Packaging Designer - Consumer Products

Job Description

Hydrapeak is seeking an experienced and highly creative Senior Packaging Designer to concept, design, and execute packaging for our growing assortment of drinkware, gift sets, and consumer products.

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This is not simply a graphic design position. We are looking for a designer who can take a packaging idea from initial concept through buyer presentation and ultimately into complete, production-ready artwork that can be sent directly to a factory for manufacturing .

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The ideal candidate combines strong creative instincts with excellent technical packaging knowledge and understands how packaging must perform both visually at retail and practically in production.

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Responsibilities

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You will be responsible for developing packaging for new Hydrapeak products, sets, seasonal assortments, and licensed programs from concept through production.

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Responsibilities include:

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• Concept and develop original packaging directions for Hydrapeak products, gift sets, and seasonal assortments.
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• Create packaging appropriate for major retail environments, including off-price, mass, specialty, and department-store channels.
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• Develop dielines, die cuts, folds, scores, glue areas, bleeds, safe areas, windows, openings, and structural packaging components .
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• Prepare final artwork with proper layers, linked assets, fonts, color specifications, print instructions, and production notes.
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• Specify Pantone, CMYK, HEX, and other appropriate color standards .
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• Develop layouts with a strong understanding of visual hierarchy, information architecture, product visibility, and shelf impact .
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• Develop package messaging, product benefits, feature callouts, headlines, icons, and supporting copy.
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• Understand how to organize information so the shopper quickly understands what the product is, its key benefits, and why they should purchase it.
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• Create realistic 3D product and packaging renders/mockups for internal reviews, sales presentations, and buyer presentations.
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• Review packaging proofs, production samples, color, print quality, positioning, and other production details.
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• Maintain organized files and consistent naming, layering, versioning, and production standards across projects.
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Qualifications

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The successful candidate must have real-world packaging experience for consumer products that have been produced and sold at retail .

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We are looking for someone with:

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• A strong portfolio demonstrating consumer-product packaging that has reached retail shelves.
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• Professional experience in packaging design, preferably within consumer products or CPG.
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• Expert-level Adobe Illustrator skills.
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• Strong Adobe Photoshop skills.
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• Demonstrated experience creating production-ready packaging artwork and dielines.
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• Strong knowledge of printing, substrates, color specifications, coatings, foils, embossing, windows, finishes, and other common packaging techniques.
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• Excellent understanding of typography, composition, color, branding, and visual hierarchy.
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• Experience creating realistic product and packaging renders for sales or buyer presentations.
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• Strong communication and presentation skills.
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• Excellent attention to detail.
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• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
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• Ability to accept feedback and execute revisions quickly without sacrificing design quality.
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Retail Packaging Experience Is Required

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We will not consider candidates whose portfolios do not demonstrate packaging or consumer-product work that has been commercially produced and sold at retail.

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Concept-only work is not sufficient.

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Candidates should be able to identify examples in their portfolio that they personally helped take from concept through production .

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Experience designing products sold through major retailers, mass merchants, off-price retailers, specialty retailers, or department stores is strongly preferred.

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Additional Skills That Will Set You Apart

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Candidates with additional creative capabilities will receive strong consideration, especially experience in:

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• Surface and pattern design
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• Illustration
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• Seasonal print and pattern development
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• Lifestyle graphics
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• Icon development
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• Art direction
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• Product photography
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• 3D modeling and rendering
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• KeyShot, Blender, Cinema 4D, Adobe Substance, or similar rendering software
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• Packaging copywriting and product messaging
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• Retail merchandising and assortment development
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• Presentation and buyer-deck design
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Strong pattern-development and surface-design skills are especially valuable, as Hydrapeak develops coordinated collections across multiple products, colors, prints, and seasonal assortments.

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How We Work

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Hydrapeak moves quickly.

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Our designer must be comfortable working in an entrepreneurial environment where priorities may change and deadlines can be aggressive.