Visual branding is going vertical, animated and screen-first—even for products that live on shelves.

I’ve done my time in the shopping aisles.

Our agency has worked on the packaging design and rebranding of everything from toothpaste to juice to brandy—and just about every form of point-of-sale and point-of-purchase device known to brandkind. At ROSE, we’ve designed bottles, boxes, blister packs, shelf-talkers, counter cards, danglers, wobblers, floor stickers, window clings, fridge decals, ceiling mobiles, bag stuffers, gifts-with-purchase, holographic cartons, QR-coded hangtags, scented labels, pop-ups, pull-outs, pull-tabs, pop-tops, pop-up shops, and let loose more than a few brand mascots.

The goal was always to own the aisle, own the eye. But these days, the eye isn’t in aisle six. It’s in your palm. On a screen. And it’s moving fast. Which means that brilliant design that once seduced from a shelf now needs to stop thumbs mid-scroll. Now? If your packaging doesn’t hold up in portrait mode, your product might never be discovered—let alone bought. So yes, we’re still designing for desire… but now it’s vertical, animated and algorithmically-optimized.

The Screenification of Branding

78% of Gen Z judge a product by how it looks on-screen (Morning Consult 2024). Heinz simplified its ketchup label so it could animate cleanly on TikTok. Probiotic soda, Poppi, redesigned its cans with bold color blocking and crisp typography to “pop” in selfie videos and fridge restocks. Liquid Death makes its water look like a rebellious beer—not for shelf appeal but for meme-worthiness on social. Packaging now has to work in 9:16 format before it works in 3D. In short, it’s content before container.

Designed for the Algorithm

Forget shelf facings. Products now need to be thumbnail-sized billboards. Prime, the hydration drink brand launched by YouTubers, designed its bottles to reflect light dramatically and look sculptural—because co-founder Logan Paul knew they’d live on thumbnail images. Plant-based milk brand Oatly’s chaotic label copy was made to be screenshotted and shared not studied in a grocery aisle. And it matters: 62% of product discovery now happens through social and digital content not in-store browsing (McKinsey 2024). Your product is more likely to be discovered in a FYP (For You Page) than a fridge.

Animation, Movement and Screen Seduction

Packaging isn’t static anymore. It dances. Coca-Cola’s new “liquid motion” branding was designed to shimmer and swirl in motion graphics across digital touchpoints. Beauty brand Glossier’s unboxings are choreographed events—each element staged for video aesthetics. And it’s no coincidence: 91% of marketers say they now consider “motion potential” in brand design (Canva Brand Survey 2024). If your product can’t dance, it can’t trend.

Retail is Still Alive—But It’s Now Part Theater

Yes, shelf presence still matters—but now it has to match the screen. Sephora’s in-store displays mirror their app interface to create visual continuity. LEGO’s store installations are made for selfie zones. 72% of Gen Z say they’re more likely to buy something in-store if they’ve seen it on social first (Snapchat Global Retail Study 2024). Your offline presence is no longer about aisle lighting or tactile packaging—it’s your IRL content studio.

The New Creative Brief

Somewhere there’s a beautifully printed carton sitting untouched on a lower shelf—not because it’s not good but because no one saw it on TikTok first. Winning today doesn’t just mean standing out in aisle lighting—or looking sleek in someone’s hand or polished on a bathroom shelf. Now its less about stopping the stroll and more about slowing the scroll. Owning the frame. Getting screenshotted, shared, stitched and saved. Your packaging isn’t just a container—it’s content. And if it doesn’t perform on-screen, it may never perform at all. So when we help brands design packaging now, we don’t just ask how it feels to touch. We ask:

• How does this look in Reels?

• What’s the unboxing shot?

• Can this go viral without explanation?

And if the answer is no? You may be flawlessly shelf-ready—and completely scroll-forgettable.

Sources:

• Morning Consult, 2024 Gen Z Brand Perception Report
• McKinsey & Co., Future of Consumer Discovery 2024
• Canva, Brand Motion Survey 2024
• Snapchat, Global Retail Study 2024
• TechCrunch, Liquid Death Funding Report 2024
• Financial Times, Prime Drinks Revenue Analysis 2024
• LVMH, Sephora Annual Retail Report 2024
• Statista, Duolingo TikTok & Brand Recall 2024