Hot Labeling Tips for Hot Sauce Labels

While there are quite a few hot sauces out on the market, there are still plenty of ways to customize your hot sauce labels to make sure your unique product cuts through the noise. Even if your packaging is basically the same as your competition, your labels are the most effective way to grab attention and make your brand more memorable. Whether you’re labeling bottles or jars, we can help you think of some creative ways to label it.

• Design with Your Brand (And Flavor) in Mind

Hot sauces come in all sorts of flavors and a clever name or unique artwork that fits the brand is a good start when trying to stand out. We always recommend working with an experienced label designer to help execute your vision so the label artwork not only looks professional, it’s also print-ready. We cannot stress enough how much we believe that a great design can either make or break a product, even if it’s the best sauce ever made. As the famous graphic designer Paul Rand once said, “Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.”

• Use the Most of Your Label’s Shape

There are benefits and drawbacks to any label shape you choose because the shape influences how much room is left for artwork, how well it works with the container, and how much the label will cost. Rectangle shaped labels are popular with hot sauce bottles and jars because they offer the most design space and can wrap around the container. Oval, round, and uniquely shaped custom labels can make your hot sauce more visually interesting. The main disadvantage to these would be that they limit how much artwork can fit within the shape. Whichever label shape you choose, make sure it compliments your label artwork and fits the container properly.

• Choose Your Label Materials Wisely

When choosing your material, is your main consideration that it’s budget-friendly? Or, is your priority a material that’s extremely durable? Perhaps you want something shiny to grab customers’ attention. It’s helpful to have a basic idea of what you need, as well as what you want. Your customer service rep will use that information to make the best suggestions on materials – and you will be able to make a well-informed decision. One popular material for hot sauce labels is semi-gloss paper coated with a gloss laminate. Its versatility, economical cost, and durability are all well suited to this application. We offer plenty of other material types like clear film, metalized silver paper, and more to suit different needs and styles.

• Put a Unique Touch to Your Labels

Customization options like cold foil stamping and spot UV coatings add interesting details to your hot sauce labels, and can help your packaging stand out against competitors. There are lots of different ways to make your labels attractive, whether it’s through high-quality artwork, eye-catching materials, or a unique label shape. Other ideas might even include putting a QR code on your hot sauce labels to direct customers to recipe ideas or ingredient information. Getting creative with your labeling can make your brand more unique and memorable.

• Differentiate Your Product with Holiday Label Versions

Hot sauces are one of the few lucky food products that can be in a gift basket and not seem strange. A festive, holiday label design can influence customers to buy your hot sauce as a present for family, friends, and co-workers. You don’t even need to redesign your label artwork if you don’t want to, you can simply add a “gift tag” to your current design so customers can write to whom they’re giving the hot sauce. And, since hot sauce is a year-round item, 4th of July is another holiday that you can create holiday-themed labels because people love to throw barbecue parties (hellooo hot wings).

Whatever style you choose for your hot sauce labels, it’s important that they work with your packaging and brand. We have thousands of cutting dies to help ensure that the shape and size of your labels fit perfectly onto your bottle or jar. And when it comes to differentiating your brand from the competition, you have plenty of material options to choose from to create a complete packaging look. Check out our other articles and guides to see how to perfect your custom labels!