Powerful images: Powerful labels

Powerful images:  Powerful labels

Strong, simple and instantly recognisable, there are some images which appear time and time again in label printing and label design.  Let’s take a look at some of these classics of the labelling world.

The tower – a symbol of strength and integrity.Giving an impression of unshakeable resolve and steadfastness, both in the product or institution itself and in terms of its service to the customer.

• A popular image with banks, building societies, insurance companies; in fact any company which is looking to emphasise its permanence and resilience.
• Towers also pop up in some less obvious corporate logos – think of the Disney fairy-tale tower surrounded by fireworks.
• And, of course, there’s always the famous French wine “Chateau” labels, such as Chateau Latour.

The sun – an image which conjures a sense of reliability and certainty – “sure as the sunrise!”

• The sun is one of the oldest of labelling images. Sun Alliance Insurance first used the smiling sun as its iconic logo in 1710.
• The sun can also be symbolic of the dawning of a new day – hence its popularity with breakfast cereal companies like Kellogg’s or Mornflakes.

The crown – signifying a touch of class – even royalty perhaps, especially when used in conjunction with companies with genuine royal connections.

• Although the crown isn’t always associated with “Royal” companies, it does often figure in the labelling of firms like Royal Mail or KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines.
• It’s also often used in combination with other symbols to denote a royal connection, such as the crown and Liver Bird for Royal Liver Insurance.
• The crown isn’t an exclusively royal preserve, though and has appeared on products from pottery to children’s toys.

Wings – a symbol of speed or power from the earliest days of corporate imagery right up to modern digital label printing technology.

• Wings are always popular with airlines – for pretty obvious reasons!
• Whether it’s the plain, but classic Lufthansa wings, the highly stylised British Airways tail swoop or Ryanair’s winged female Irish harp, most airlines manage a wing or two in their labelling or branding.
• Car makers, too, are fond of wings. Rolls Royce’s famous “Spirit of Ecstasy” bonnet mascot is a classic of its kind.
• Aston-Martin’s “art deco” style outstretched wings are simple but no less elegant.

The Star – denoting high ambitions and stellar aspirations.

• Another very early label printing symbol, the Star has been around as long as companies have had images associated with them.
• It was once popular with shipping companies – Blue Star, White Star and others, perhaps because of the importance of the stars for navigation.
• These days, firms from petrochemical companies like Texaco to entertainment giants like Paramount Pictures use the star as part of their corporate imagery.

Other label images

• Fire marks – plaques fixed to identify client’s properties by fire insurance companies – were among the earliest use of simple corporate images.
• Mess with well-established branding at your peril!  Everyone knows the Royal Mail crown – who remembers the “Consignia” attempted re-branding flop?
• Simple is often best!  Our brains remember bold, strong, simple designs better than complex images.
• The first logo to be trademarked was the Bass red triangle in 1876.
• Modern digital colour label printers enable even the smallest companies to be creative with their logos

These simple, yet powerful symbols have become iconic images, and for good reason.  They’re easy to remember, they have strong, positive associations and in the world of label printing they’re classics.www.quicklabel.co.uk

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