Heineken UK set out to transform its online brand experience for a mobile-first world through mobile-ready hero image design.
Recognising that mobile is now the primary touchpoint for consumers, the brand aimed to optimise its digital commerce presence – starting with product imagery.
The focus was clear: create visuals that are instantly understandable, accessible, and designed to capture attention in fast-scrolling environments.
To achieve this, Heineken partnered with Neem to rethink how digital assets are designed, evaluated, and deployed across the digital shelf, with a strong focus on mobile-ready hero image design.
Overview:
The engagement centred on Neem’s “design for screen, design for mobile” framework, a structured approach to mobile-first hero image design and high-performing digital content.
The engagement centred on Neem’s “design for screen, design for mobile” framework, a structured approach to mobile-first hero image design and high-performing digital content.
Our framework integrates:
- GS1 compliance passing both Contrast and Clarity tests for mobile ready hero images
- Accessibility using WCAG 3 APCA contrast standards
- Visual clarity testing through the Cambridge Visual Clarity
- Visual Attention testing using DragonFlyAI
- Strategic integration of distinctive brand assets
Using the RHINO platform, Neem enabled Heineken to create mobile-first hero image design outputs that are:
- Glance-readable on small screens
- Visually clear and accessible
- Optimised to capture attention and drive engagement
The result is a digital content system designed not just for compliance – but for performance in a screen-first, attention-driven commerce landscape.
Client Snapshot
- Client: Heineken UK
- Industry: FMCG – Food & Beverages
- Type: Digital shelf optimisation and mobile-first design
- Challenge: Product imagery not optimised for mobile-first environments or glance readability
Services delivered
- Mobile-first hero image design
- Digital shelf optimisation
- Hero image redesign
- AI-powered design validation
Neem helped Heineken brands transform how their products appear, communicate, and perform within mobile-first, digital shelf environments using a repeatable, data-led design approach.
Overview:
The engagement centred on Neem’s “design for screen, design for mobile” framework, a structured approach to mobile-first hero image design and high-performing digital content.
The engagement centred on Neem’s “design for screen, design for mobile” framework, a structured approach to mobile-first hero image design and high-performing digital content.
Our framework integrates:
- GS1 compliance passing both Contrast and Clarity tests for mobile ready hero images
- Accessibility using WCAG 3 APCA contrast standards
- Visual clarity testing through the Cambridge Visual Clarity
- Visual Attention testing using DragonFlyAI
- Strategic integration of distinctive brand assets
Using the RHINO platform, Neem enabled Heineken to create mobile-first hero image design outputs that are:
- Glance-readable on small screens
- Visually clear and accessible
- Optimised to capture attention and drive engagement
The result is a digital content system designed not just for compliance – but for performance in a screen-first, attention-driven commerce landscape.
Client Snapshot
- Client: Heineken UK
- Industry: FMCG – Food & Beverages
- Type: Digital shelf optimisation and mobile-first design
- Challenge: Product imagery not optimised for mobile-first environments or glance readability
Services delivered
- Mobile-first hero image design
- Digital shelf optimisation
- Hero image redesign
- AI-powered design validation
Neem helped Heineken brands transform how their products appear, communicate, and perform within mobile-first, digital shelf environments using a repeatable, data-led design approach.
“This is a true step change into the way we’re showing up on site for our customers… a huge thank you for the time and effort you and the team have invested.”
“This is a true step change into the way we’re showing up on site for our customers… a huge thank you for the time and effort you and the team have invested.”
The Challenge: Scaling Mobile-Ready Hero Image Design
Heineken manages multiple brands with distinct identities but shared digital shelf challenges.
Most product images were not designed for mobile-first environments.
They lacked consistency in attention, communication, and glance readability.
Key challenges included:
- Inconsistent Attention Performance: Hero images did not consistently stand out across brands.
- Low Glance Readability: Critical product information was not readable at thumbnail size.
- Fragmented Brand Execution: Each brand lacked a unified approach to digital shelf design.
- Manual, Subjective Design Decisions: Creative outputs relied heavily on visual judgement rather than measurable performance.
The challenge was not just optimisation – it was scaling mobile-ready hero image design across multiple brands and SKUs.
The Neem Approach: Design for Screen. Design for Mobile
Neem implemented a structured framework for mobile-first hero image design, combining design principles with AI-powered validation.
1. The 3-Pillar Mobile Design Framework
Every hero image across Heineken brands was designed to deliver:
- Attention to stop the scroll and capture user focus
- Branding to ensure immediate recognition
- Communication to deliver glance-readable messaging
This ensured that mobile-ready hero image design principles were consistently applied across Heineken, Strongbow, and Inches Cider.
2. Designing for Glance Readability at Scale
Glance readability became a core metric within Neem’s mobile-ready hero image design framework, ensuring clarity at thumbnail size.
Images were redesigned to improve how quickly users can understand key product information at thumbnail size.
- Critical text made more legible on small screens
- Product benefits communicated within seconds
- Visual hierarchy optimised for fast decision-making
Across brands, up to 70–80% of users could read key information at thumbnail size, with designs benchmarked against AAA accessibility standards where feasible.
3. AI-Powered Design Validation
All assets were tested using consistent validation frameworks and advanced tools that included WCAG 3 APCA contrast testing and visual clarity benchmarks to ensure accessibility and performance.
- RHINO validated glance readability using both Contrast & Clarity
- Dragonfly AI measured Creative Impact, Attention and Memorability.
This enabled:
- Objective design decisions
- Comparable performance across brands
- Scalable optimisation
For Inches Cider, this resulted in:
- 87% attention score
- 91% creative impact
- 100% glance readability on critical text
4. Performance-Driven Design, Not Trade-Offs
Traditional design forces a compromise between attention, branding, and communication.
Neem removed this trade-off.
Across all brands, hero images were engineered to deliver all three simultaneously, without sacrificing clarity or identity.
5. Retail and Compliance Readiness
All designs were built for real-world deployment.
- Aligned with GS1 MRHI standards
- Improved readability against AAA accessibility benchmarks where applicable
- Optimised for acceptance across key retailers
This ensured greater consistency, usability, and compliance across multiple digital environments.
Key Capabilities
To achieve this transformation, Neem deployed a cross-functional suite of strategic and creative services:
Multi-brand Mobile-first Design System: A scalable framework applied across Heineken, Strongbow, and Inches Cider.
Glance Readable Product Images: Consistent readability across all SKUs and categories.
AI-validated Creative at Scale: Performance-driven design across multiple brands.
Digital Shelf Standardisation: Unified approach to product image optimisation.
Impact & Outcomes: Measurable Gains Across Brands
The transformation demonstrated how mobile-ready hero image design can drive measurable improvements across attention, readability, and engagement.
- Attention Gains: Hero images achieved up to 1.7x–7x improvement in attention metrics.
- Glance Readability at Scale: Up to 80% readability at thumbnail size across multiple products. Only RHINO delivers visual clarity at scale.
- High-Performance Creative (Inches Cider Example):
-
- 87% attention score
- 91% creative impact
- 100% glance readability
- Improved Communication: Users could understand product value instantly during scroll.
- Stronger Brand Consistency: All brands now follow a unified digital shelf design system.
- Retail-ready Assets: All designs meet GS1 standards and retailer requirements.
Are your product images delivering consistent performance across brands?
Neem helps organisations scale mobile-ready hero image design using AI-powered validation and glance readability frameworks.
Speak to our team today.
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