Designed for the shelf, not the screen.
Packaging that looks great in a mockup but fails on a real retail shelf is one of the most common and expensive mistakes in small-brand design. Slate tests every concept at thumbnail scale, in monochrome, and against actual competing products before any print file is approved.
- A shopper takes an average of 7 seconds to notice and evaluate a product on a retail shelf
- 85% of purchase decisions are made in-store, making shelf presence a direct sales driver
- Products readable at 3 metres and in monochrome consistently outperform those designed purely for digital mockups
Print files that printers can actually use.
A surprising amount of small-brand packaging gets stuck at the printer because the artwork is built incorrectly. Slate files are prepped properly the first time: correct dielines, bleed, registration marks, CMYK or Pantone where appropriate, and overprint settings that match how the press actually runs.
- Artwork errors are one of the most common causes of print delays, costing brands weeks of reprint time
- Incorrect bleed or overprint settings account for the majority of packaging reprints at UK trade printers
- Every Slate file is delivered CMYK-correct with verified dielines, ready to run on press without amendment
Built to extend.
Packaging is rarely a one-off. The first SKU sets the visual rules for everything that follows. Slate designs the original artwork with extension in mind so flavour variants, size variants, and seasonal editions can be designed quickly without reinventing the brand each time.
- Brands that design with a system from day one reduce new-SKU design time by up to 60%
- Flavour and size variants designed ad hoc frequently break visual consistency, weakening shelf presence across a range
- A well-structured master template makes each additional SKU faster and cheaper to produce
