How to Become a Packaging Designer

The clever logos and bright colors used on products seen in every aisle of your local grocery store are created by packaging designers. A packaging designer takes product information and brand names into account when she creates an appealing exterior for thousands of products. You need knowledge of consumer products and graphic design to become a packaging designer.

Things You'll Need

• Resume
• Portfolio
• Mock-ups and samples of redesigned packaging

Instructions

1. Enter the packaging design profession by completing an undergraduate degree in communications design. This area of study combines the theories of a communication degree with practical applications required in graphic-design courses.

2. Arrange for an internship with a local design studio as you study to become a packaging designer. This internship may require a great deal of administrative work, but you can also get firsthand experience with a variety of design projects.

3. Locate temporary positions in graphic design with an advertising agency. A few months working on an ad campaign for a clothing line will help you learn branding principles and the business side of packaging design.

4. Take the initiative to learn design software early in your career to become an effective packaging designer. Your intimate knowledge of popular design suites will allow you to complete projects in a timely manner.

5. Apply for freelance design opportunities immediately after graduation to build a project portfolio. A series of short-term freelance positions will give you samples to show employers and build your reputation among leaders in packaging design.

6. Register for courses in typography and printing techniques through art schools in your region. These courses give you the grounding in basic production methods needed for a long career as a packaging designer.

7. Build a coherent portfolio that follows your career from your first college project. Your mock-ups, sketches and finished packages should show a progression of your skills, without excessive interpretation.

8. Specialize in a particular industry early in your career to find work as a packaging designer. You should choose a consumer product that you have used in the past and that inspires great work. Employers will look for specialization in a particular part of the retail market for higher positions.

Tips & Warnings

• Interpret the current packaging of a potential employer in several mock-ups to become a professional designer. You should look at the commercial packaging of every company with which you have an interview to find ways to improve the designs. Interviewers may be able to assess your design and production skills with a few sketches and a sample of redesigned packaging.