# Candle business branding: labels, launches and Instagram [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/candle-business-branding) People cannot smell a candle through a phone. Your branding has to do that job: tell them what a scent is like, and make every jar, post and stall sign unmistakably yours. ## The short version - Strong candle business branding pairs one consistent look for the whole range with a distinct colour for each scent. - Colour is the fastest way to suggest a fragrance online, because customers cannot smell a candle through a screen. - A candle label needs a clear order: brand, scent name, scent notes, then weight, burn time and safety information. - A scent launch works well on Instagram as a short sequence: a teaser, a reveal, a notes carousel and a reminder when stock is low. - Market stall signs, gift guides and posts should reuse the same background and fonts as the labels so people connect them at a glance. Good **candle business branding** does two things at once: it makes the whole range look like one maker, and it gives every scent a colour that hints at how it smells. Customers browsing on Instagram or Etsy cannot sniff the jar, so colour, words and texture carry the fragrance for you. Get the scent colours right first, then build labels, launch posts, stall signs and gift season graphics on the same foundations. ## Give every scent its own colour Think of the range as one family with a shared surname. The fonts, the layout and the label shape stay fixed. The colour changes with the scent. That way a customer recognises your brand from across a market hall, and still finds Fig and Cedar without reading the label. - Fig and cedar: `linear-gradient(160deg, #3b2a3f 0%, #6b4a5e 50%, #8a6a4f 100%)` - Sea salt: `linear-gradient(160deg, #e8eef0 0%, #b9cfd6 55%, #7fa3ae 100%)` - Amber and vanilla: `linear-gradient(160deg, #f6d9a8 0%, #e3a857 50%, #a8642a 100%)` - Lavender field: `linear-gradient(160deg, #ece6f4 0%, #b9a7d6 55%, #7d68a8 100%)` - Fresh linen: `linear-gradient(160deg, #f4f1ea 0%, #e7e2d6 60%, #cfc8b8 100%)` - Blackcurrant: `linear-gradient(160deg, #2b1830 0%, #5a2346 55%, #8e2f55 100%)` Six scent colours that share the same soft angle and depth, so they read as one range. Copy any of them as a starting point. Base each colour on the notes, not on what is fashionable. Woody scents sit in browns and plums, fresh scents in pale blues and greys, gourmand scents in ambers and caramels. Keep the lightness of the six similar, so none shouts louder than the others on a shelf. [Colour psychology](https://gradiently.design/guide/color-psychology) has more on the associations people bring with them. ## Candle label design that reads at arm's length A label is read twice: once from a metre away, where only the brand and scent name register, and once in the hand, where people check the notes and the size. Design for both distances. 1. **Brand name**, small and always in the same place. 2. **Scent name**, the largest words on the label. 3. **Scent notes** in one line: "Fig leaf, cedarwood, a little smoke". 4. **Weight and burn time**, in plain figures. 5. **Safety and contact information**, which many countries require. Check the labelling rules where you sell. ### Hard to read - Script font for the scent name at a small size - Pale grey text on a pale label - Five fonts on one jar - A new layout for every scent ### Easy to shop - A clear serif or sans for the scent name - Dark ink on light, or light on deep colour - One heading font and one body font - The same layout, only the colour changes If you love a script, keep it for the brand name or a single word, and set everything else in something calm. [Font pairing](https://gradiently.design/guide/font-pairing) covers combinations that work at small sizes. ## How to launch a new scent on Instagram A new scent is the best excuse you have to post, so give it a short run of content rather than one announcement. A week is plenty. 1. **Day one: tease the colour** Post the new scent colour with a hint: "Something smoky is coming." No jar yet. 2. **Day three: count down** A story with the drop date and time. Use a countdown sticker so followers can set a reminder, and keep it and the words inside the central [safe zone](https://gradiently.design/guide/social-media-safe-zones). 3. **Day five: reveal** A 1080×1350 feed post with the jar on the scent's own background and the name large. 4. **Day six: the notes carousel** Three or four slides, one note per slide, each describing what you smell first, after an hour, and when the room is full. 5. **When stock is low: say so** "Twelve left from this pour." Honest scarcity is useful information, not pressure. A vertical story counting down to a new Fig and Cedar candle launching Friday at 7pm The countdown story, with room underneath for a reminder sticker. A portrait Instagram post announcing the Fig and Cedar candle with its scent notes underneath The reveal post in the feed, wearing the same background as the story. For the notes slides, see [Instagram carousel design](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-design). For the teaser, [countdown posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/countdown-post-design) has more layouts. ## Market stall signs and printed pieces At a market you have a few seconds as people walk past. A single poster with your name and one line about what you make does more than a table full of small signs. Print it in the same colours and fonts as the labels, so the stall, the jars and your Instagram all match. | Printed piece | Size at 300 dpi | What to put on it | | --- | --- | --- | | A4 poster for the stall front | 2480×3508 px | Brand name, "Hand poured soy candles", your Instagram handle | | A5 scent menu | 1748×2480 px | Every scent with its colour and one line of notes | | Postcard in each bag | 1800×1200 px | A thank you, care tips and a code for the online shop | | Business card | 1050×600 px | Name, website, handle | Four pieces cover most stalls. A scent menu also helps people choose without sniffing every jar. An A4 market stall poster for a candle maker reading Hand poured, small batch, with an invitation to smell the candles An A4 stall poster: one line, the brand, and an invitation to pick up a jar. ## Gift season ideas for candle makers Candles are an easy, natural gift, so plan the autumn and winter early. Three pieces of content do most of the work: a gift guide, a last order date, and a short run of "for the person who" posts. - **Gift guide carousel**: "For the one who's always cold", "For the new home", "For the hard to buy for", one candle each. - **Last order date story** a week before the cut off, then again two days before. - **Gift set reveal** on a deeper version of your usual background, so it feels special without leaving the brand. - **Thank you post** in January, showing your quietest scent and saying what's next. [Gift guide design](https://gradiently.design/guide/holiday-gift-guide-design) has layouts for the carousel. If you want help writing the words, Gradiently's Designer can draft scent notes and gift guide copy, lay them out on a Mark and make the story and print versions; with a brand kit on Pro, it writes in your brand's voice. Pro also exports print PDFs with bleed and crop marks for the stall poster and scent menu. > **Photograph the jar, not the room** Lifestyle shots with blankets and books are lovely, but they look like everyone else's. Shoot the jar on its scent colour, and save the cosy room for the occasional story. ## FAQ ### How do I choose colours for my candle brand? Keep fonts and layout fixed for the whole range, then give each scent a colour drawn from its notes: browns for woody, pale blues for fresh, ambers for sweet. Keep the colours at a similar lightness so they look like one family. ### What should be on a candle label? The brand name, the scent name, a line of scent notes, the weight and burn time, and any safety and contact information required where you sell. ### What should a candle business post on Instagram? Scent launches, notes carousels, restock alerts, behind the scenes pouring, market dates and gift guides in the autumn and winter. ### What size should a market stall poster be? A4 at 2480×3508 pixels is enough for a table front. Keep it to your name, one line about what you make, and your Instagram handle.