I truly believe in the theory of starting where you are: “start with what you have; start ugly; start slowly, but just start!”
With that said, the Nilotiqa labels were designed by yours truly, me! My background is in Information Technology, web development and design. I am able to create artwork from powerpoint. That’s it! Do not ask me for more. I will admit that it gets the job done, however is hardly professional. The first product labels for Nilotiqa had light golden labels… they looked beautiful to love, but not when you took photos. I realised that in the photos that customers shared with us via social media, the colour would disappear into the product shot.
Considering that we wanted to be in retail, these labels would not do on the shelves. Between 2017 and 2018, I started the redesign process for something that would stand out on the shelved. I am so grateful to have sat with someone who, at the time was supposed to form part of the Nilotiqa marketing team. Sadly, that did not work out as envisioned. She walked me through how labels are usually designed. We also looked at all sorts of famous brands and how their product labels looked. I redesigned the Nilotiqa label into that gorgeous Mud Orange colour. Our labels had to be a representation of an African brand. The tiny triangular shapes and colour pay homage to its African origins.
I redesigned the Nilotiqa label into that gorgeous Mud Orange colour. Our labels had to be a representation of an African brand. The tiny triangular shapes and colour pay homage to its African origins.
In August 2018, we were ready to launch into the first retailer, the Clicks Group. The excitement was beyond comprehension. UNFORTUNATELY the labels were not created properly from the supplier side. We had to reproduce the labels and they did not come out correctly. They were much darker. They were no longer a beautiful Mud Orange, but a strange looking “Mud Mud” colour. There was no way we were going to waste more money and also not deliver to retail in time. No way. So we went with these labels. We put them on the shelves and believed that our customers would definitely buy into the brand and fall in love with our quality products.
It was a brave move to make, however, I would never recommend that anyone launch a products with the wrong labels. Labels are an identity of your product and the identifier of its content. I view labels of products as a representation of your brand; the first component that introduces your customer to your brand. Before anyone tries the products, they are initially attracted to the products labels. A label is the “influencer” that convinces a customer to … buy. I just think a good looking product forms a binding interest and trust with a new customer that has never heard of your products.
We have since gotten the product labels correct. We have stuck with the correct label company. When we launch new products in future, we will engage a professional designer for our labels. After all… our labels are our first impression to our customer, our first handshake. We prefer to make a good, firm one!
Hey Thoko 