TheHangTagBlog Year End Awards

Yes, even here at TheHangTagBlog we have a year end awards list. For our first year the selection is limited, so we will simply feature our top three hang tags for 2013.

Third Runner-Up: Calvin Klein Jeans Hang Tag

This wasn't my favorite hang tag this year by far, and I knocked it for the poorly implemented web address. However, the otherwise clean and simple design shows well, and is smartly executed. This hang tag also deserves praise for the quality materials used in its construction.

Second Runner-Up: Under Armour Cold Black "Fold Out" Hang Tag

This hang tag rated highly on several design counts.I especially praised the miniature vignette on the front, which worked well from a visual design standpoint as well as the product feature and marketing standpoint. The use of grey scale was also expert. There was a lot of design in this one, but also some constraint. Small points off for the repetitive feature list on the interior, as well as the somewhat boring reverse, but otherwise a favorite of mine this year.




Grand Prize for Achievement in Hang Tag Design: Izod Varsity Fleece Hang Tag

This was, far and away, my favorite this year. Strong, clean lines, clear branding, and restrained design. There are no gimmicks here, just a hang tag befitting a much more expensive product. The two tone red detailing garnered rave reviews, as did the placement of the text and the logo. Even the punch out hole for the zip tie was seemingly well thought out. When my major gripes are that the retailer price sticker covers too much of the hang tag, you know you are on to something.







And that concludes this year's awards list. Congratulations to all the winners, who win absolutely nothing but my accolades! Still, by my count this is the world's premier source of hang tag design and commentary, so that really means these are the highest awarded designs for 2013.

Izod Varsity Fleece Hang Tag

This tag features a strong red, a strong negative font, and a strong glossy embellishment on the front. It is clear, clean, and definitely has a straightforward approach. The reds complement each other nicely. The detail also provides a nice visual center, and gives the hanging hole a sense of place. It takes the hole into an integral design feature, rather than a blemish. It also informs the positioning of Izod. A short word can be tough to fit without becoming overpowering; the glossy detail gives balance and direction.

The reverse incorporates the same elements, but not nearly as well. The same glossy bar runs through the middle, however the retailer sticker covers it. The alignment corners indicate that this is intentional. There is the overlapped IZ mark, well fit into the space, making use of both the stripe and the area between the retailer tag and the hanging hole. The abbreviated web address at the bottom is neither offensive nor inoffensive, it just is.

This tag features the variation between the horizontal orientation on the front with the vertical orientation on the reverse. Both are thoughtfully done, the front is just executed better.

I think this hang tag is fantastic. The front is masterfully done. I also think it looks decidedly masculine, especially evident whencompared to this Calvin Klein Jeans hang tag. Whereas the Calving Klein hang tag is sipping a martini in a trendy NYC bar, this Izod hang tag is barbecuing

on Martha’s Vineyard. Both are drinking expensive alcohol and surrounded by beautiful women, they are just going about it differently.

The reverse is unfortunate, because it is a great design and thought, just crushed by the overwhelming retailer sticker. I think either continuing the line detail all the way to the end of the hang tag, or terminating it earlier so none showed through, would both be acceptable solutions.

I also think that in our modern times, if you web address is simply your company name with a dot com slapped on the end, you do not need to list your web address.