What to keep on your pack, what to strengthen and in what order — checked against the shelf of your category. Send a photo and get a 3-page report by email in 30–40 minutes.
An agency is doing your redesign? Check their work — also free.
Design gets judged on a monitor, up close, by people who know what it says. Shoppers see the pack from five feet away among dozens of neighbors — or as a thumbnail in search results. That’s a different pack.
No added sugar — sweet from apples
From your website, in our words
Sweet apple granola — for yogurt
How model shoppers described it
ALREADY WORKS flavor and window land
A simulation, not a recording of people
No added sugar — sweet from apples
From your website, in our words
A simulation, not a recording of people
Sweet apple granola
How model shoppers described it
ALREADY WORKS flavor and window land
is what a shopper takes away from a pack in a couple of seconds at the shelf. The audit shows which ones they will see on yours — and whether they’re the right ones.
thumbnail size in marketplace search results. Faces and details disappear; what’s left is the silhouette, color and a couple of big words.
The audit doesn’t replace your agency or argue with it. It brings numbers where people usually argue about taste — to the owner, the agency or yourself. Whoever designs for you.
Find out what on the pack must not be touched and what needs strengthening. In our redesign base, when a brand removed its recognizable element, one in three ended with a sales drop — 10 of 30. Where the element was kept — none of 97.
Redesign case base, mostly US and UK mass market.
Even if we’re not your designers, check the work for free. Send the options — up to 5 files: we’ll show which one reads better from the shelf and as a thumbnail, and what was kept of the recognizable. In scores, not opinions.
Your pack on the real shelf of your category and as a 150 px thumbnail next to search-result cards of your category.
Fixing artwork before the print run is cheaper than after.
Check whether the pack is the problem: does it stand out among neighbors, and can people find it from a description?
A report with scores out of 100 and three steps you can put on the owner’s desk or attach to a design brief.
We compare every pack not with “good taste” but with the real shelf of its category and with world benchmarks: award winners and packs that sell well. Behind the model is a base our agency collected and tagged with one method.
The gaze model is checked against published eye-tracking studies: 91 people looking at 158 packs (Orquin), 25 people looking at 972 product cards (SalECI). It is a forecast, not a recording of people.
Five areas, the same scoring rules for every pack. Each gets a score out of 100 and one of three labels: “already works” (75+), “room to grow” (50–74), “needs attention” (below 50).
Does the pack say what you want to say, and is the name memorable?
Does the eye meet the most important words first, in a clear order?
Will a stranger understand what it is in a couple of seconds?
Is there something only you have, so people find you again?
We compare with your shelf neighbors: what everyone has, and what only you have.
Does the pack work from a few steps away and as a small photo in search results?
We outline every word, image and color block on the front. We read your website to understand what you want to say.
A computer model predicts what the eye notices in the first second and within 3 seconds. A simulation, not a recording of people.
Five shopper profiles from your market and one who sees the pack for the first time, without knowing your brand. These are computer models, not a survey. Plus a “buy me…” test: from a shopper’s phrase, the model looks for your pack on the shelf.
Your pack among 10+ category neighbors at real scale. Your category or market isn’t built yet? We build its shelf first.
Before sending, two independent checkers review the report — also models: one checks the facts, the other checks clarity.
Taste is an unreliable judge of sales. We removed everything that can’t be checked against shopper behavior.
| Designer’s opinion | Heat-map service | Eye-tracking and focus groups | deepUP Audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What gets noticed in the first second | by eye | yes | yes, with people | model forecast checked against published eye-tracking |
| Knows your category and shelf | if they worked with it | no | if a shelf was built | 68 shelves in 4 countries, real dimensions; not yours? we build it for your request |
| Difference from competitors in numbers | no | no | partly | how many neighbors do the same |
| “Will they find it from a description” test | no | no | rarely | yes |
| Marketplace thumbnail for your category’s search results | sometimes | generic, not category-specific | no | yes |
| What to do next | “redo it” | a map without conclusions | a report of dozens of slides | 3 steps + how to check |
| Time and price | days · depends | minutes · subscription | weeks · expensive | 30–40 minutes · free |
Illustrative example: the brand, pack and numbers are made up — so you see the method, not someone else’s design. The report you get is built the same way: 3 pages, five areas, three steps.
“No added sugar” on the front
“Granola” — bigger
One cue of your own for the range
Your website in our words: granola with no added sugar, sweet from baked apples; baked in small batches; four flavors.
WHAT THE SHOPPER READSSweet granola with apple and cinnamon — for breakfast yogurt.
How model shoppers described it — computer models of shoppers, not a survey.
The apple slice and cinnamon stick sit above the name, so the flavor is clear before any reading. Keep them in any update.
Big clusters are visible before any word. The shopper instantly gets a crunchy breakfast, not oatmeal.
All model shoppers read “Ovsea” correctly and could repeat it. A name like that is easy to say in “get me…”.
On the website it’s the main argument, but it’s not on the pack yet. Model shoppers decided the granola is sweet, with honey.
The word “granola” is one of the smallest on the front. Without it, crunchy granola is easy to mistake for muesli.
The window explains what’s inside, but almost everyone has one. To be found again, you need your own cue across all 4 flavors.
At the shelf a shopper gives a pack a couple of seconds and takes away two or three things. The report shows which ones they’ll see on yours — and whether they’re the right ones.
“A bag with a clear window, big granola clusters inside, an apple slice and a cinnamon stick above the window, “Ovsea” in large letters.”
They saw only the pack — as from two steps away and as a small search photo — and didn’t know your brand.Numbers mark spots likely to be noticed, not one person’s path.
Maybe“Baked Granola”, “Big crunchy clusters”
Unlikely“10.6 oz”, small print at the bottom of the front
Most likely noticed: the flavor, the granola window and the name “Ovsea”. Not on the pack yet: “no added sugar” and a cue that’s only yours.
Does the pack say what you want to say, and is the name memorable?
Does the eye meet the most important words first, in a clear order?
Will a stranger understand what it is in a couple of seconds?
Is there something only you have, so people find you again?
Does the pack work from a few steps away and as a small photo in search results?
“Meaning and brand” — room to grow: the name and flavor land, but the website’s main argument isn’t on the front yet.
“Shelf and online”: in the small search photo the flavor reads, the word “granola” doesn’t.
We outline every word, image and color block on the front.
A computer model predicts what the eye notices first.
Five profiles and one who sees the pack for the first time: models, not a survey.
Your pack next to 11 granolas at the right scale.
We split every front into zones and compare with real shelves.
Checked against published eye-tracking studies.
A granola shelf, five shopper profiles and the “get me…” test.
Front checked against FDA labeling rules (21 CFR 101); this is not a legal opinion.
Make “no added sugar” the second-largest line, right under the flavor. Check the claim against the ingredients before print.
Move the word “granola” up to the name: it must read from two steps away and in a small search photo.
Pick one cue for the whole range: the window shape, a color band or a mark. Keep the apple and cinnamon — they work.
| RULE | ON THE PACK | RESULT |
|---|---|---|
| Statement of identity says what the product is | “Baked Granola” — small, under the flavor | present; bigger — step 2 |
| Net quantity is stated | “10.6 oz” at the bottom of the front | present |
| Voluntary claims are not misleading | “Big crunchy clusters”; “no added sugar” will appear after step 1 | check against ingredients before print |
| Ingredients, Nutrition Facts, allergens, manufacturer | back panel not in the photo | not checked |
Checked against FDA labeling rules (21 CFR 101). This is not a legal opinion. Show the artwork to a labeling specialist before print.
The report is written for the owner and the marketer, not the designer: no jargon, with a direct answer to your question.
A phone photo, a render or pre-print artwork all work.
Open the link in the email and we’ll start. The email comes from deepUP — check Spam too. The link is valid for 48 hours.
Confirmation makes sure audits go to companies, not bots. We already have your photos — no need to send them again.
Need more audits — for your range or for your clients? Send a request and we’ll reply within one business day with options.
Thank you — we’ve got your request and will reply within one business day.
We’ll send the result to as a PDF.
You can close this page — the report will still arrive by email. Or keep it open: the status updates by itself.
We build brands and packaging for food and beverage, pharma and B2B companies. The audit method was built by the deepUP team on our practice and a base of packaging from all over the world. Behind it is 20+ years of team experience in brand strategy and design. Where we work: New York — North America, Buenos Aires — Latin America, Paris — Europe.
Clients include Mondelēz International, Volvo Trucks and Tetra Pak.
Want to see our brand and packaging work? We share cases from your category on request.
Free and with no obligation. It pays off for us when you see how we think: some people who get a report come to us for a redesign or a brand strategy. If you don’t — you still keep an honest review.
You create a free account with a work email and confirm it once by a link — so audits go to companies, not bots. We don’t accept personal mailboxes (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and the like) — the audit is for companies. Free: 2 audits per account and up to 4 per company. Need more — press “Get more audits” in your account, or write to us through the contact form below.
Yes, the report is assembled by the deepUP system: a computer gaze model, model shoppers (not a survey of people) and a comparison with your category shelf. The method, the base and the scoring rules are ours — built by people at the agency. Before sending, two independent checkers review the report, also models: one checks facts, the other clarity. You can discuss the findings on a free call with a deepUP expert.
No, it’s not a recording of people’s gaze. The gaze model is a forecast checked against published eye-tracking studies. It’s good at guessing what gets noticed first. It doesn’t measure meaning and choice — that’s why model shoppers and the “get me…” test sit next to it. If the decision is worth millions, we recommend a live test after the audit — we’ll suggest which one.
If your category’s shelf is already built for your market — usually 30–40 minutes. If not, we first build and analyze that shelf: up to 3 hours. On days with more requests than we can handle well — up to two business days, and we’ll let you know.
Like a doctor’s second opinion: the agency designs, we check against data. The audit shows what recognizable elements were kept and what’s visible on the shelf and in the thumbnail — and gives you arguments for a conversation with the agency, not a reason to fight. Send the agency’s options — we’ll compare what was kept and what was lost. It’s free and commits you to nothing.
The audit is built for packaging that already exists — on shelf or as artwork. If the brand is just being created, send the pre-print artwork: we’ll check how it stands among neighbors. For building a brand from scratch we do strategy, positioning and naming.
Yes. Only the system and deepUP experts see the files; we don’t publish them or use them in our portfolio without your written permission. NDA on request. Fixing artwork before the print run is cheaper than after — and a pre-print audit is exactly that moment.
Shelves already built: 16 categories for Canada, 4 for the US and 2 for Argentina — from cookies, chips and cheese to coffee, vitamins and pet food — with real packs at real scale. Our world benchmarks come from 66 countries, and the US is the largest share. Your category or market isn’t built yet? Send the pack anyway: we build its shelf for your market before the audit — that’s the “up to 3 hours” case. Front-of-pack statements are checked against your market’s rules (FDA in the US, CFIA in Canada). This is not a legal opinion.
Nothing pushy. The report includes an invitation to a 30-minute review with an expert — on growth areas and your questions. If you need a redesign or a brand strategy, we’ll tell you how we work. Sometimes we’ll send useful materials on packaging design — unsubscribe in one click.
Strategy, positioning, naming or a portfolio that needs order. A partner of deepUP replies within one business day.
We’ll reply to your email within one business day.
Free packaging audit on the deepUP model: what to keep, what to strengthen and three steps to start. 3-page report by email.
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