the label product itself look up close and from a distance on the shelf, and how does it feel? And most importantly, is it going to make my product ‘jump’ off the shelf, or do we need to go back to the drawing board?

The best way to answer those questions is to print multiple test samples of the product label at hand. And the only known way to provide those insightful answers is to print mocked up labels on your office laser printer to simulate the look you want. But the color is not always going to match the actual press print, and typically you cannot print on the actual material. Or, you can try to print these samples on an offset or flexo press. But these methods can be expensive, and they come with many graphic design constraints. You waste a lot of materials for startup and make ready with time to make each plate, register all the print stations and then balance the correct amount of ink, for just a short-run — and typically only on one material.  The end result may get you what you want, but only after a huge money investment. You can continue to prototype through a traditional printer, but it’s certainly not always simple.

But take heart, there’s a different way to do it, and that’s through the power of digital printing. This method allows graphic designers to be free from trapping issues, have confidence in utilizing reverse text without having a color ‘hanging’ and with no plates needed it dramatically decrease turnaround times. This allows us to produce only the quantity you need to test market in selected regions, change designs, text, and language all within the same print run at no additional cost incurred. You can then introduce and be first to market with a new product before your competitor knows you’re there. And digital printing also produces consistent color results, each time, every time.  So what you see as a prototype will be exactly what you get as the finished product with no guesswork involved.

With an increasingly crowded, competitive private label industry, prototyping makes sense for the savvy manufacturer.  There’s no need to make a big investment in a label order without ever looking over a sample, and a sample that exactly matches your final product will give you peace of mind as you go through the ordering process. When you use a digital printing company for your product labels, you’ll get exactly that, without spending excessively on setup and artwork fees. And prototyping is not a one-time service – it is standard that is then matched throughout the workflow process every time, for every order, as necessary. You might not be introducing a laser-shooting robot to the world, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry.

If you would like more information about prototype/sample printing of your product labels, please call us at 414-352-0759 or visit us at www.vibrantgfx.com . We’d be happy to demonstrate this technology to you at no cost.

As the marketplace becomes more competitive, it’s obvious that marketing and creative teams are under pressure to continually find new ways to play up their product’s attraction to stay ahead of the curve.  Their success is directly connected with how fast they can get to the market market with these products and also have on-demand deliveries for customers while finding efficient ways to address a wide range of consumer demographics. And oh, by the way, “keep a lid on the budget”.

Still the least understood — but by far the best solution to meeting these goals — is digitally printing the product’s packaging instead of using traditional print methods.

Digital printing offers “just-in-time” manufacturing to all of its customers. As opposed to traditional printing methods, digital printing allows customers to print only the volume they need to effectively launch the product in the marketplace — there are no high volume constrictions. Instead of forcing customers to project their desired inventory to save money when placing an order, digital printing lets customers order based on actual consumer demand.  Product flying off the shelves?  Then order a larger quantity in order to stay ahead of demand.  Product sticking to the shelves?  Then don’t be further weighed down by purchasing more than you need, only to waste it based on faulty projections.

This manufacturing method allows you precise control of your inventory, and eliminates hidden costs from the days of “just in case” inventories.  Because digital printing is fast and efficient, your lead time can be measured in days, not weeks. Instead of ordering a stockpile of product labels and then attempting to sell the product, you can forecast how your product is selling and quickly produce more labels to keep up.

When you’re introducing a new private label brand to the marketplace, that time can be critical to leapfrog your competitors.  Digital print allows for quick turn promotional capabilities with multiple unique product looks to receive quick customer feedback.  Test multiple designs, on multiple materials and then decide which to use.

Today’s innovators could very well revise this quote to “Because we can.” Technology has advanced at an exponential rate over the last century, and printing is no different. In fact, at the upcoming drupa 2012 conference, HP Indigo founder Benny Landa plans to announce an all-new process called nanographic printing. This technology promises some impressive results, with abrasion and scratch resistance, the ability to print on any substrate, and images that are only 500 nanometers thick. Landa will introduce a stable of nanographic printers at the conference, and they’ll certainly make a big splash on the industry.

The printing industry has existed for hundreds of years, and offset printing has been around since 1875. During the 20th century, screen printing, laser printing, inkjet printing and thermal printing all burst onto the scene. Digital printing itself is a technology that is less than 20 years old, and the HP Indigo partnership formed about 11 years ago. In the technological industry, those numbers would be considered ancient, especially with new and improved products launching every month, so it should seem natural that an entirely new printing process is about to be unveiled.

Or should it? Should we spend our time wondering what’s next or spend more time trying to answer why we are doing it? Should we be jacks of all trades, masters of none? Changes to the marketplace are always welcome, and inevitable, but it can be easy to get caught up in the current craze and forget everything you’d learned before. And in a society with an increasingly short attention span, it’s easier than ever to fall into this trap.

Sometimes the best way to create a successful business is by marketing a consistent product from a staff of knowledgeable partners with years in one industry. Specialty stores that market to a specific niche – coffee shops, for example – often outlive stores that try to do a bit of everything, like sell everything from batteries and bacon to espresso and earplugs. And jumping on a trend just for the sake of  it can quickly oversaturate the market – the recent gourmet burger trend comes to mind.

Nanotechnology is an exciting prospect, and to be sure many printing companies will stop what they’re doing to get a piece of the new devices. But that will also require a lot of time and money spent learning the new process and perfecting a new craft. It might also lead to a lot of failures and a lot of loss along the way. Vibrant Graphics has always lived on the cutting edge, not the bleeding edge, and we’ll keep an eye on nanotechnology over the next few months. In the meantime, we’ll keep perfecting our own digital printing craft, which we’re still learning new things about each day. We’ve established a solid customer base through our timely, consistent services, and we’ll innovate for the sake of improvement, not solely for the sake of innovating.

It’s easy to feel successful by hitching your wagon to the latest and greatest technology. It’s a lot harder to actually be successful, and that takes years of patience and determination. We’re proud of our work at Vibrant, and if we can continue to innovate in our current craft, then we’ll quietly keep on giving our customers brilliant results – outside of the spotlight.

We’d like to hear from you – is it important to stay on top of new trends, no matter what? Or is there more value in evaluating the marketplace and your customers’ needs before taking the leap?

Private label refers to products or services that are manufactured by a company to be sold under another company’s brand name. This term stretches across multiple industries, from food to vitamins to home care products. For the most part the consumer is unaware who is manufacturing the products they buy and in turn unaware that they are buying a private label product.

The most frequent way in which a consumer will have contact with private label products is at the store brand level. For many years retailers have used private label to identify a brand with a store.  Take Walgreens for example. The Walgreens brand of products are now sitting right next to the big name national brands. Consumers have come to associate the store brand product as a “knock off” or lower cost item.

What was once known as the “cheap” product; now exceeds 50% market share in some product categories. While that number might be a reflection of our economic status the past few years, it is also a reflection of how private label companies have stepped up their game to compete with the leading nationally advertised brands. Private Label used to be associated with drab simple product packaging, but it has since evolved to having better graphics and brighter colors. Now, when you look on a store shelf the only thing separating the national brand from the store brand is the name and price.

There is still a stigma that exists that the store brand is a cheaper or weaker product. I guess that means that the national brands’ advertising dollars have been well spent. However, if you take the time to sift through the ads and actually look at the product ingredients you will find that a lot of times they are exactly the same as the national brand.

Consumers have gotten a lot smarter about what they purchase. They are taking the time to compare products and research what they are buying. Store brands have also gotten smarter. They are realizing they need to step up and compete with national brands. Their product packaging also needs to stand out on store shelves. With this combination I think the private label industry can close the gap from the 25% market share that they now have to the 58% market share that consumers state they would consider spending.

In a world of choices, it’s all about which product can be the first to grab the consumer’s attention.  The packaging of a product must be able to make a connection with the consumer and stop them when moving through the store aisle. Take for example, lip balm. There are numerous varieties in numerous shapes and colors. How do you make your lip balm stand out from the rest of the competition?

Recently Burt’s Bees answered this question with the launch of their new packaging design for their tinted lip balm. The outside packaging consists of a cardboard tube made from completely recycled materials. When you slide the tube open, the tinted lip balm sits inside of it. Not only does the packaging catch your eye when sitting on the store shelf, it differentiates the tinted lip balm from its other products as well as the products of its competitors. Burt’s Bees added value to their lip balm by making the packaging unique.

The outside of the tube has a clean design and the inside tube tells the consumer what the color is going to look like. The extra packaging allows for more text and advertising space for the brand. Since the outside packaging is bigger than the other lip balms, it easily differentiates itself from the competition. This difference in packaging immediately draws in the eye of the consumer. In a market where a product only has mere seconds to catch the consumer, Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm does the job right. It reminds us of the importance of standing out in a store full of choices.

What would you do to make your product stand out?

“We wanted to bring back the glass bottle with a limited edition design that gives a nod to the product’s 135-year history,” Noel Geoffroy, Vice President of Heinz Brands said.  Geoffroy also stated that the brand wanted “to inspire memories of and relive good times from summers past.”

Heinz is not the only major brand to pay tribute to their impressive history by changing their product packaging. Coca-Cola has also been known to put their infamous glass bottle back on store shelves. The patented contour design of the bottle debuted in 1916 and is easily one of most recognized symbols associated with a brand.

The decision for Heinz to offer the old product packaging for a limited time is a great marketing idea. It not only sheds light on the strong history of the brand, but also connects with consumers on a more emotional level.

Do we all want to go back to trying to get that stubborn ketchup out of the glass bottle? Probably not. But maybe just for a summer, we can relive our childhood at a summer BBQ and share with someone the age-old secret of hitting the 57  to make the ketchup come out of the bottle faster.

This Friday there are countless groups of people that will be spearheading committees to get outside and celebrate Earth Day with some hands-on activities. But what about those of you that aren’t able to leave the office? Here are some things you can do to go green at the office not just Friday, but every day!

• Replace all incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs.

•  Print on both sides of a page and use scrap paper for inter-office memos.

• Install a water filtering system in the office to cut down on the use of bottled water.

• Turn off your computers and printers when you leave for the day.

• Bring your lunch to work in reusable containers.

• Order your office supplies from recycled materials.

• Use a reusable mug for your coffee…like your Vibrant Graphics Easy Traveler

• Put office lights on a timer so they will automatically shut off if no one is in the room.

Even the smallest changes you can make around the office can have a big impact on the environment. Happy Earth Day!

We also recognize that there are still certain jobs that are more appropriate for flexographic printing and if we feel you are bringing in this type of job, we will definitely tell you that. However, when it comes to printing high-quality customized labels; digital printing is your best option.  If your labels will not be used at the retail level, then high quality is probably not your top priority and flexo may be a better option.  Also, if you need to order in extremely large quantities then flexo may be a better option for you in this case as well.

The difference between flexographic and digital printing can be summed up in one word, plates. Digital printing does not involve any plates; instead it receives its images from a database. This results in lower minimums and a less expensive and quicker turn-around time. It also allows for printing on demand. While the set up time for flexographic takes several hours, the set up time for digital can take as little as several minutes, which means we can turn jobs around in just a few short days.

Digital printing also allows for more customized labels, or variable-data printing. With this technology, every label could be different, seasonal labels could be created easily and deciding to change your brand could be a simple decision. Variable-data printing means that things such as text, colors, images and graphics can be changed from one printed label to the next. Digital printing makes this possible without stopping or slowing down the printing process because it uses information from a database.

The flexibility to have custom labels is among one of the biggest advantages digital printing has over flexographic. Whether you are printing 100 labels or 25,000 labels, each one can be different. This is something that flexo simply cannot offer. When printing digitally, every label could have a different barcode, different name or different date.

Besides flexibility another huge advantage digital has over flexo is quality. Digitally printed labels are produced with a higher line-screen than labels that are printed flexographic. A digital printing press can print 230 lines, whereas a flexographic label press can only print at 133 or 150 lines. This difference in line-screen equates to a big difference in the color, detail and clarity of the label. This is what makes our labels Vibrant.  Digitally printed labels are always produced using a 4-color process. This allows our customers to submit artwork using photos or multiple colors.

Along with these color and photo options, digital printing can give you press proofing and sample proofing directly onto your requested material, so you know in advance exactly how the final product will look. We can also quickly provide small sample prototypes to help you bring your next big idea to life. If you’re unsure of how the photo will look on your product label, we can show you in advance so you don’t have to wonder if you will be happy with the end result.

If you want your labels to stand out and want your product to be a ‘shelf talker,’ then digital printing is your best option. Below is a recap of the advantages digital printing has over flexo.

• Lower minimums
• Higher quality
• Quicker turn-around time
• Flexibility
• Variable-data printing
• Sample proofing
• Easily handles multiple SKUs