The history of the label Part 2

A new form of marketing

In Part 1, we learned how the label evolved from the rolling seal of the Egyptians to the pendant used by the Romans. Now we’re going to look at the evolution from the Middle Ages onwards, because that’s when one invention had a decisive influence on our current label: the printing press.

Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press (1450) not only made it possible to disseminate knowledge and educate people through printed products, but also laid the foundation stone for today’s label printing. Some time passed, and the first labels were printed around 1700. At the time, the label surface was still coated with glue and glued to the container. This technique is still used today for the classic wet glue label.

With the first wine labels, something changed: the label was no longer simply a source of information, but design was becoming increasingly important. Thus, the label was slowly transformed into an advertising tool. Above all, it was the invention of polychrome printing in 1826 that opened up entirely new design possibilities for labels.

The first self-adhesive label was developed in the 1930s by the American Stanton Avery. Originally, it was a simple price tag with a rubber-based adhesive on the reverse side, which could be removed from the product. Gradually, manufacturers realized the possibilities such a label offered for product marketing:

Today, the label is one of the most popular and effective advertising media for conveying a brand’s message, reaching the desired target group and standing out from the competition. The design and conception of packaging and labels are important elements of marketing, and reflect both content and product. The right mix of materials, prints and finishes creates a real eye-catcher from each product, which then finds its way into customers’ shopping baskets.