Design for Food and Drink Brands

Labels that meet the rules and still look good

Food labelling law in Great Britain sets out what prepacked food must show, including the name of the food, ingredients with allergens emphasised, net quantity, a date mark, storage conditions and the name and address of the business responsible. Under the Food Information Regulations, mandatory text must have an x-height of at least 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm if the largest surface of the pack is under 80 cm². The name of the food must sit in the same field of vision as the net quantity and, for drinks over 1.2% ABV, the alcoholic strength.

We design labels with a front that sells and a back that complies: a clear ingredients panel with the 14 allergens in bold, a nutrition table where required, and enough contrast for the small text to be read. You or your technical adviser supply the data and confirm compliance; we make sure it fits and prints legibly.

Packaging, dielines and print

Every pack starts from the printer's dieline: the flat outline with cut, crease and glue areas. We design on that template, keeping key text away from folds and glue flaps, and supply artwork as press-ready PDF with bleed, Pantone references where colour must be exact and CMYK breakdowns where it is printed in process. Packaging design is quoted as a fixed price or charged at £45 an hour + VAT.

Barcodes are a common reason retailers reject packs. GS1 UK states an EAN-13 at 100% magnification measures 37.29 mm wide including quiet zones and 25.93 mm high including the numbers, and it can be scaled from 80% to 200%. We place barcodes in black on a white or light background, never truncated, and flag curved surfaces that may cause scanning problems.

Drinks: the deposit return scheme and the Portman Group

A deposit return scheme for drinks containers is due to start on 1 October 2027, covering PET plastic bottles and steel and aluminium cans from 150 ml to 3 litres. The scheme administrator, Exchange for Change, has published regulatory requirements for the DRS logo, including minimum and maximum sizes, clear space and colour formats, and says a single logo must appear on every in-scope container. If you are refreshing a label before then, we can build space for it now.

Alcohol brands should also design to the Portman Group's Code of Practice. Rule 3.2(h) says a drink, its packaging and promotion must not have a particular appeal to under-18s, and the Portman Group reports it is the rule most often considered by its Independent Complaints Panel. Bright cartoon styles, sweets imagery and childhood nostalgia need careful handling.

Advertising less healthy food

From 5 January 2026, UK law restricts advertising of identifiable 'less healthy' food and drink: a 9pm watershed on TV and on-demand, and a ban on paid-for online ads. Businesses with fewer than 250 employees are exempt, and brand advertising that does not show an identifiable less healthy product is allowed, according to the ASA's guidance. If you are a larger producer, we can design brand-led ads that focus on the name, values and story rather than a specific product.

Product photography and brand

Retail buyers, online shops and marketplaces need clean, colour-accurate photos. We shoot product photography from £25 + VAT per image on location, on white for listings and in styled settings for your website and social media. For new products we can supply 3D renders of the pack from the artwork, so you can pitch to buyers before the first print run.

If you are launching a brand rather than a single product, start with the logo, from £150 + VAT, or a brand identity pack from £395 + VAT, so your range can grow without each new flavour looking like a different company.

What you get

• Print-ready label and packaging artwork on the printer's dieline
• Colour specification in Pantone and CMYK, with proof notes
• Back-of-pack layout with ingredients, allergens and nutrition panel
• Barcode placement and size checked against GS1 guidance
• 3D packaging mock-ups for retailer pitches
• Product photographs on white and in lifestyle settings

How it works and what it costs

Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.

1. Tell us the brief

   What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.

2. Fixed price

   We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.

3. First designs

   We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.

4. Refine

   We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.

5. Final files

   You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.

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