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

“Culinary arts” is taking on new meaning. What once were pantry staples are now the stars of the table.

Challenge Butter’s latest launch taps into what people really want: little moments of delight.

As Challenge Dairy VP of Marketing Priya Raman Kumar said, “...people are looking for convenient yet thoughtful ways to elevate everyday moments...”

I think that insight reaches far beyond butter and could be applied to just about every consumer and category right now.

Bonus points to Challenge Dairy Products for tying in the “meltable” aspect. Seems like there’s also room for a little fun… maybe a “butterfly” in the spring?

What else would you want to see on your charcuterie board, or melting on your toast?

PepsiCo’s been busy.

First the Lay’s redesign, and now a full corporate rebrand.

They didn’t go subtle and safe. They ripped the bandaid right off, ditching the corporate polish for something far more human.

Organic shapes, natural tones, and a friendlier lowercase typeface pull the brand into a more approachable, optimistic space.

It’s a bold step in a positive direction. I’ll always have a soft spot for the 1965 original, but I commend their bravery in an era where everyone's a critic.

What’s this awkward, post-menopausal mom of two doing at a Gen Z conference?

Learning. A lot. 

ZCon 2025 gave me a fresh perspective on what Gen Z values and how brands can better connect.

Here’s what stood out:

🎨 There’s a desire to consume less and create more. 
Gen Z doesn’t just want to watch culture happen, they want to shape it. They value creativity, expression, and having a voice in the things they love. They don’t want to be marketed to, they want to co-create. Invite them into the process, through collaborations, open feedback loops, and opportunities to build alongside your brand. 

🧭 Their BS meter is strong. 
I heard, “If you want our loyalty, we want your authenticity.” They want transparency, consistency, and proof that brands mean what they say. Gen Z is quick to call out “purpose-washing” when companies claim to stand for something but don’t back it up with real action or internal change. Brands that consistently align their actions with their values and stand by their influencers, creators, and consumers (especially when inconvenient or costly) will earn the kind of trust money can’t buy.

🌈 Representation is key. 
There’s real power in feeling comfortable in your own skin, and that confidence grows when people see others like them reflected in media: different races, abilities, styles, identities, all of it. Gen Z is the most inclusive generation yet, and they notice brands that uplift everyone. The ones that help them feel seen, accepted, and confident will earn their loyalty.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏽They crave the camaraderie of in-person shared experiences. 
While Gen Z values their online worlds, they’re aware that social media has become more para-social than social. Young consumers are seeking out the distinct energy and emotional connection that can only be had in person. Brands that get people together in real life and nurture genuine community are winning.

I could count the Gen X peers I saw on one hand, yet the ZCon crowd couldn’t have been more welcoming. This conference broke down a few walls for me and brought a deeper understanding of what our youth is navigating today. 

“Resilient” is the word that keeps coming to mind.

Thank you United Talent Agency, Ziad Ahmed, Olivia Frary and everyone at ZCON. I hope to be invited back next year for another dose.

Has your package design project led to a promotion?

Looking back at our most successful packaging projects, we’ve noticed a few patterns in the ones that not only performed well, but also helped our clients stand out and advance in their careers.

Here are some of the ingredients behind those wins:

💡 Start with strategy.
A clear strategy points everyone to a common goal and eliminates internal friction and bias. Without it, stakeholders may likely default to their own taste or experience. A solid strategy shifts feedback from “I don’t like it” to “This doesn’t communicate convenience strongly enough.”

🤝 Get alignment early.
Bringing in key stakeholders early allows them to contribute opinions and insights while ideas are still forming, not after the design is already baked. When teammates are heard and valued, it creates a sense of collective ownership that leads to stronger buy-in and company support for the project.

Tip: ✨Don’t leave out your sales team.✨ Their frontline insight is invaluable.

🔍 Test with consumers.
When a design direction is supported by consumer insights and data, it’s easier to defend in reviews and retail sell-ins. It shows you're listening and not just guessing. Testing early also helps you iterate before changes become expensive and political.

Partnering with an agency that’s fluent in strategy, research, and design (and building in time for those steps) actually saves time and money in the long run.

No one wants to be the next Tropicana, Jaguar, or Cracker Barrel. The right process lowers your risk and gives you the confidence to stay on track in a world where everyone’s a critic.

What else would you add to the list?

A little type trivia for your Thursday morning... 

Why do we call letters "uppercase" and "lowercase?" 🤔

It's not about the letter size, but a throwback to the days of manual typesetting, when printers carefully picked up tiny metal letters and arranged them into words.

These letters were stored in shallow drawers called cases.

The small letters (used most often) were kept in the easily accessible lower case.

The large capital letters were stored in the case above it... the literal upper case!

Bonus knowledge...

"Cliché" was originally a French term for a printing block or plate that could be used over and over. This led to the meaning of an idea or phrase that is overused to the point of being unoriginal and losing its impact.

There’s a trend here… and I like it.

We’re seeing more of these rule-breaking brand names lately. Provocative, self-aware, and not afraid to lean into cultural taboos.

This shift says a lot about where branding is headed:
 👉 Confidence over convention
 👉 Playfulness over polish
 👉 Realness over restraint

The shine of perfection has officially worn off. What really connects now are genuine, relatable qualities, ideally with a side of irreverence. 

The space for disruptive branding keeps growing, and with attention more elusive than ever, I think naming will become an even bigger part of that disruption.

Are you seeing this too? What names have made you do a double take?

This kind of “field research” always brings the best insights and truly feeds the creative soul. We’re grateful for local farmers like Mai who care so deeply for the land and the communities they nourish.

Check out the link in the comments to purchase the climate-adapted grains and see how Mai's tackling some of today’s biggest challenges through farming, policy, and collective action.

Last week, as part of a current project, we spent some time out at Farmer Mai’s farm and grain mill, and left with a deeper appreciation for where good food begins.

We walked the fields where wheat is grown, learned how it’s stone-milled, and even tasted the freshly harvested grains (yes, they taste amazing).

Mai shared how regenerative farming practices are restoring the soil and supporting the community around her. It was inspiring to see how much care and intention goes into every part of the process.

Other highlights:
🎨 a sculpture made of reclaimed wood that also housed a gallery of tiny art
🍓 end-of-season strawberries picked fresh from the plants
🐓 seeing the diverse flora and fauna of the farm (including some that were very friendly!)

We’re thankful for the opportunity to partner with members of the local food community who are truly making a difference for people and the planet. Grateful for the chance to slow down, listen, and learn. 💛

In package design, communication hierarchy can mean the difference between “yum, I need that” and “wait, what am I buying?”

I mean, I love me some whipped cream… just not when I think it’s in a pizza-flavored cheese spread format.

“If you want to understand any society, don’t listen to what it says about itself; look at what it creates.”

Have we traded imagination for efficiency?

This short film is a sharp reflection on what design says about our culture, especially at a time when speed, convenience, and profit seem to outweigh everything else.

Maybe it’s time for another Renaissance. One that isn’t about being faster or cheaper... but more thoughtful, and human.

What do you think?

Open video: How Did The World Get So Ugly? on youtube.com

If appetites change drastically, so could everything from farming to branding. Mike Lee’s take on how GLP-1s could reshape our food system is well worth every food professional’s time.

Food Futurist & Author, Mise: On the Future of Food; Host, The Tomorrow Today Show

FOUR SCENARIOS FOR THE FUTURE OF GLP-1s

We designed our food system to make food cheap and abundant. It worked spectacularly—at the cost of climate disruption, soil degradation, and a public health crisis.

Now we're engineering a pharmaceutical fix. GLP-1 drugs are projected to become a $150 billion market by 2030, with 30 million Americans potentially taking them.

But here's the thing: the future impact depends less on the drugs themselves and more on two critical uncertainties:

1. Will GLP-1s achieve mass adoption or remain limited to the wealthy?
2. Can Big Food maintain revenues when millions eat 20% less—or do sales just crater?

These two questions create four radically different futures:

SCENARIO 1 - The Premium Pivot: Food companies survive by selling expensive, small-portion products at 40% markups. "Volume is dead. Margin is king."

SCENARIO 2 -  The Demand Shock: The industry collapses when drugs destroy the biological mechanism it was built to exploit. Frito-Lay revenue down 35%. Major brands disappear.

SCENARIO 3 -  Business as Usual: GLP-1s stay expensive, access stays limited, nothing fundamentally changes. The most frustrating scenario.

SCENARIO 4 -  The Cultural Catalyst: Limited access triggers rage about inequality, sparking a policy revolution that collapses Big Food anyway—not through appetite suppression, but through cultural rejection.

The pharmaceutical intervention could accomplish what decades of sustainability advocacy couldn't: a meaningful reduction in humanity's agricultural footprint. But it's an answer that works mathematically while feeling deeply unsatisfying philosophically.

We're not just deciding the future of weight loss drugs. We're deciding what kind of food system we want to build around them.

Open article: Four Scenarios for the Future of GLP-1s by thefuturemarket.substack.com

KT Advisors

I help organizations transform their products into great brands. I focus on building the fundamentals for resilient growth, creating brands that are compelling, differentiated,  and scalable.

Strategic Advisor

Shenandoah Community Capital Fund

Mentor - Marketing

SKU, the nation’s first consumer products accelerator, serves as a powerful catalyst for a thriving, impactful, and nationally recognized community that supports the community’s collective success. The petcare cohort includes D.R.E.A.M. Pet Food, 5 Element Food Therapy, Innovative Pet Lab and Pupsentials, these four brands join such successful SKU alums as Siete, EPIC Provisions and DUDE Wipes.

Mentor

Farmer Focus - Shenandoah Valley Organic

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)

Led new product innovation, brand strategy, and marketing teams to build the #2 grocery brand and the fastest growing brand in organic chicken. Leveraging a unique blend of traditional brand management and keen understanding of the values-driven consumer, created a data-led, consumer-first marketing and innovation strategy helping to transform the company from a promising regional supplier to category disrupter.

Chief Marketing Officer

Independent Consultant

Partnered with C-Suite teams and investors in the natural food & supplement industry. Lead strategic initiatives and advising on product, brand and marketing communications.

Marketing Strategy Consultant

Vero Foods - True Story, Fork in the Road, Courage Production, Heritage Foods

Led Sales and Marketing transition from family owned to modern CPG company, focused on establishing CPG fundamentals and strategies, improving market positioning, and building top performing teams to accelerate national expansion.

Vice President of Marketing - True Story Foods

Freshpet

Served as a key member of a 6-person management team which grew revenue from $2 - $150 MM. Led the vision, go-to-market strategy, product development, consumer communications, and P&L management to create and grow the portfolio of brands.

Vice President of Marketing

Director of Marketing

The Meow Mix Company

Purchased by Cypress Group in late 2003 for $432 MM sold to Del Monte Foods for $705 MM in 2006. Conducted key due diligence for sale and led marketing transition to Del Monte.
•	Grew Meow Mix revenue by an average of 13% a year, driven by new products in a category growing only 2% to 3%. Cumulative revenues grew more than 40%.

Marketing Manager

Dr  Pepper Snapple Group

Started as Assistant Brand Manager, promoted to Associate after ten months and to Brand Manager after eight months. Reported to VP of Marketing for eight months.

Growing your business is hard. I can help make sure you’re focusing on what matters.

As a founder, the day-to-day overwhelm of growing your business is a lot. And it’s hard to step back from the chaos to figure out what you need to do to break through a plateau or expand into a new market.

That’s why I’m here. I’ll work alongside you to provide you and your team with a thoughtful growth strategy and a pragmatic, proactive plan to achieve it.

Most of my clients call me for one of two reasons: 
They have a good product and want to turn it into a great brand.
Or they are at a turning point and want to grow their business but need guidance on which strategies are best for them.

Strategic Advising for Evolving Brands
If you’re leading a small-to-medium-sized business trying to figure out what’s next, I’ll help uncover your brand’s winning angle, create a focused plan and then help your team put the plan into action.

Go-to-Market Advising for Emerging Brands
When you’re launching a business, confidence in the right choices is priceless. As your partner, my skills and experience can help you punch above your weight (without a C-suite budget) to achieve your marketing, innovation, and sales goals.

Who I love partnering with: 
Mission Driven Brands or just want to have a purpose beyond profit
Organic & Natural, Better For You
Fresh & Refrigerated Products
Pet, Food & Beverage Category
Grocery & Mass Distribution Channels
Evolving Brands  - $10MM - $70MM+
Emerging Brands - Committed and ready to invest in your brand

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