Imagine this: You’re overseeing a crucial labeling project for a new product line. The deadline is tight, your team is spread across different locations, and the stakes are high. Every word, every image, every detail on that label needs to be perfect. Sound familiar?
You’re not alone— most packaging managers feel the pressure of getting the labels perfect. With over 50 crucial details to verify, from product names and ingredient lists to regulatory symbols and barcodes, the task is daunting.
And it’s not just about fulfilling the client’s requirements; it’s about meeting government regulations and adhering to legal compliance standards for labels.
So how do you ensure that each element of the label is compliant, meets design criteria, and also resonates with the audience?
Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss here today! We have listed down the top 7 design software that can help you manage, create and proof your labels efficiently.
Table of Contents
Top Label Management Software
Loftware Spectrum by Loftware
Loftware Spectrum is a comprehensive enterprise labeling solution that transforms legacy approaches to labeling. It offers a standardized platform for managing complex labeling operations across global businesses. The solution integrates with leading business applications, provides cloud-based performance, and puts label management in the hands of business users through intuitive interfaces.
Top Features
- Offers all-in-one labeling solutions that standardize the entire label printing process into one platform
- Provides certified integrations with leading business applications like Oracle and SAP
- Features intuitive interfaces and WYSIWYG design capabilities for easy label management by business users
- Includes pre-designed label templates and applications compliant with common industry regulations
- Allows immediate label changes across all operations
Pricing & Offerings: On Request
2. 3DEXPERIENCE Platform by Dassault Systemes
3DEXPERIENCE offers a unified environment for entire organizations to collaborate, innovate, and operate more efficiently. The platform combines various capabilities including virtual twin technology, cloud-based solutions, and role-based tools to transform how businesses approach product development, manufacturing, and customer experiences.
Top Features
- Offers role-based applications tailored to specific needs and skill sets of users
- Enables creation and visualization of virtual twins for products, processes, and operations
- Allows businesses to design and test products virtually before physical production
- Provides tools for managing complex systems from individual products to entire cities
Pricing & Offerings: $15/month
Top Label Designing Software
3. Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics software that offers powerful tools for creating high-quality, scalable label designs. It provides features tailored for label creators, from intricate logo design to complex packaging layouts.
Top Features
- Offers vector-based design tools for creating infinitely scalable graphics without loss of quality
- Provides an extensive array of typography tools for precise text layout and customization
- Includes advanced color management features, supporting various color models including CMYK for print-ready designs
- Enables creation of complex shapes and paths with intuitive pen and shape tools
- Allows for easy integration of barcodes and QR codes essential for product labeling
Pricing & Offerings: $29/month. Under this plan, you can get
- Slack and Microsoft Teams app integration
- 1TB of cloud storage
- Adobe Portfolio
- 500 monthly generative credits
- Adobe Express
- Adobe Portfolio
- Adobe Fonts
- Access to the latest features and updates as soon as they’re released
4. CoreIDRAW
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite is a comprehensive professional graphic design software for both Mac and Windows platforms. It offers a versatile toolkit for vector illustration, page layout, photo editing, and typography projects. It consists of powerful tools such as CorelDRAW, CorelPHOTO-PAINT, and CorelDRAW.app for web-based design and collaboration.
Top Features
- Offers an easy-to-navigate interface that enhances productivity and streamlines the workflow for designers
- Provides a wide range of vector illustration and page layout tools, allowing users to create professional-quality designs
- With powerful photo editing tools, CorelDRAW enables users to enhance and manipulate images with precision and ease
- Supports various file formats and printing options, ensuring compatibility and high-quality outputs for different media types
Pricing & Offerings: On Request
5. Canva
Canva is a versatile and user-friendly design tool that simplifies label creation with its drag-and-drop interface and extensive library of templates. Ideal for both beginners and seasoned designers, Canva offers a range of customizable options to craft professional-looking labels effortlessly. Whether you’re designing product labels or event tags, Canva provides a straightforward approach to achieving attractive results with minimal effort.
Top Features
- Provides a vast collection of pre-designed label templates that can be easily adjusted for various sizes, colors, and content to suit different branding needs
- Allows access to an extensive library of high-quality images, icons, and illustrations to enhance labels with relevant graphics and logos
- Enables the creation and application of a personalized brand kit to maintain consistency with your brand’s colors, fonts, and logos across all labels
- Allows for easy resizing of label designs to different formats and dimensions without compromising quality
- Facilitates sharing designs with team members or clients for feedback and collaborative editing in real-time
Pricing & Offering:
- Canva Pro: $48/month
- Canva Teams: $46/person/seat
- Canva Enterprise: Custom Pricing
Top Label Proofing Software
GoVisually
GoVisually one of the most affordable and user-friendly online proofing software out there. It is a specialized label proofing software that enhances the efficiency and accuracy of the label review and approval process. The software offers unique features like feedback checklist, AI compliance, advanced plugins and more.
Top Features
1. No-Sign Up Reviewers: The designer needs to share the custom link and the client can access the design with no sign-up process at all. GoVisually also allows you to invite unlimited internal and external reviewers for free.
2. AI Brand Compliance: Offers AI brand compliance to detect and flag inconsistencies in labels. This feature checks the label for
- Barcode accuracy
- Spell checks
- Restricted keywords
- Required keywords
3. Version Control:
Designing labels is a complex process that involves over 50 details, each detail needs to be carefully verified from experts. This level of detail ensures that every aspect of the label meets industry standards and regulatory requirements. That’s where our version control feature comes in handy. It streamlines the entire label review process and makes it more efficient.
GoVisually’s version control simplifies this process by automatically saving every version of your label and ensuring everyone is on the same page with the most current update. This feature helps prevent mistakes, maintains consistency, and ensures that your label designs are always compliant with industry regulations.
And that’s how you can manage complicated label designs in a much more straightforward and reliable way.
4. Contextual Commenting:
Designers often struggle with vague feedback. Reviewers either use email chains or conduct meetings to explain their suggestions which often get lost leading to confusion, increased revision cycles, and frustation among label designers. So instead of providing feedbacks vocally, you can just integrate your current designing software with GoVisually and provide direct feedbacks on the design asset.
GoVisually offers three types of annotation tools (Comments, Box, and Arrow) for clear and contextual feedback on designs. Using this feature, you can reduce repetitive feedback chains and speed up the process by 2x.
5. Proof Cycle:
Tired of unorganized workspace for labels and other digital assets? Try our Proof Cycle feature.
With this feature you can consolidate all feedback from stakeholders in one place, categorize each design based on the feedback, and track their progress individually.
GoVisually offers a structured process for reviewing, revising, and approving design proofs within the platform to streamline the feedback loop and approval process for your labels. This proof cycle includes— All Proofs, Needs Review, Needs Change, Approved, Finalized.
Pricing & Offerings: The solo plan of GoVisually begins at $9 per month, making it a cost-effective choice. This option is tailored for individual users and small teams with modest project needs, keeping things budget-friendly. Here’s the detailed breakdown of GoVisually’s pricing page;
- Lite ($49/month): For small teams and limited projects.
- Add 3 team members
- 50 active projects
- 50 GB storage
- Video file support
- Pro ($99/month): Teams who need pro features.
- Include 3 team members
- 250 projects
- 150 GB storage
- Set dues dates and deadlines
- Enterprises ($999/month): Team who need complexity and scale
- Custom project size
- Unlimited reviewers
- Pay by invoice/transfer
- Dedicated account manager
Note: The pricing of the tool is flexible, so refer to the pricing page here for an accurate figure.
2. Filestage
Filestage provides a comprehensive way to manage the system review and approval process. It allows teams to collect data, track versions, and collaborate seamlessly on creative content like images, videos, PDFs, and documents.
Filestage facilitates seamless collaboration between designers, clients, and stakeholders, ensuring that every detail of your label is accurately reviewed and approved before printing.
Top Features
- Takes an easy-to-use approach and communicates with an intuitive interface designed for ease of use
- Keeps track of different design iterations with automatic versioning, making it easy to review changes and revert to previous versions if needed
- Streamlines the research process by providing input from multiple stakeholders, reducing the time to revision
- Enhance precision for communication by applying text, annotations, and symbols directly to files
- Provides secure file sharing with role-based access controls, ensuring that only authorized individuals can view or make changes to the label designs
Pricing & Offerings:
1. Free
2. Basic: $59/month (include 10 active project and 250 GB storage)
3. Professional: $299/month, includes,
- 25 active projects
- 3 reviewer groups
- Compare versions
- Custom branding
- 1 automation per project
- Copy comments
- Review reports
- Member role
- External partner upload
- 2 project templates
- Team-only comments
4. Enterprise: Customer
Conclusion
For every stage of your label design project, there’s a tool to make the process faster, simpler, and more collaborative.
But if there’s one thing you should remember from this article, it’s that you should always, always, always proof your label designs before sending them to the printers. So here’s the most affordable and intutive software to start with—GoVisually. Book a demo here.
