[Hiring] Retail Designer @Handoff

Role Description

We've teamed up with Handoff to bring on a Retail Brand Designer who will own the visual development of brands from initial concept through final retail execution. You'll build complete brand identities, packaging systems, campaign direction, merchandising concepts, and launch assets while partnering closely with Product Development, Marketing, manufacturers, and suppliers. This role is ideal for a designer who combines high-level creative thinking with the technical precision required to bring consumer brands successfully to market.

Responsibilities

• Brand Identity & Visual Systems:
  • Develop complete visual brand identities including logos, typography, color palettes, patterns, icons, graphic elements, and overall visual language.
  • Create comprehensive brand concept and guideline decks that communicate the brand world, target consumer, personality, creative strategy, and visual direction.
  • Translate initial brand concepts into cohesive 360° visual systems across packaging, retail, digital, social, photography, and marketing.
  • Build scalable design systems that remain recognizable across multiple products, SKUs, collections, seasons, and future launches.
• Packaging & Retail Design:
  • Design retail-ready packaging from concept through final production artwork, including primary and secondary packaging, labels, inserts, and multi-SKU systems.
  • Develop in-store merchandising concepts including PDQs, displays, endcaps, signage, and shelf communication.
  • Create product renders, packaging mockups, and visualizations to communicate concepts before physical samples are available.
  • Prepare production-ready artwork, dielines, print specifications, color references, finishes, and final packaging files in collaboration with manufacturers and suppliers.
• Retail Presentation & Execution:
  • Build compelling retailer and internal presentation decks that communicate the brand concept, product, packaging, merchandising strategy, and consumer experience.
  • Partner closely with Product Development to ensure the product, packaging, and broader brand aesthetic feel cohesive.
  • Maintain a high level of visual consistency and executional detail from early creative exploration through production and retail launch.
  • Own projects independently from research and mood boarding through brand identity, packaging, campaign direction, retail presentation, and final production files.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of strong experience in brand design, packaging design, retail design, or consumer product branding.
• Portfolio demonstrating complete brand systems rather than isolated graphic design pieces.
• Strong experience developing visual identities, packaging systems, brand guidelines, and retail-facing creative.
• Deep understanding of typography, color, composition, visual hierarchy, and brand storytelling.
• Strong knowledge of packaging production, dielines, print specifications, materials, finishes, and production-ready artwork.
• Ability to translate high-level creative concepts into commercially viable designs that work on a physical retail shelf.
• Strong presentation skills with experience creating polished brand concept, retailer, or internal creative decks.
• Highly detail-oriented with the ability to maintain consistency across multiple channels, SKUs, and deliverables.
• Strong creative judgment with an understanding of how consumer trends influence branding, packaging, and product presentation.
• Comfortable owning projects independently from initial brief through final production execution.
• Strong collaboration skills when working with Product Development, Marketing, suppliers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders.

Nice to Have

• Experience designing brands or packaging for Gen Z or Gen Alpha audiences.
• Background in beauty, fashion, collectibles, lifestyle, accessories, toys, or other trend-driven consumer categories.
• Experience creating packaging and merchandising for mass retail or big-box retail environments.
• Familiarity with PDQs, endcaps, displays, retailer presentations, and other in-store merchandising formats.
• Experience developing campaign art direction and directing lifestyle or product photography.
• Experience creating 3D product renders, packaging mockups, or realistic retail visualizations.
• Strong understanding of emerging trends across culture, fashion, beauty, packaging, retail, and consumer behavior.
• Experience working in a fast-moving environment where multiple brands, collections, or launches are developed simultaneously.

Benefits

• Build brands from the ground up: You'll shape complete visual identities rather than executing against an already-established system.
• See your work come to life: Your concepts will become real products, packaging, displays, campaigns, and retail experiences.
• Work across the full brand ecosystem: You'll move between identity, packaging, photography, merchandising, social, eCommerce, and retail.
• Blend creativity with commercial thinking: You'll create brands that feel culturally relevant while still performing in real-world retail environments.
• Own the creative journey: You'll have meaningful autonomy from early research and mood boarding through production-ready execution.
• Design for scale: You'll help create visual systems that can grow across new products, collections, seasons, and future launches.