Why do cosmetics companies love our labels?
We asked the founders of AYA Raw Nature – Eliza and Monika talk about the beginnings of our story.
We contacted many print shops, yet with each one we hit the wall either because they did not offer proof prints or they did, but at a price around PLN 1,000 (!). Additionally, the minimum number of copies requirement posed a problem to us – as a company only just planning the launch of our first products in the market, we did not want to print large numbers of labels – both due to the costs and the planned size of the first production batch of our cosmetics. We wanted to print out the exact number of labels we needed. Initially, we were planning to refine them using hot stamping, but the cost of the matrices made the price of a single label very high. And then we came across UNILOGO :) The nicest customer service, the print shop located just 20 minutes away from the Miasteczko Wilanów estate where we live and work, and a very liberal approach to companies which are just starting out in the market.
UNILOGO was the only print shop to offer proof prints free of charge and the opportunity to print small numbers of labels. It was also the only one to provide us with a sensible alternative to hot stamping – much cheaper, yet very appealing visually. When we saw the foil chart, we were delighted! We knew we have found the right place. We are already gathering ideas for labels for our new products – we are planning to go a little crazy with different foil colours – not just gold.
UNILOGO also turned out to be very helpful when it came to the delivery date. We decided at the last moment to participate in a trade fair and there was really very little time for printouts and labelling. The print shop truly did rise to the occasion. Not only did they deliver our order in express time, but also recommended a company offering package labelling services, with which they cooperate – this comprehensive service provided together with the Packaging Factory was of invaluable help to us when introducing AYA to the market.
How did you come up with the name and the graphic design?
From the very beginning of planning the activity of our company, we were certain that the products we want to offer will be natural products with no artificial preservatives, colouring, etc. Initially, we thought about naming the company Gaia – the Mother Earth. But we did not entirely like the name visually and the working logos did not seem appealing to us, mainly because they were not symmetrical. Moreover, looking for information about Gaia online, we came across lots of companies with that name – from construction equipment wholesale outlets, through cosmetic brands, to vet clinics ;). This is when we came up with the idea to modify the name a little – and AYA was born – a name alluding to Gaia, symmetrical, and thanks to the use of Y instead of I – modern.
The packaging artwork design was the hard part. Our heads were full of tens of different ideas daily. At the beginning, we were planning to keep the packaging very pure and clean. The entire communication on our website and in the marketing materials was supposed to be just black and white. However, when we received the first artwork produced according to the initial brief, we knew that we had to rethink our strategy. The original designs seemed rather boring to us and unfortunately looked a little like a copy of what is currently available in the cosmetics market, and we wanted to stand out. Looking for inspiration, we came across tropical plant motifs – quite trendy recently, yet found mainly in fashion or interior design, not cosmetics labels. This is how the packaging of AYA body mousses came to be. It was slightly more difficult with the body scrubs. We wanted the label to allude to the salt crystals found in the product.
We were wondering for quite some time about whether to give the labels a coarse texture. In the end, we managed to design an interesting “rocky” background, which goes with our scrubs perfectly. The golden square in the middle of the label – with the logo and product name – was an element we were sure about from the very beginning. We did modify its appearance a little, but gold was an absolute must for us – an elegant, rich and noble colour, yet with the right setting, also modern.
We welcome companies entering the market and searching for a supplier of self-adhesive labels with open arms.
Years of experience show that for new companies, beginnings involve problems similar to those they have to face when striving to conquer the market.
We are talking about things such as proof prints, for which other companies charge a steep price. We print label proofs free of charge – this way, the customer can check the quality of the digital technology, the raw material, and the colours.
The minimum numbers of labels required to initiate production pose an additional challenge. Actual demand is usually lower than the desired numbers of traditional print shops.
The above example is just one out of hundreds of similar stories – yet it reflects the true obstacles companies encounter when trying to expand their business. If you identify with even one of the above-mentioned problems – call us or drop us an e-mail. We will be happy to share our experience.
We keep our fingers crossed for AYA Raw Nature and await new projects ;)
