How Function Outperforms Form on Custom Labels

Most people judge a custom label by its looks, just like they would a book. Think about the last time you saw influencer content without a memorable, flashy label – likely nothing comes to mind!

But the best labels don’t just attract attention and look good on social media. They work hard for the brand. Labels can perform many functions at once: protecting your product, improving usability, supporting sustainability goals, and sometimes being used to gather or transmit data. For engineers and product developers, this is where the real opportunity to innovate happens.

At The Label Printers, we’ve spent more than 50 years helping customers find that perfect balance of form and function to produce labels that look great and work even better.

Form Meets Function: The New Frontier in Labeling

Labels were once purely for decoration or to convey information about a product.

Today, they are capable of so much more. Labels can take on new functions as an integral component of packaging systems that are designed to interact with the product and the user. For instance, labels can seal a product, but also sense spoilage, plus track inventory and shipments, protect contents, and even educate consumers on how the product was made.

Now as labeling technology evolves, the question for manufacturers isn’t just “How should my label look?” but “What should my label do?”

Functional labeling can support business and consumer needs in four broad categories:

Smart and Intelligent Labels

Using embedded technology, smart labels go beyond ink and adhesive options by communicating important information to the consumer, manufacturer, or distributor.

These intelligent labels can serve many useful functions:

• RFID and NFC Tags: Radio-frequency identification (RFID) and near-field communication (NFC) labels allow for real-time product tracking across the supply chain for customers and manufacturers. They can automate inventory management and deliver detailed product data to consumers’ smartphones, from ingredient origins to authenticity checks.
• QR Codes: A simple square of pixels can link consumers to videos, recycling instructions, augmented reality experiences, or a product’s sustainability story, adding more ways to engage with your product and bolster brand loyalty.
• Sensors and Condition Indicators: Functional labels can monitor and visually display a product’s state in a few crucial ways that can keep your product safe:
  • Time-Temperature Indicators on a label change color if a perishable product was exposed to unsafe temperatures.
  • Freshness Indicators detect gases released from the product to indicate spoilage, helping retailers and consumers verify product quality in real time.
  • Tamper-Evident Seals act as built-in security mechanisms, where the label shows clear visual cues if a product has been opened or compromised.

For industries like food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and logistics, these smart features provide traceability, compliance, and consumer confidence — all embedded in a single label.

Structural and Interactive Labels

Importantly, labels do more than inform; instead, they might actually hold the product together.

• Resealable Labels: Used on items like deli meats or wet wipes, these labels let consumers open and close packaging multiple times without losing adhesion. Resealable labels preserve freshness and support portion control for consumers — a clear win for both usability and sustainability.
• Sealing and Fastening Functions: Labels can replace extra packaging components, acting as closures or security bands. This multi-use functionality reduces material use and simplifies packaging design.
• Built-In Functional Features: Labels can double as hang tabs, easy-tear openers, or instructional elements. In the right applications, they can even transform into interactive tools like foldable utensils or QR-linked DIY instructions for reuse or recycling.

For product developers, these types of labels are more than accessories; they’re structural elements engineered to enhance the end-user experience while streamlining production.

Sustainable and Dissolvable Labels

Sustainability is no longer a marketing buzzword — it’s a design requirement. Functional labels can make packaging systems more recyclable, reusable, and ethically responsible.

• Wash-Away Adhesives: These adhesive labels are ideal for glass bottles and returnable packaging systems with their clean removal during recycling or sterilization processes, preventing contamination of recovered materials.
• Compostable and Biodegradable Materials: Paper-based or plant-derived substrates paired with compostable inks can help the label decompose naturally, aligning with brands’ circular economy goals.
• Dissolvable Labels: Popular for reusable container systems, these labels vanish completely in water, leaving no sticky residue behind. It’s a small feature that makes a big difference for consumers trying to reduce waste.
• Linerless Labels: These self-wound labels eliminate the backing liner altogether, reducing landfill waste and simplifying application on automated equipment.

Each of these innovations in labeling brings function to sustainability, helping companies meet their environmental standards while enhancing their operational efficiency.

Labels That Do More: Convenience and Experience-Based Functions

Today’s labels aren’t just for identification. They can actively improve how consumers interact with a product. From simplifying cleanup to encouraging reuse, functional labels are helping brands stand out and add value beyond the shelf.

These innovations show how label engineering is evolving to deliver both functionality and better user experience.

The Broader Benefits of Functional Labeling

Moving from purely aesthetic to performance-driven design brings several advantages for brands that leverage functional labeling:

Ultimately, functional labels deliver real-world performance that drives loyalty, efficiency, and sustainability — far beyond what just surface-level design can achieve.

Balancing Form and Function

At The Label Printers, we don’t see form and function as opposing forces. They’re two sides of great design.

Our team collaborates with customers across sectors, from electronics to food and beverage, to engineer label solutions that meet regulatory, operational, and aesthetic demands simultaneously. Whether it’s embedding traceability data into a tamper-proof seal or helping you choose a compostable material that still pops on the shelf, we design labels that work as beautifully as they look.

If you’re exploring how functional labeling can enhance your product performance, let’s talk.