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The Superside Alternative Built for Consumer Brands
Superside is built for enterprises — big teams, big budgets, big contracts. DarkRoast is right-sized for growing consumer brands: one dedicated senior designer, embedded in your team, who specializes in CPG, DTC, beverage, alcohol, and pet.
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TL;DR
The short version
Superside is an enterprise creative platform — built for large global brands (Colgate, Microsoft, Amazon).
DarkRoast is a fractional design service — one dedicated senior designer for growing consumer brands.
Superside works team + project manager; DarkRoast is direct with your designer.
Superside pricing is quote-based (est. $15K–$100K+/mo) with platform & onboarding fees; DarkRoast is a transparent $4,500/month, all-in, no contract.
We specialize in consumer brands: CPG, DTC, beverage, alcohol, and pet.
Try DarkRoast free before you commit.
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Why brands consider Superside
Superside is a genuinely elite, enterprise-grade creative partner — built to scale in-house teams at the world's biggest brands.
Superside is one of the best-known names in creative-as-a-service, and for good reason. They give enterprise marketing teams access to top global talent, 20+ services (from branding to product design to campaign strategy), and AI-first workflows — all through a polished platform with a dedicated project manager keeping things moving.
They're built to support large in-house creative teams — and they work best with SaaS, tech, and other enterprise companies with the budget, scale, and multi-channel volume to match. For that kind of organization, Superside is a strong fit. They're built to be your creative team's creative team.
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Where Superside is more than a growing brand needs
Enterprise power comes with enterprise price tags, contracts, and a project-manager layer — often more than a growing consumer brand needs.
That enterprise strength is exactly what can make Superside a mismatch for a smaller, growing brand:
Opaque, enterprise pricing.
Superside doesn't publish rates — you book a demo for a custom quote. Industry estimates put their plans anywhere from roughly $15,000 to $100,000+ per month, and enterprise engagements can carry additional platform fees, onboarding fees, and other costs on top. For a lean marketing team, that's a lot of unknowns before you even start.
A project-manager layer.
You work through a dedicated PM, not directly with your designer — great for coordinating big teams, but it adds a step between you and the person making your work.
Scale you may not have.
Superside is designed for high-volume, multi-division creative. If your needs are steady but focused, you're paying for a lot of capacity you won't use.
Commitment.
Enterprise subscriptions typically come with longer commitments — a big decision when your design load fluctuates month to month.
None of this makes Superside “bad.” It makes it enterprise-grade — powerful, and priced and structured accordingly.
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The right-sized alternative: fractional design
Fractional gives you a dedicated senior designer — direct, flat-priced, no contract — sized for a growing brand, not an enterprise.
DarkRoast is a different model built for a different buyer. Superside is built for enterprise in-house creative teams at SaaS, tech, and large corporations. DarkRoast is built for the people in the trenches at fast-moving consumer brands — the marketer juggling a launch, a Costco meeting, and a Prime Day deadline all at once.
Instead of an enterprise creative department with a PM in between, you get one dedicated senior designer, embedded in your team — someone you work with directly, who learns your brand and gets faster and sharper over time. And because consumer brands are all we do, you're not explaining what a sell sheet, a shipper, or an Amazon A+ layout is. We already know.
Simply putting it:
Superside solves creative at enterprise scale.
DarkRoast solves everyday design for growing consumer brands — at a price and simplicity that fits.
You still get senior-level quality and a real creative partner. You just skip the enterprise price tag, the PM layer, and the annual contract.
No quote required. With Superside, you won't find a price on their site — you book a demo and wait for a custom quote. With DarkRoast, the price is right there: $4,500/month, all-in. No platform fee, no onboarding fee, no surprises.
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Who they work with vs. who we work with
Two different worlds
Superside is built for enterprise. We're built for consumer brands. Here's the difference at a glance.
Superside works with:
We work with:
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Superside vs. DarkRoast
Enterprise creative platform vs. a dedicated senior designer — different scale, different price, different buyer.
Superside
DarkRoast
Enterprise creative platform
Fractional design service
Built for global enterprises
Built for consumer brands
Team + a project manager
One dedicated designer
Quote-based (est. $15K–$100K+/mo)
Transparent $4,500/month
Annual commitments
No contracts
Platform & onboarding fees
No hidden fees
Global talent
North American designers
Serves every industry
Consumer-brand specialists
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Why consumer brands choose DarkRoast
We're not generalists — consumer brands are all we do, across 25,000+ projects.
Over the past several years we've partnered with 400+ consumer brands across CPG, DTC, beverage, alcohol, pet, and cannabis — producing 25,000+ assets like:
Enterprise platforms are built to do a bit of everything for everyone. We do one thing: the everyday design that keeps consumer brands on shelf and moving.
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Is DarkRoast the right Superside alternative for you?
A fit for growing consumer brands with steady design needs; Superside is the better call for enterprise-scale creative.
DarkRoast is a fit if you're:
An established CPG/DTC/consumer brand with brand guidelines in place
A marketing team that wants to work directly with your designer (no PM layer)
A company with steady, ongoing design needs (but not enterprise volume)
An operator who values transparent pricing, flexibility, and category expertise
Superside is the better fit if you:
Are a large enterprise, SaaS, or tech company with in-house creative teams
Have multiple divisions and high creative volume across many channels
Need 20+ services including strategy, product design, and large-scale campaigns
Have the budget for an enterprise creative subscription and want dedicated project management
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What's included / pricing
One flat rate, one senior designer, no quotes and no contracts.
We're not generalists — CPG is our DNA. Over the past 6 years we've partnered with 300+ consumer brands, producing thousands of assets like these.
On-Demand Design
Your primary service — a dedicated senior designer embedded in your team, every working day. This is all most teams need.
Dedicated senior designer assigned to your brand
Available Every Day (Mon–Fri)
Up to 5 active projects at any time
Revisions until it's right
Up to 3 users on your team can submit requests
Free stock photos included
Specialty Services
Bolt on when a project needs it. An optional add on.
Motion Designer
Video Editor
3D Designer
Klaviyo Specialist
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Superside alternative FAQ
Most asked questions about Superside
What’s the difference between Superside and DarkRoast?
Superside is an enterprise creative service. It works with large brands on annual contracts, and a managed team works through a monthly budget. DarkRoast is a fractional design service. You get one dedicated senior designer embedded in your team, built for fast-moving consumer brands, on a monthly subscription.
How much does DarkRoast cost compared to Superside?
Superside requires a one-year commitment with a five-figure monthly minimum, plus a monthly software fee, and your projects draw down that budget. DarkRoast is one flat monthly subscription. There’s no annual contract and no extra fees, and you know exactly what you’re paying before you start.
Is Superside built for consumer brands?
Superside serves large companies across every category, with a heavy lean toward enterprise and tech. Consumer brands are all we do: CPG, DTC, beverage, alcohol, and pet. We know retailer specs, sell-in season, and how fast a shelf launch moves, so your designer doesn’t have to learn your category on your dime.
Will I work with the same designer, or a rotating team?
The same designer, every time. Larger creative services often route your requests through a project manager. With DarkRoast you work directly with your designer, and anyone on your team can reach them. They learn your brand once, and that knowledge keeps building.
Do I need a big creative budget to work with DarkRoast?
No. Superside’s model is built for companies that can commit enterprise budgets a year at a time. DarkRoast is for established brands with steady design needs that don’t add up to a full-time hire. It’s priced monthly, and you can cancel with 30 days’ notice.
How fast can we get started?
Your first step is a free test project, not a procurement process. You’re matched with your designer, you give them a real project, and you see the work before you commit to anything.
Where are your designers based, and how experienced are they?
All of our designers are in North America, work your hours, and have 8–10+ years of experience. Anyone on your team can reach them Monday to Friday, the same way you’d reach an in-house designer.
How many projects can I have going at once?
Up to five active projects at once. Your sell sheet, Amazon images, and email designs can all move forward together, so nothing waits behind something else.
What kind of work do you handle best?
Consumer brands are all we do. We’ve completed 25,000+ projects for 400+ brands, including sell sheets, shipper displays, club packaging, Instacart and Amazon creative, performance ads, social, email, OOH, and trade show booths. It’s the steady flow of assets that keeps a brand on shelf and moving.
What if I need motion, video, CGI, or web design?
We offer these as specialty services at $80/hour. They cover motion and video, AI renderings and CGI imagery, small shoots, and web and UI design. Add them when a project calls for it. Most teams never need to.
How does the free test project work?
Before you commit, you get matched with your designer and give them a real project. You’ll see the quality of the work and how they communicate. The trial also brings your designer up to speed on your brand, so if you continue, they’re ready from day one.
I’m already working with Superside. How hard is it to switch?
Not hard. You also don’t have to wait for your contract to end to find out whether we’re a fit. Start a free test project now and send us your brand guidelines and current files. Your designer will be up to speed by the time you’re ready to move.
Is there a contract or long-term commitment?
No long-term contract. DarkRoast is a monthly subscription, and you can cancel anytime with 30 days’ notice. Most clients stay because the relationship keeps getting better.
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The takeaway + CTA
Superside is enterprise-grade creative at enterprise scale. DarkRoast is a dedicated senior designer, right-sized for a growing consumer brand.
Superside is a powerful choice for large enterprises, SaaS, and tech companies that need creative at scale. But if you're in the trenches at a fast-moving consumer brand — and you want a senior designer who knows your category, someone you work with directly, at a transparent flat price with no enterprise contract — that's exactly what DarkRoast is built for.
