Product Packaging & Its’ Relation To Product Photography

Product Packaging And Its’ Relation To Product Photography

When developing a brand, and designing your product packaging, you’ll likely go over a number of criteria that helps distinguish your product from similar items on the market. While doing so, your product develops a persona and a unique perspective. Most labels are authentic and catchy. They provide comfort to the consumer who recognizes it, and a well-designed label will create a bond between your audience and your brand.

Readability is key

In relation to the photography of your product, it’s imperative that your label is clear and easy to read. If your label is busy or the wording is too small, it will come out in a photo. Now, a photographer is not a brand designer, however, we as photographers spend a lot of time looking at product labels in order to accentuate features and repair potential defects.

What should I keep in mind with labels?

Aside from the need for labels to be clean and easy to read, it’s good to take note of any minute details that are important to you or that you want prevalent in your photographs. If your labels incorporate the founder’s signature and it represents your brand values, let your photographer know of that key element for your product photography. Try to select the products with the best-positioned labels with the least amount of defects when preparing your products for photography and allow them to shine on set.

Can I provide the labels separate from the product?

Sometimes it is easier to superimpose labels on a product. Many photographers, myself included, prefer to receive the labels flat and separated from the products. That allows us to take properly exposed photos of the labels, and adhere them to the products ourselves, accounting for alignment and placement. Oftentimes, during shipping, labels can get damaged, but it’s more likely they stay intact and damage-free when sent flat in their own folder or envelope within the product set. A photographer’s ability to modify and place the label on the product either before a shoot or in post-production will vary, so it’s good to ask your photographer how they prefer to receive your products.

Does that make my image fake?

Not at all. Your product will still be sent to the consumer with the label on, even if the photographer is adjusting the label for a photoshoot themselves or in post-production software. It’s about the clarity of the image that represents your product. And one incredible image is better than 10 mediocre ones, so anything that helps make the product photography process more efficient, is worth the time. Occasionally, a label may curve around a bottle, it may be askew and look unflattering, or it may cut off important information that you want represented. Superimposing the labels can help alleviate any inconsistencies to better represent your end product. Speak to your photographer about options when setting up your next project, so as to get a clear idea of how your product packaging influences your photography.