Career as a Packaging & Label Designer

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Packaging and Label Designer Career Profile

Do you want to work as a packaging & label designer?

READ: This page helps you read about the career and the information you need to decide whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.

RESEARCH: Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.

PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for your career, then join the OZT community! Members have access to tools while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!

CAREER MENTOR

UPDATED:

29 April 2024

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What is a packaging & label designer?

A packaging or label designer is a type of graphic designer who creates packaging and labels for products that are informative, as well as visually stimulating.

What is Packaging?

Packaging is the container in which a product is placed so that it can be sold to customers

What is Labelling?

Labelling is the written information on the packages, which covers important information that needs to be communicated to a customer.

What does a packaging & label designer do?

Categories:

Art & Design / Business

Focus:

The main focus of a packaging and label designer is to create visually and informative packaging within which products are packed, and the labels which are placed on products and packaging. Cleverly designed packaging can be formed, coloured and labelled towards specific themes or shapes. Specifically designed packaging adds to the brand identity and marketing of a product. Labels are generally designed to communicate information about a product, usually according to specific laws and regulations, but can also be artistic in design to add to the brand identity.

Daily Tasks:

Discuss brief with clients
Select typefaces, colors, and illustrations for the packaging
Draw concept design for approval
Draw final design or create prototype packaging
Present final design to clients
Add designs to portfolio
Administrative duties, bookkeeping

Where they work:

Environment –

They typically work indoors within a studio setup where they can design drawing by hand or via a good design software on the computer. When focusing on animals in the designs, it’s always good to spend time studying their behaviour, movements.

Places of Employment –

Most packaging and label designers do work for established design businesses or large manufacturing companies that want to hire their own label designers. A smaller amount of individuals might venture into creating their own designing businesses and securing freelance contracts.

Average Salary:

The average annual salary for packaging or label designers, fully employed by design businesses or companies, can be around US$47,000. The salary will differ from country to country, as well as for those that decide to create their own businesses and freelance.

Promotion:

Advancement in the field typically depends on work experience. First year practitioners often begin on a part-time basis, fitting their training commitments around other work demands. Promotion to senior levels are available in all related careers. The levels of each promotion might differ from organization to organization, but generally are the following:

Intern > Junior Designer > Senior Designer > Manager

Difficulties:

As with most professionals entering an art and design career, tight deadlines are always a part of the career difficulties. There might also be times where you will work with difficult clients.

Future Growth and Possibilities:

The future growth of graphic designers specializing in packaging and label designing is relatively slow at around 1% per year. The industry is extremely competitive and requires a strong desire to succeed.

3. Which Skills are required?

The skills required for a career as a packaging and label designer can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.

Life Skills:

Self-awareness
Empathy
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Decision making
Problem Solving
Effective communication
Interpersonal relationship

Career Skills:

Design, typography and colour
Branding and Marketing Strategies
Environmental Impact Knowledge
Understanding budgeting and running a business

Life Skills

45%

Career Skills

55%

4. Which Subjects must I have at School?

Art

Information Technology

Business Studies

Art

Information Technology

Business Studies

The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.

OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!

5. What will I need to Study?

Minimum Requirements:

The specific educational requirements for becoming a package designer will vary from employer to employer, although you typically need a minimum of a college diploma. Many packaging and label designers do have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher, as the industry can be competitive.

Focus:

Major –

Focus on a diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in packaging, graphic designing, marketing or visual communication. A far more advanced degree would be the Bachelor of Science degree in packaging is a technical and science based program incorporating every aspect of packaging, from designing to choice of materials and the manufacturing processes.

Short Courses –

Short courses may also help to expand on your knowledge. Most designers make use of computer software, so a knowledge of the best programs is necessary. If you do decide to focus mostly on designs for businesses or organizations that deal with animals, you should definitely also be willing to study animals to ensure that your designing is on par and competitive.

Duration:

The duration of Short Courses can be between a few hours (online) to a few months. College Diplomas and Bachelor’s Degrees may be between 2 to 4 years.

Possible Career Preparation Paths:

If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.

Why is planning important?

To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to be.

Possible Paths:

CAREER PATH 1 High School + Experience while still in School + College Diploma + Short Courses

CAREER PATH 2 High School + Experience while still in School + Bachelor's Degree

Possible Combined Career Paths:

It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.

Possible Alternatives (there are a lot more):

COMBINED PATH 1 Working as a Packaging and Label Designer -> while studying further for a Career as a Zoo Designer

Possible Combined Career Paths:

Possible Alternative(s):

PROGRESS PATH 1 Packaging & Label Designer + Accessories Designer = Creating and selling animal related handmade goods

Training and apprenticeship:

Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal caregiver careers, most of the skills you will need will be acquired through on-the-job training. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.

In some cases entry level positions (or junior positions) require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.

Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from a more senior person or expert.

Join the Packaging and Label Designer Group in STEP 8 to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!

Average entry level of education across the career:

High School Certificate 0%

Diploma or Short Courses 0%

Degree or Higher Studies 0%

6. Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations

Certain animal careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.

Although not required by law, certifications may help workers establish their credentials and enhance their skills.

Learn more about requirements by joining OZT in STEP 8.

Professional Associations:

Institute of Packaging Professionals

7. Where can I study further?

All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.

See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards animal art & design.

8. Join the OZT community

Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a packaging and label designer.

Members of the Platform have special access to:

Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
Make friends around the world and share knowledge
Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!

If you have decided on being a Packaging & Label Designer, please click on the JOIN OZT button. Members will be directed to the Group, while non-members will be assisted to register first.

If this career is NOT the career for you, then you may return to the MAIN CAREER menu.

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