Personalized address labels add a fun touch of customization to your mail. You can use address labels for everything from special events to your everyday mail. These stationery accents are available in a seemingly endless array of shades and designs. Ensure your labels offer a flawless finishing touch by picking the perfect color palette.
Identify Your Event
The first step to choosing the right address label is identifying what type of mail you’ll use it for. Some common options include:
- Holiday cards
- Party invitations
- Birth announcements
- Seasonal cards
- Regular correspondence
It’s important to distinguish exactly what you’ll use your address labels for. While some labels can easily do double duty, others become hopelessly out of style once your special event is over. If you’re expecting a special arrival, you may find that a sweet baby-themed design works for your baby shower invitations, thank you cards, and birth announcements. However, your color palette may be determined by the sex, so you’ll need to find out whether you’re expecting a boy or girl if you’d like to use a traditional blue or pink.
Address labels designed to match a specific party theme are a great way to customize both your invitations and the thank you cards that follow. However, that princess castle may outlive its usefulness once the party is over, so be mindful about how many labels you order if your palette doesn’t carry over well to other uses.
Choose a Style
Is your style simple and streamlined or busy and bold? Do you gravitate toward an elegant script in shades of black and gray, or are you all about rainbow-hued flowers? The design you choose will determine just how many colors are included in your palette. If you’re looking for a simple style, you’ll want a palette that includes just two or three colors. One or more of these colors may be a neutral hue, simplifying your options further.
If you’re looking for something more colorful, your palette options will expand. You can opt for address labels in a variety of warm hues like orange and red, or choose a cool blue palette with icy periwinkle and bright turquoise against a navy background. Understanding how many colors you’re using will help you hone in on the right shades for your product.
Consider the Recipient
Who are you sending your mail to? You can choose an address label that highlights your event by coordinating with a party theme. For example, if you’re planning a graduation party, let a special member of the family take center stage with a photo address label in the graduate’s favorite color. If the recipient is an invitee or someone whose focus is on you as the sender, then your color choice should revolve around your personality and the theme of your event.
If, however, your mail is all about the recipient, your color choice should take a different approach. Perhaps you’re purchasing address labels to use on birthday cards. Choose a label that suits your recipient best. If you send a lot of birthday cards to children, something with a whimsical color scheme is best. For adults, a more mature birthday themed label is better. This is also true of other holiday cards. If you love sending Halloween greeting cards for the season, pick a label that’s in line with the type of recipient you’re communicating with.
Pick Out Your Stationery
Your stationery will give you some major clues as to which address labels work best. In general, you want an address label that matches or at least complements the card or paper inside. This is especially true if you’re using custom envelopes. If your envelopes are black, the chic air of a black address label is lost. However, a white address label will pop on a darker envelope for a striking effect.
If you’re using colored envelopes, avoid an exact match with your label unless the products come from the same line. Pink on pink can look quite jarring if the colors clash. Instead, try a mint green or ice blue on your pink stationery for a more pleasing palette.
Check Out Color Psychology
Did you know the color that you choose for your stationery and address label can actually elicit an emotional response from your recipient? Here are some key emotions associated with different colors:
- Red: Passion, love, bravery
- Orange: Confidence, cheerfulness
- Gold and Yellow: Optimism, warmth
- Green: Peace, health, relaxation
- Blue: Trust, strength, security
- Purple: Creativity, wisdom, peace
- White: Balance, calmness
- Black: Elegance, class
While there are certainly instances where your colors will elicit different emotions, this can give you a great idea of what direction you should work in to give your event or your communications the right ambiance. If you’re labeling invitations for a black tie event, purple may come across as too childish and whimsical, while black and white are ideal picks.
Address labels are the icing on the cake when it comes to your mail. Anyone can print out basic labels or scribble a return address on by hand, but a custom label from a professional designer adds a carefully curated finishing touch to your piece. Make sure your cards and letters are an exciting find in any mailbox with the right label for the occasion.
