Package Designer

Our client in the fragrance space is looking for a package Designer to join their team!

Title: Packaging Designer

Type: Full-Time

Location: Edison, NJ

Onsite: 4 days/week

Salary: $80-100k

Role Summary

We are seeking a creative, detail-oriented Packaging Graphic Designer with fragrance experience to bring scent concepts and market trends to life through standout bottle decoration and secondary packaging. This role blends strong visual storytelling with practical execution across manufacturability, cost, sustainability, and compliance requirements for global retail distribution.

Core Responsibilities

• Trend & Concept Translation: Research seasonal and emerging graphic trends and translate them into packaging concepts, CMF directions, and visual routes aligned with fragrance positioning.
• Primary Graphic Design: Create artwork for stock and custom bottle and cap formats, including direct print, decals, metallized labels, plaques, medallions, and other decorative elements.
• Finish Development: Define finishes such as satin spray, gradient lacquers, frosts, soft-touch coatings, metallization, PVD, and pad print applications.
• Secondary Carton & Gift Packaging: Design cartons, sleeves, tins, coffrets, inserts, and gift packaging that extend the visual identity of the primary package.
• Dielines & Print Specs: Develop production-ready dielines and establish print specifications, including trapping, overprint, and specialty treatments such as foil, embossing, spot UV, holographic effects, glitter, lenticular finishes, and textured materials.
• 3D Visualization & Mockups: Produce realistic renders and packshots for presentations, sales materials, and e-commerce use.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with marketing and manufacturing partners to ensure samples accurately reflect inks, substrates, foils, and coatings.
• Prepress Mechanicals: Prepare print- and production-ready files, including color separations, white plates, varnish layers, and foil files.
• Supplier & Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with factories, fragrance houses, retailers, and internal marketing, development, and production teams to support feasibility reviews, execution planning, and timelines.
• Documentation: Maintain packaging specification sheets, artwork release packs, and related production documentation.

Nice-to-Have Responsibilities

• Create point-of-sale materials such as shelf trays, PDQs, display headers, and retail sell-in decks.
• Support SKU naming and ensure alignment between packaging visuals and short-form romance copy.

Tools & Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, especially Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.
• Experience with ESKO tools such as ArtiosCAD and Studio.
• Working knowledge of KeyShot, Blender, or Cinema 4D for high-quality rendering.
• Familiarity with Pantone Live and proofing basics using GMG or EFI workflows.
• Strong understanding of packaging substrates and print methods, including litho/offset, flexo, digital, foil applications, embossing, silk-screen on glass, pad printing, and metallization.
• Excellent typography, composition, and iconography skills, with the ability to design effectively for small surfaces and curved forms.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in beauty or FMCG packaging design, with fragrance packaging experience strongly preferred.
• A portfolio demonstrating both secondary carton design and bottle decoration work.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and collaborative, retail-facing work.