Design that works on the shelf.
Dealvibez builds packaging and promotional design around how products actually get seen — at retail, in print, and in the hands of buyers who make decisions in seconds. The work is specific, not generic.
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What a working engagement actually looks like
Most projects start with a conversation about context — not just what needs to be designed, but where it will live, who will handle it in print production, and what constraints exist at the retail or distribution end. That conversation shapes everything that follows.
Clients are involved at defined points, not at every stage. Feedback is structured and specific, which keeps revision cycles short and the work moving forward without drift.
Brief and context mapping
Product category, retail environment, print specifications, and audience are documented before any design begins.
Concept development
Two or three distinct directions are developed and presented with rationale — not just visuals, but reasoning.
Refinement and production handoff
The chosen direction is refined through structured feedback rounds and delivered as print-ready files with full documentation.
The professional relationships surrounding the work
Packaging design does not exist in isolation. A finished design passes through printers, retail buyers, logistics teams, and sometimes regulatory reviewers before it reaches the end customer. The studio has built working knowledge of each of those handoff points — not from theory, but from years of managing them.
Print production partners
Files are prepared with specific knowledge of offset, digital, and flexographic print processes. Bleed, colour profiles, and dieline specifications are handled correctly the first time — not corrected after a printer flags an issue.
Retail and buyer context
Supermarket planograms, pharmacy shelf layouts, and independent retail displays each have different visual demands. Design decisions account for how a product sits among competitors, not just how it looks in isolation.
Timeline and compliance awareness
Promotional campaigns have fixed windows. Packaging updates sometimes need to meet regulatory labelling changes by a specific date. The studio works to real deadlines, not open-ended schedules.
The approach changes when the problem changes
A food brand launching into a major supermarket chain faces entirely different constraints than a cosmetics company selling through its own e-commerce store. The visual language, structural format, and production pathway are different in each case. Applying the same design process to both produces mediocre results for at least one of them.
Each project begins with a genuine assessment of what the specific retail or distribution context demands — not a templated approach dressed up as bespoke.
Projects with unique structural requirements
Most packaging briefs involve at least one constraint that requires a custom approach to dieline or format.
Briefs involving multi-channel delivery
Print, digital, and in-store promotional assets often need to be developed in parallel from a single design system.
Client retention across multiple projects
Returning clients typically bring more complex briefs — a sign the working relationship has built enough trust to handle harder problems.
Packaging for a health food range required three distinct formats — shelf-ready carton, stand-up pouch, and e-commerce shipper — each derived from the same visual system but built to separate print specifications.
Specific situations that were actually resolved
These are not summaries of general satisfaction. Each case describes a concrete problem, the design response, and what changed as a result. Names are real; identifying details are shared with permission.
Petra Vanlith
Founder, specialty food brand Sydney, NSWThe situation
Petra's condiment range had been selling well at farmers' markets but was rejected by a supermarket buyer who cited packaging that "didn't read at distance." The existing design had been done by a generalist freelancer with no retail shelf experience. The brief was to redesign three SKUs for supermarket ranging while keeping the artisan character that had built the original following.
All three SKUs were accepted in the next ranging review. The redesign retained the hand-drawn illustration style but restructured the hierarchy so the product name and variant read clearly at 1.5 metres.
Oisín Callery
Marketing Manager, hardware distributor Melbourne, VICThe situation
A seasonal promotional campaign needed point-of-sale materials, trade show graphics, and a coordinated digital ad set — all within six weeks, all derived from a brand that had not been updated in eight years. The existing brand files were incomplete and inconsistent across formats.
A simplified brand system was established first, then used to produce all campaign materials. The campaign ran on time. Oisín noted that the process of documenting the brand was itself useful for the team's internal work going forward.
Amara Nkosi
Director, skincare startup Brisbane, QLDThe situation
Amara was preparing for a pharmacy chain pitch and needed packaging that would pass both the buyer's visual assessment and the regulatory labelling requirements for therapeutic goods. Previous designers had not been familiar with the TGA requirements, which created rework and delays.
The packaging was developed with the regulatory requirements built into the layout from the start. The pitch proceeded without a labelling revision. The range is now stocked in two pharmacy chains.
The people doing this work and what qualifies them
Dealvibez is a small studio. The people named here are the ones who actually work on projects — not a roster that expands to fill a pitch deck. Each person has a specific area of depth that they bring to briefs where it matters.
Rafferty Doyle
Creative Director & FounderRafferty founded Dealvibez in 2014 after eight years working in-house at FMCG companies where he managed packaging across grocery, pharmacy, and foodservice channels. His background is in structural and graphic design for print — not brand strategy or digital-first work.
Led packaging redesigns for three national grocery brands before moving to independent practice
Familiar with supermarket ranging criteria across Woolworths, Coles, and independent channels
Has worked with TGA-regulated packaging for therapeutic goods and complementary medicines
Saoirse Hyland
Senior Designer, Print & ProductionSaoirse manages production artwork and print liaison. She spent six years at a commercial print house before joining the studio, which means she understands what printers actually need — not just what design software produces.
Tarquin Meredith
Designer, Promotional & CampaignTarquin focuses on promotional design — point-of-sale, trade show, and campaign materials. His background is in retail display and event graphics, with particular experience in fast-turnaround campaign production.
The studio does not subcontract creative work to junior designers or offshore teams. Every project is handled by the people listed here. For complex briefs, Rafferty is directly involved from brief through to final delivery — not just at review stages.
About the studio