As ISlide grew with popularity amongst colleges, sports, and other organizations, we started to get requests for store merchandise. We needed a way to display these products properly so students, athletes, and other visitors or fans would be interested in purchasing these products.
The only products we sold in stores were pre-printed designs on our Mantra and Motto Slides, and Statement and Lifestyle Socks. We created a Universal J-hook for the slides from a sustainable cardboard and print.
The Sock Tags were more of a process as we wanted to make store real-estate to create brand equity within these organizations.
Below you will find the Slide store display from the Jhook designs, to the large display itself, and many mock ups and trials of Sock tags. Our store display only displayed Mantra slides. But had the ability to display motto as well. We called this our Pop Mock. Motto was not as popular of a product so the team felt is was unnecessary to create a mock up of the display with those slides.
These projects were ended early as ISlide moved production to the midwest without offering staff to move with it. We have parted ways in 2022 and these projects came to an end some finished, many incomplete.
JHOOKS FOR SLIDES
Our old Pop up mock had feedback of looking "too digital, and unrealistic." Many features on the old mock up were inaccurate, and every slide needed a logo to be placed on it manually. I got a hold of one of our pop displays and built it in office, loaded it with slides and took some well lit photos.
I did the same process that I did with Mantra slides, separated the entire photo piece by piece. And rebuilt the mock up so staff can change colors and place a single logo and poster design as needed. much less manual work, resulting in a faster return of the mock up to potential clients and customers.
These Pop Mocks were only used by sales reps to pitch store displays for companies and stores that would purchase our designs in bulk.
POP SHOP DISPLAY SIGNAGE
PACKAGING TESTING PROCESS - SOCK TAGS
I had an idea to join socks with slides on our pop shop shop display.
I got down to business and took measurements of the socks,
I took a survey with employees what kind of socks they tend to buy when looking at a wall at a store like nike, adidas, reebok, and new balance, -Or even the hiking store, or any footwear store. Stance, Nike, Rock'em, and a few other brands stood out the most.
I took a week to stop at each store after work and see what kind of sock tags and displays I would see in there.
I settled on the idea that the socks would be pinned to a "box" of some sort. The box is to make it look higher end and would need a plastic hook that adds to the overall "quality appearance" of the product. We also made a band version of this packaging to make packing, for online orders, post production, much easier and efficient. (less material means lower cost as well)
MOCK UPS
There was debate whether the socks should stay unfolded, or if we should fold them. I understand the marketing appeal to show our logo at the base with an unfolded sock, but did not think it was very realistic in stores, as many brands already fold theirs.
Stance, Bombas, and many other socks have a "look" and we know exactly what brand it is by seeing that blue string, or the honey comb around the arch; we had a look that the team was not seeing -the custom print.
Many debates over whether the box tag should "secure" the sock, while displaying the custom design or leave it open completely. All we really knew is we wanted to display the custom print no matter what the packaging was.
We scratched all of the above designs. "we need to show more on the front for sizing and brand equity"
But how would we do that when our main goal is to show the design?
They don't NEED to see our branding right away, but see the full product itself and instantly know what size it is by an indicator on the front. This tag above created a better user experience as the tab tucked inside will slowly reveal our branding. This still meets efficiency and speed, but dramatically increased price by the die cut it needed.
-Remove the window
-Remove the strap holding the sock in
FINAL DESIGN OPTIONS
We finally got it. I took the advice, I got rid of everything we needed and kept everything else we could. Efficiency, Hook, Secure, Box Like, Displays the custom Design, and represents ISlide. I did not get a chance to create mock ups for this design.
FINAL TAG PACKAGING WEB FOR SOCKS
OTHER WEBS FOR PREVIOUS OPTIONS
