Truly Creative

From positioning to packaging, crafting brands is truly our thing.
For 20 years we’ve been obsessed with unwrapping the personality behind global brands and visionary startups – from tofu and trail mix to probiotics and pet food.

Founder

At Sloat Design Group, we develop and design brands that spark and sustain an emotional connection between people and products. We partner with our clients to clearly define and consistently express their unique brand personality.

Our experienced, award-winning team helps to build brands that stand out on-shelf, resonate with consumers and ultimately, win the hearts of their target audiences.


What Sets Us Apart: 

We're Specialized
We specialize in the world of consumer goods branding and packaging. This focus allows us to gain insights on consumer purchasing decisions, industry changes, and current trends.

We're Forward Thinking
We're always thinking a step ahead. Our goal is to ensure the long-term health of your brand and our design concepts take into account how the brand will evolve and extend as demand inevitably grows.

We Mean Business
We partner with you to develop real world solutions that give you a real return on your investment. At the outset of each project we develop a design brief that clearly lists your business objectives. These goals, combined with our marketplace expertise, drive the design process and help us to create the criteria that all of our designs must meet. This business minded process ensures that you are only presented with thoughtful and strategic designs that have your company and your consumers in mind. If the design doesn't sell then we haven't done our job.

We Design with a Conscience
We are constantly exploring ways to make your designs more environmentally and socially conscious. Working directly with companies that have a need for packaging, we feel a strong sense of responsibility to explore sustainable materials and practices that reduce our client's impact on the environment.

Please get to know us better at www.sloatdesign.com

Founder and Creative Director at Truly Creative, a San Francisco Bay Area based strategic brand and package design firm specializing in building consumer brands that stand out on-shelf, connect emotionally, and leave a lasting impression.

Clients have included Williams-Sonoma, Traditional Medicinals, Eggland's Best, Jovial Foods, Ajinomoto Frozen Foods, Annie Chun's, ConAgra Foods, Alexia Foods, Mommy's Bliss, So Delicious, Kalmbach Feeds, and Alex's Awesome Sourdough.

Specialties: 
-Brand Development (Strategy & Positioning, Naming, Identity) 
-Package Design (Structural Design, Package Design, Brand Extensions)
-Marketing Materials (Promotional Materials, Corporate Collateral, Product Literature)
-Environmental Design (Point of Purchase, Trade Shows, Signage)

Carrie Dufour

What 👉 can’t 👈 Private Label do?

That’s the question I brought to The Food Institute webinar yesterday, and it quickly became clear that private label is advancing rapidly and competing on much more than price.

Amazon is rolling out its top-rated products under a new Amazon Grocery PL. Save Mart is launching a PL meat line. Kroger is expanding Simple Truth with 80+ protein SKUs. Whole Foods is taking its private label into Asia for the first time. Store brands aren’t taking a back seat anymore, and they aren’t the compromise they used to be.

Chris Costagli from NielsenIQ shared that half of shoppers are buying more private label than ever. Younger shoppers are especially positive, unburdened by the old “generic” stigma. Private label is also pouring money into innovation to deliver health and functional benefits, not just cheaper options. Lou Biscotti from CBIZ added that even if grocery prices drop, more than half of consumers say they’ll stick with private label anyway.

With enticing PL brands like Bettergoods (Walmart’s 15th PL line!) pumping out hundreds of trend-forward, chef-inspired products under $5, with premium shelf placement and elevated packaging, it’s no surprise brands are feeling the squeeze. 

Even with all that momentum, there ARE still a few things private label can’t do.

Private label can’t:

1️⃣ Tell a personal founder's story 
They’re corporate creations, no farmer’s market origins, no scrappy kitchen experiments, no “we started this in our dorm room with $100 and a blender.”

2️⃣ Offer depth of expertise
They’re generalists, stretching from salsa to supplements. They can’t convincingly own deep expertise in a single category.

3️⃣ Take risks in voice and branding
Private label has to speak to everyone, across many categories, which means the voice usually gets watered down to be safe, polite, beige.

Bottom line: 

Private label is powerful, but brands can break through by being braver, weirder, and more human. Lean into your messy beginnings and real/relatable story, specialize so you become the authority, and don’t be afraid to get loud, hyper specific, or cheeky (in ways that fit). That’s how you build trust and stand out. 


Big thanks to The Food Institute host Chris Campbell and the expert speakers for such an insightful conversation.

The rise of Private Label and how brands can differentiate

Always feels great when hard work leads to a shiny award! 🏆 Many thanks to Synbiotic Health for understanding that B2B doesn't have to be beige and boring. 🔆 Cheers!

We are thrilled to announce we’ve been selected as a winner in Graphic Design USA’s Health & Wellness Showcase for our brand identity system for Synbiotic Health.

The identity is born out of their brand positioning, which we developed, reflecting their groundbreaking work in the fields of probiotic and microbiome science. The system combines precise, geometric design with vibrant colors, symbolizing vitality, optimism, and nature. The updated brand identity reinforces their expertise and innovation in the probiotic space.

The system can be seen here: https://lnkd.in/gRFWGVUy

See the full case study here: https://lnkd.in/g6ujJg5u

We are so grateful for our partnership with the team at Synbiotic Health and excited to share this win with them!

May all your packages have a second life as pretty as this.

When a friend brought me flowers in an upcycled package, I got the warm-and-fuzzies and thought wow, she really gets me.

Then I started thinking about the opportunity hiding here...

If brands encouraged reuse, they’d not only reduce waste but also get bonus visibility and stick around in their customers’ lives a whole lot longer.

Here are a few brands proving how fun and effective this can be:

💡IKEA used augmented reality to show how leftover cardboard can become toys, turning waste into imaginative play.
https://lnkd.in/gqsFAUdD

💡Harney & Sons highlights how their empty tea tins can live on as mini planters, candle holders, storage containers, and more instead of ending up in the trash.
https://lnkd.in/gzf5inzp

💡Samsung’s #FurTheWinSG challenge invites customers to upcycle their cardboard packaging into creative pet houses, giving waste boxes a fun and functional second life.
https://lnkd.in/g4YuURQP

The solution can also be super simple, with just a mention of "reuse me as a vase", or perhaps a QR code that leads to more creative ideas.

If you’ve seen other brands doing this well, I’d love to hear about them.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Big thanks to David Endersen for capturing the impact of our Jovial refresh.

MD of White Bear | Transforming challenger brands

27% increase in sales with no incremental marketing spend.

After 10 years of trading and a widening portfolio, Jovial Foods sought to evolve its brand and messaging.

3 key areas jumped out:

1/ They had multiple products all performing well in isolation, but lacked a coherent portfolio

2/ Messaging hierarchy was not well defined, with multiple claims competing on pack.

3/ Taste appeal could improve in a category where it is not well utilised.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁.

Here's what they did:

✅ Dialled up appetite appeal
✅ Information hierarchy simplified for faster scanning
✅ Watercolour Italian landscape refined

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁:

🔥69% of consumers preferred the new design.
📈27% sales increase post-launch.

A solid example of refinement, evolution, and the compounding effect of consistent messaging and appetite appeal.

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➕ Follow for more on brand growth and design effectiveness

If 2024 said “go big” and 2025 said “optimize,” 2026 might say…

prove it.

I value reports like Grubhub Delivered that go beyond observations and bring real-world data to the table (pun fully intended). I find it especially insightful to see what shifted from the previous year, revealing where food trends may be headed for CPG brands in 2026.

Here’s my thought process.

➡️ 2024 was indulgence. More was better.
Bigger flavors, extra toppings, more protein, more caffeine, more customization. Orders were expressive and playful, driven by craveability and comfort rather than function. Escapism was in, and food was more about pleasure than performance.

➡️ 2025 was about optimization.
“Foodmaxxing” every bite for nutrition, function (and sometimes aesthetic) payoff. Nutrition-first ordering took center stage, focused on protein, gut health, and energy. Beans went mainstream, signaling the “fibermaxxing” to come for CPG. Drinks especially started stacking benefits beyond hydration, including better sleep, more energy, inner calm, better focus, improved digestion, clearer skin, thicker hair, more joy…

Which makes me wonder if 2026 will bring functional fatigue. When everything promises so much, consumers may get cynical.

If 2024 was “more,” and 2025 was “smarter,” maybe 2026 will demand foods with benefits backed up by more evidence, data, and transparency.

I’m not suggesting functional foods are going away, or that consumers will stop caring about benefits. But the bar may get raised. 

Credibility and clarity could outweigh buzzwords and cleverness.

Just a hunch. What do you think?

Bolt

• Managing UX/UI Design team for customer-facing products at Bolt, including Bolt Super App, Merchant Dashboard, Checkout 2.0, Bolt, Charge, etc.
• Leading design strategy to enhance user experience and drive customer engagement.
• Implementing innovative design solutions to improve product usability and functionality.

Vice President, Design

gr! Design LLC

Purveyors of more grrrr! to your branded experiences.

Advisor, Brand & Product Experience

Beyond Labs

Dalia Consulting

Providing creative leadership, brand strategy, and design consulting/support in the gaming industry.

Advisor, Brand & Creative

Clover Network, Inc.

Clover processed $133 billion of annualized card transactions worldwide in 2020, making it the largest U.S. cloud POS firm.

I lead the design team overseeing customer acquisition, including the Clover brand (Brand Guidelines and application), the clover.com website shopping experience, cross-channel communications, packaging, and marketing collateral. I partner with Marketing and Design leadership to introduce integrated hardware and software products to small business merchants.

Design Director, Brand Experience

Directly

Directly offers artificial intelligence-powered CX solutions to help resolve support issues with the mix of automation and crowdsourced experts to companies like Microsoft, LinkedIn, Airbnb, Adobe, Samsung, SAAP, etc.

My team helped architect Directly’s brand experience: From product design to marketing, brand, and communication, including Brand Guidelines and Design Systems.

Head of Design

Salesforce

Salesforce is the world's #1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform (US$26.49 billion of revenue in 2022).

My team helped evolve the overall look and feel of all Salesforce products and services at a systems level (i.e. developing the Design System). Partnering with Marketing, Product, and Development teams, I help architect the company's voice through the experience of its ecosystem by injecting moments of delight and personality.

Sr. Director, Design Systems UX

Groupon

Groupon is known for being valued at over $1 billion in just 16 months of business, making it the fastest (at its time) to reach this milestone. Groupon has now (2021) over 60 million active customers. It offers local discounts and deals on products, services, and travel experiences and helps businesses reach a large customer base. 

My team helped launch a new line of business by developing a turn-key suite of product and service solutions for merchants (Groupon Merchant, Groupon Beacon, Groupon G.nome, Breadcrumb PRO, Breadcrumb POS, Breadcrumb Payments, etc). I managed UX and UI designers, helping with the overall brand experience (including Brand Guidelines) and unified interoperability (including a Design System) of these exciting products!

Creative Director, Groupon Merchant

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon was a discovery engine that allowed users to discover and rate new websites, images, videos, and other content. It was launched in 2001 and had over 25 million registered users.

During the last few months of this company before its radical downsizing (and ultimate closure), I managed user experience, interface, product design, user research/usability, brand, & marketing design for an online service with more than 25 million users, delivering 800 million page views per month, and generating more link referrals than Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Digg, LinkedIn... combined!

Executive Director, Brand Experience

BitTorrent

BitTorrent is a pioneering peer-to-peer file-sharing protocol that enables users to share large files, such as movies, music, and software. BitTorrent has become one of the most widely used file-sharing methods, with an estimated 200 million active users worldwide. BitTorrent is unique in its ability to break files into smaller pieces and distribute them across multiple users, reducing the load on any single server and making it possible for its customers to download data-heavy content with little server investment.

I was in charge of its brand experience, UX, UI, marketing, and user research for all its ancillary brands, as well as managing outside contractors, and hands-on involvement in all aspects of customer-facing interaction and communication. My main objective was to shift the company's brand perception as a mere download utility (of questionable copyright), into a content discovery experience.

Vice President, User & Brand Experience

Your very own brand expert consultant! Level-up your offerings' perception.

Extensive design experience, most as design leader and manager:

• Design Director, Brand Experience. Clover Network
• Head of Design. Directly
• Sr. Design Director. Salesforce
• Creative Director. Groupon
• Executive Director, Brand Experience. StumbleUpon
• VP, Brand & User Experience. BitTorrent
• VP, User Experience. Lithium Technologies
• VP, User Experience. Ask.com
• Editor-in-Chief. Want Magazine
• User Experience Manager. Microsoft
• President. Lobe Multimedia
• Creative Director. Nike.com
• Chief Interface Officer. IconMedialab
• Chief Creative Officer. WhiteStone Networks
• Creative Director. Apogee Networks
• Creative Director. HarrisDirect.com

Specialties: Brand Experience, Brand Architecture, User Experience. User Interface Design. Mobile App Design. Systems Design. Creative Talent Acquisition & Management. v1.0 Product Development. Corporate Identity. Web Design. Graphic Design. Multimedia. Integrated Marketing. 3D & Motion Design

taplio

The Battle

Carrie Dufour

David Gómez-Rosado

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The Battle

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David Gómez-Rosado

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Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Carrie Dufour's LinkedIn Performance

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