Rufus AI results have become a brand's new pack design.
By oliverjohnbradley · September 16, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Rufus AI results have become a brand's new pack design.
When discovery moves to digital first, LLM first, screen first design has to change.
Design hasn't changed with the times for literally decades. Pack design has been wedded to physical shelves, assuming that is where discovery happens. Discovery has moved upstream to LLM results.
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Your thumbnail hero image in LLM results IS YOUR NEW PACK.
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In the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" there's a lovely quote that says
"The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese".
Movement creates confidence. Simply deciding to enter the maze and explore beats standing still. Movement forward, even with uncertainty, frees the mind from paralysis.
If you haven't started doing glance-readable GS1 mobile-ready hero images, it's not too late to start. LLM search is here to stay and is coming to all omnichannel retailers sooner than you think. Tesco I'll bet will launch next. Walmart has Sparky, Amazon has Rufus/Alexa but people look at the hero images BEFORE reading any of their recommendations.
How good is your hero in the new discovery LLM search? Is it glance-readable on mobile?
Your pack design just got shrunk to needing to work at 20mm and new rules apply.