Most designers make packaging look good.
I make sure it actually gets made right.
There’s a significant gap between a beautiful packaging design and a package that survives production, hits retail specifications, and arrives at your door looking exactly like it was supposed to.
My packaging work isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about understanding materials, print processes, structural requirements, and brand consistency well enough to make decisions that save clients time, money, and headaches before they ever reach the press.
I know when a color shift has exceeded acceptable tolerance. I know when a registration issue will affect legibility at retail. I won’t sign off on work that doesn’t meet the standard we set at the start.
From concept to converter — I know this world.
Packaging production is complex. The format, the substrate, the print process, the finish — every decision affects the next one, and a mistake at any stage can be expensive. I’ve navigated enough of these projects to know where the landmines are.
Formats I’ve worked in:
- Flexible stand-up pouches and lay-flat bags (rollstock)
- Folding cartons and rigid boxes
- Applied pressure-sensitive labels
- In-mold labels (IML) on plastic containers
- Dry offset printing on plastic containers
Production processes I know:
- Digital, offset, flexographic, and rotogravure printing
- Dieline creation and vendor dieline interpretation
- PMS, CMYK, and process color specification
- Coatings and finishes: matte, gloss, soft-touch, metallics, emboss, deboss, spot UV
- Substrate specification including freezer-grade and moisture/oxygen barrier materials
- Sustainability-aligned material structures for flexible packaging
- Press proof review and physical drawdown evaluation
- Quality inspection of finished goods against approved specifications
On regulatory compliance: I have meaningful experience with food label requirements — ingredient listings, allergen callouts, nutrition facts panels, UPC and barcode placement. I’m fluent enough in these requirements to keep a project moving efficiently and avoid costly rounds of revision. That said, final regulatory sign-off belongs with your team or a compliance specialist. I’m a highly capable collaborator on compliance — not the final authority.
How a packaging project comes together.
01 — Discovery & Brief
We start by understanding your product, your brand, your retail environment, and your production constraints. Format, quantities, timeline, and budget all shape the creative from day one — not as afterthoughts.
02 — Material & Production Planning
Before design begins, we establish the right format and substrate for your product and your production run. Print process, material structure, finishes, and sustainability requirements get decided here — so the design is buildable from the start.
03 — Concept & Design
With the brief and production parameters established, I design with both brand impact and shelf performance in mind. Packaging needs to work at arm’s length on a crowded shelf and up close in a customer’s hands — I design for both.
04 — Proofing & Revision
I prepare accurate press-ready proofs and work with you — and your vendor or mine — through the approval process. I review physical proofs where the project warrants it and won’t sign off on work that doesn’t meet the standard we set at the start.
05 — Press-Ready File Delivery
Final files are delivered to specification — dielines, color profiles, bleed, and all technical requirements confirmed with the printer before handoff. No surprises at the converter.
06 — Production Support (where applicable)
For clients who want it, I stay involved through production — communicating with vendors, reviewing press sheets, and inspecting finished goods against approved specifications. The job isn’t done until what’s in the box matches what was approved.
Your product deserves packaging that performs.
Whether you’re bringing something new to market or elevating something established, great packaging starts with a conversation. Tell me about your product and let’s talk about what it needs.
Already know your format and print process? Even better — let’s get to work.
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