Pharmaceutical labeling is another type of labeling that requires a significant amount of planning and background knowledge. Pharmaceutical products must be labeled in accordance with federal regulations for safety and accuracy. Oftentimes, you will need to work closely with a translator and design team to ensure that your labels meet these standards and convey the information correctly across multiple languages.
Layout First
Most of the time, pharmaceutical labeling foregoes large images of the product. Instead, companies often choose to focus on providing a brightly colored logo or background to make their labels stand out from the competitors. Usually this is because they have a lot of text that needs to be fit into the primary display panel, and all of it needs to be readable. When you are planning your labels, make sure you are considering the size and font of your text and how it will look over your background. Then move around to the side information panels and ensure you have plenty of space for all the fine details.
Know What You're Trying to Achieve
More than likely your pharmaceutical labeling needs to act as both a marketing opportunity and an informational resource. In order to accomplish both goals effectively, you need to plan well ahead for the information that you are going to convey and what you want it to look like. If you know that your product will be sold across multiple markets with different languages, planning ahead for translations to be made is imperative. You will also likely need to set aside extra label space for those translations to be printed.
Choose Reliable Professionals
Pharmaceutical products are known for their exceedingly difficult ingredient lists and product descriptions. Medical terminology is difficult to translate at best. When you are preparing for label translations, make sure you are working with a professional translator who has experience specifically in medicine. Some of the ingredients on your list probably go by multiple names, and each language will have a standard way of referring to them. You should also be watching for misspellings and accuracy of the translation when it comes to directions for use.
Know The Standards
Since pharmaceutical labels are subject to so much scrutiny from federal regulators, you must know the legal standards for type and packaging. You may also be required to include specific warnings about your product, or net quantity information. You will need to submit your labels and product for approval before it goes to market, and mistakes can be a costly setback. Paying close attention to the details and double checking the standards before you submit will save you time and money.
The FDA publishes a significant amount of information each year for pharmaceutical companies concerning proper labeling and marketing techniques. This information will be invaluable to you as you begin planning the layout and information for your labels. Bringing on board a team of experienced translators and label creators will also help keep you on the right path all the way through your packaging process.
