Ingredients and allergens
Ingredients in descending order, with allergens in bold and a separate Contains statement, in the Plain English Allergen Labelling format.
Food label design for Australian packaging.
Labels and back panels for packaged food that meet the Food Standards Code and still look designed. Ingredients, allergens, nutrition panels, country of origin and the Health Star Rating, built in from the start.
What is food label design?
Food label design is the design of the mandatory information on a food pack, and the layout that makes it work alongside the brand: the name of the food, ingredients, allergens, the nutrition information panel, date marking, country of origin, supplier details and net quantity.
The law is written for food technologists and lawyers. Legibility is a legal requirement, not a design preference: Standard 1.2.9 requires mandatory information to be legible, prominent, in English and in a colour that contrasts distinctly with the background. Warning statements have a minimum type height of 3 mm, or 1.5 mm on small packages.
Morice&Co. designs food packaging for national brands including the Helga's ranges with Barker Brand Partners and DON Crafted with Disegno, and writes the studio's guide to Australian food labelling requirements.
00Our position
The back of pack is designed, not filled.
Mandatory information takes a fixed amount of space at a legal size. Measure it first and the front can be designed with confidence instead of reflowed at the end.
Most rejections are not about design.
They are barcodes that do not verify and mandatory labelling that is present but not legible. Good label design prevents both.
Design for the Health Star Rating now.
It is voluntary today, but a mandate proposal is in consultation. Leaving room now avoids a reprint later.
01What we design
What we design on a food label.
Every element has a rule, a size and a best position. Together they decide the back panel.
Nutrition information panel
Per serve and per 100 g, laid out to the standard format and readable on curved or small packs.
Country of origin
The standard mark and ingredient bar chart where required, sized and placed correctly.
Date marking and lot
Best before or use by, and lot identification, designed around the producer's coding process.
Health Star Rating
One of the four approved layouts, never stylised, front of pack and legible, matching the HSR calculator.
Range templates
Back-of-pack templates that keep every SKU compliant and consistent as recipes change.
02The rules
What every packaged food must carry.
The core mandatory elements for packaged food for retail sale in Australia.
Name and ingredients
The name of the food and a statement of ingredients in descending order by weight.
Allergens
Declared in bold in the ingredients using the required names, plus a separate Contains statement.
Nutrition and date marking
A nutrition information panel and the correct date mark: best before or use by.
Supplier and lot
The supplier's name and Australian address, and lot identification.
Country of origin and net quantity
Country of origin using the standard mark, and net quantity at the size trade measurement law sets for the pack.
Legibility
Legible, prominent, in English and in contrasting colour. Warning statements at least 3 mm high, or 1.5 mm on small packages.
03Selected work
Work that proves it.
DON Crafted, created in collaboration with Disegno, and Helga's, with Barker Brand Partners, both carry full Food Standards Code labelling across national ranges.
Smallgoods · Premium Tier
DON Crafted.
A premium tier for a smallgoods icon since 1947, plus a core range refresh, rolled out nationally through Coles and Woolworths. Created in collaboration with Disegno.
Read the case studyBakery · Range Design
Helga's Bakehouse.
Bakehouse Wraps and International Breads ranges for one of Australia's best-loved bakery brands, across Coles, Woolworths and IGA. Created in collaboration with Barker Brand Partners.
Read the case study04Pricing
What it costs.
Fixed fees, scoped to the brief. No hourly rates. A written proposal within five working days of a first conversation.
$5k–$10k
Single SKU pack refresh
Existing brand, updating one product. Front-of-pack redesign, back-of-pack rebuild, retailer-ready artwork.
$20k–$60k
Full brand + range across 5–10 SKUs
Ground-up brand or rebuild, packaging system, range architecture, guidelines and launch collateral. Naming, strategy and photography each add scope.
$60k–$150k+
Category-leading rebrand or private label programme
Full brand system, deep range architecture, retailer rollout materials, brand book and photography direction.
05Client words
In their own words.
“I've worked with Morice for over 10 years. He combines strategic thinking with outstanding design craft, understands the brief, the brand and the business goal, and delivers work that is polished, on-brand and effective.”
Nathan Caston, Marketing Manager · NKA
“Morice is simply elite. If you're looking for a designer who actually gets your brand, not someone who makes things look pretty, he's your guy. Sharp, clean work delivered without the usual back-and-forth drama.”
Beau London, Founder · frasé skin