Packaging Graphic Designer
Department: Packaging
Reports to: Sr. Director of Packaging
Location: New York, NY (On Site)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Best Brands Consumer Products is a consumer products company focused on developing and bringing products to market across multiple categories and retail channels. Our team works collaboratively across design, product development, sourcing, and production to deliver compelling products and packaging to consumers.
We value creativity, accountability, collaboration, attention to detail, and a willingness to continuously improve.
About the Role
Best Brands Consumer Products is seeking an experienced and highly creative Packaging Graphic Designer to join our growing Packaging team.
The Packaging Graphic Designer will be responsible for developing and executing packaging graphics across a variety of consumer products and retail programs. This role is ideal for a designer who combines strong creative skills with solid packaging and production knowledge and can independently manage projects from initial concept through final production.
This position will work closely with the Packaging, Product Development, Merchandising, and Production teams and will play an important role in maintaining the quality, consistency, and visual impact of Best Brands' packaging.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and development of packaging graphics from concept through final production, creating solutions that are visually compelling, commercially relevant, and appropriate for the target consumer and retail environment.
- Create and update packaging artwork, layouts, labels, inserts, hangtags, cartons, bags, sleeves, and other packaging components.
- Translate creative concepts into accurate, production-ready artwork and mechanical files, working from existing dielines, templates, brand guidelines, and customer requirements.
- Manage multiple packaging projects and SKUs simultaneously while meeting project timelines and production deadlines.
- Partner with Product Development, Merchandising, Production, and Sourcing internally, and with vendors, suppliers, and overseas factories externally, to communicate artwork requirements and resolve design and production issues.
- Review factory proofs, color proofs, and pre-production samples, providing detailed corrections and approvals, and conduct prepress checks to catch artwork issues before files are released to production.
- Ensure packaging artwork accurately reflects product information, dimensions, copy, logos, barcodes, regulatory requirements, and other specifications.
- Manage artwork revisions and maintain accurate file organization, naming conventions, and version control.
- Develop packaging mockups, presentations, and visual concepts for internal reviews and customer presentations.
- Assist with color, print, material, and finishing specifications, and stay current on packaging materials, printing techniques, and consumer-product trends, incorporating relevant developments into design work.
- Help establish and maintain packaging design standards, templates, and best practices.
- Support the Sr. Director of Packaging with special projects and department initiatives, and perform other design and packaging-related responsibilities as needed.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Packaging Design, Communication Design, or a related field preferred.
- 3–5 years of professional graphic design experience, with significant experience in packaging, consumer products, retail, or print production.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating packaging design, branding, and production experience.
- Strong understanding of typography, layout, color, imagery, composition, and visual hierarchy.
- Strong attention to detail and the ability to identify potential production issues before they reach the factory.
- Experience managing multiple projects, deadlines, and SKU revisions in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams, vendors, suppliers, and overseas manufacturing partners.
- Strong problem-solving skills, a proactive approach to improving processes, and the ability to take ownership of projects and drive them through completion.
- Experience with retail packaging, private-label products, or consumer goods strongly preferred.
- Experience mentoring or providing creative direction to junior designers is a plus.
Technical Skills
Required:
- Adobe Illustrator (expert level)
- Adobe Photoshop (expert level)
- Advanced packaging/dieline experience
- Strong print production and prepress knowledge
- Color management, CMYK, and Pantone
- Production-ready mechanical artwork
- Packaging proofing and quality control
Preferred:
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Acrobat
- 3D packaging visualization and rendering software
- Experience with AI-assisted design and visualization tools
- Barcode/UPC and retail packaging requirements
What We're Looking For
We're looking for a designer who takes ownership of projects rather than simply executing assigned artwork — developing concepts, presenting solutions, working through revisions with vendors and factories, and ensuring final artwork is accurate and production-ready. You should understand how design, packaging structure, materials, printing, cost, and retail requirements affect one another.
This position provides an opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the visual identity and packaging of a growing consumer-products business while working across a broad range of products, retail channels, suppliers, and packaging formats.
A portfolio demonstrating graphic design and/or packaging work is required. Packaging, branding, print, retail, consumer product, or production-related projects are strongly preferred.
