BARCODING, LABELLING & PACKAGING u RK PRINT COAT INSTRUMENT Labelling colour in balance


Consumer product brand design is often undertaken on the premise that shoppers make rational and informed decisions, but the reality is much more complex, says Tom Kerchiss, chairman of RK Print Coat Instruments


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ye tracking studies show that for many family food and beverage items, those that routinely are on the shopping list colour,


brand logo, shape and often the known location or aisle where they can be found is important in order that consumers can go right to what they need.


In marketing terms this sort of purchasing is


referred to as instinctive purchasing. Consumers spend little time handling the pack and again, according to various motivational studies read very little of what’s on the pack as they are more often than not in a hurry, and in any case many of them may have bought the item before. Some items though are not bought routinely,


they are sought out and purchasing is a more relaxed affair. Brand design is often more nuanced. The labelling and design should encourage closer inspection.


Design the use of colour and other value-


added inducements encourage pick up and handling. If an emotional connection is made consciously or sub-consciously the consumer may find the reason to buy. Cost may be important, but sometimes, especially when buying a treat for a loved one or for ones self the heart rules the head. For some products such as fine wine, it is essential that the label must make a connection with both the product and the consumer. After all, the most important aspect of a wine producer’s product such as bouquet, flavour and palatability cannot be evaluated until the consumer has bought the wine and opened up the bottle. The label therefore must have some depth and meaning, something to draw the customer in and to effectively take a chance on try out. Some products sold trigger memories, nostalgia for holidays in the Mediterranean or further afield. Labelling for items such as olive oil and dressings are generally marketed in shaped glass bottles so that there is no risk of spoilage, no risk of gases, no risk of nasty after tastes. Glass bottles may also be of darkened glass to minimise UV damage. As with fine wine so too with items from sun kissed regions such as balsamic vinegar, glass adds class. The labels for bottled oils are elegant, often incorporating gold embossing and sometimes designers make elaborate use of scrolls and antique motifs. But that’s not the end of it. A colourful PS label or sticker, usually displaying the country of origin together with a brand


40 October 2023 Irish Manufacturing


logo when affixed to fresh fruit such as melons provides the consumer with provenance and a personality of sorts. Broadly speaking the converter will generally need to print with colours that are balanced and in some way associated with the core values associated with the regional wine or with produce that suggests a healthy lifestyle with sun and sea and relaxed living.


The successful use of colour derives not so


much from a particular hue, but from tonal relationships. No matter how eye catching a specific colour is, if the tone of it relates badly with the colour that sits next to it, or if it is out of context with other visual cues or marketing message, chances are that the viewer and customer/client will react negatively and the goods, whether balsamic vinegar or bottled antipasto may not sell at all. The hue or shade is generally the term used when talking about colour but in reality, many variables affect colour appearance. The density or amount of the pigment used affects colour strength; the type of vehicle affects both the hue and value of the ink colour. The vehicle’s ability to wet the pigment and


even the chemical interaction between the vehicle and pigment can affect the shade and


appearance of a colour. The absorption properties of the substrate and the colour of the stock itself, the way in which it is printed and then dried all affect printed colour results. It does not of course stop there. Indeed, the inconsistencies that can arise and interfere with the ability to print an agreed colour on a consistent basis and then replicate the results at a latter date seem almost limitless. No wonder that proofing systems and colour communication technology are viewed by print and other industries as being so essential. Often labels are printed flexo but for premium virgin pressings of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, walnut and speciality goods that command high prices, gravure may be favoured as the print process of choice. It excels in detailed work, especially where fine lines and gradations need to be printed out for example, the printing of antique scrolls and heraldic motifs, often associated with companies that have been producing wines or oils for generations. The GP 100 enables gravure printers to ensure


continuity of print quality. The device is for the production of high quality proofs using gravure viscosity inks. Servo-controlled, the GP 100 offers a high degree of controllability with variable print speeds of between 1 to 100 metres per minute.


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