Maidenhead Aquatics – Fish Label Design
Fish Label Design, Production & Information Management
Founded in 1984 with its first store in Maidenhead. Maidenhead Aquatics has grown into one of the UK’s largest specialist aquatic retailers, with more than 130 stores nationwide. Juice Factory has worked with Maidenhead Aquatics for many years. Developing a wide range of design and marketing materials for the business.
The Challenge
In 2010, Juice Factory was given the challenge of creating Maidenhead Aquatics’ first comprehensive set of fish labels. What initially appeared to be a relatively straightforward design project soon became something considerably larger. We knew there would be a substantial number of labels. But the sheer number of individual fish and the amount of information required for each label only became apparent as the project developed.
The original label system has since been updated twice, evolving alongside the business and its expanding product range. What started as a relatively small design brief ultimately became a substantial project. This involved design, information management, artwork production, printing, encapsulation, collation and distribution – on a scale we certainly hadn’t anticipated when we first started.
Fish Label Design
The first stage of the project was to establish a clear and consistent information structure that could be applied across the entire fish label range. Each label needed to communicate a considerable amount of information, including the Common Name, Latin Name, fish image, community type, feeding requirements, maximum size, remarks and individual product code. The community information was particularly important, helping customers understand which fish could live together and, crucially, whether smaller fish might become prey for larger species.
The Design System
The design had to accommodate all of this information across three different label sizes, making the positioning, hierarchy and relationship between each element critical. Juice Factory developed a flexible grid-based design system, supported by carefully structured styles for the Common Name, Latin Name and body copy. This allowed the typography to adapt automatically when information varied – particularly when dealing with exceptionally long Latin names – while maintaining consistency across the complete range.
The system was then adapted for the different label formats, including the smaller Marine and Plant labels and larger Pond Fish labels. Rather than treating each label as an individual piece of artwork, the project was developed as a complete information and design system, allowing hundreds of variations to be produced efficiently while retaining a consistent Maidenhead Aquatics identity.
Quality Control
To manage the volume of information, Juice Factory developed comprehensive spreadsheets containing the common information and specifications for each species. For example, groups such as Tetras could share consistent feeding and remarks information. These spreadsheets also became an important quality-control tool, allowing the completed artwork to be checked systematically against the approved information.
Once the artwork had been completed and checked, the labels were sent to print, encapsulated for durability in the wet and humid fish-room environment, and finally collated into the individual store sets. The design stage therefore formed the foundation for a much larger production process, where accuracy, consistency and organisation were just as important as the visual design itself.
Marine Fish – Maidenhead Aquatics
Tropical Fish – Maidenhead Aquatics
Tropical Fish – Maidenhead Aquatics
Outdoor Pond Fish – Maidenhead Aquatics
LB-023 Front – Maidenhead Aquatics
LB-023 Back – Maidenhead Aquatics
INF-008 – Maidenhead Aquatics
INF-003 – Maidenhead Aquatics
Fish Label Production
The Maidenhead Aquatics fish label project was far more than a design exercise. The creative element involved developing a clear, consistent label system for Tropical, Marine and Pond fish, but the real challenge was managing the sheer scale of the project. In total, around 1,200 individual labels were produced, including approximately 900 Tropical fish labels, 200 Marine fish labels and a further range of information labels.
Creating & Organising the Label System
Working closely with The Fishkeeper, Juice Factory developed a logical system for organising the 900 Tropical fish labels. The fish were divided into 24 alphabetical groups, containing between 1 and 140 labels each. These were then collated into seven dedicated storage boxes, with separate boxes for the Marine and Information labels. The system was designed to make individual labels quick and easy for store staff to locate.
Producing ‘The Set’
The next stage was to create ‘The Set’ – a complete collection of labels for each Maidenhead Aquatics store. At the time, the company had 135 stores, with each store requiring a set containing approximately 1,200 individual labels. Every label was printed, checked, encapsulated and collated before being assembled into a complete store set.
Because the labels would be used in the wet and humid environment of aquarium fish rooms, they were encapsulated to make them waterproof and durable. Each set also included a comprehensive index listing every label, its individual code number, common and Latin name, and the storage box in which it could be found. With around 1,200 labels in each set, this indexing system was essential for helping staff quickly locate the correct label.
Production, Collation & Distribution
In total, more than 30,000 individual labels were printed and encapsulated, with 150 complete sets produced – one for each of the 135 stores, plus 15 additional sets for future new stores. Juice Factory managed the production and collation process, ensuring that every set was complete, accurately checked and correctly labelled for its individual store before distribution.
What began as a label design project became a large-scale information, production and logistics exercise, requiring careful planning, systematic organisation and rigorous checking at every stage. It remains a great example of how Juice Factory can take on a complex design requirement and manage it through to a practical, fully implemented solution.
Tropical Fish Groups
Tropical Fish Labels
Marine Fish Groups
Marine Fish Labels
Complete Sets
Total Labels
Designed for the Retail Environment
Unlike a brochure or website, a retail label is viewed in a busy environment alongside many other products and communications.
The design therefore needed to work at a glance.
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Juice Factory has extensive experience creating practical design for retail environments, from product labels and point of sale to signage and visual merchandising.