Concept Designer

Plastics Packaging Concept Designer I (Level 1)

Location: Hybrid: Birmingham, MI
Department: Product Commercialization
Reports To: Director of Product Commercialization

Position Summary

The Concept Designer I is responsible for developing visually compelling packaging concepts that bring customer ideas and brand strategies to life. This role focuses exclusively on creative ideation, rendering, and visual storytelling , supporting early-stage design exploration before engineering development begins.

The Designer acts as a key contributor in concept workshops and customer engagements, translating inputs such as brand guidelines, inspiration, and market trends into clear, presentation-ready visuals . This role does not perform engineering design or technical drafting , but instead partners with Product Engineering to hand off clear visual intent.

Key Responsibilities

• Create high-quality photorealistic renderings of packaging concepts using KeyShot
• Develop visual design concepts aligned to customer branding, positioning, and market trends
• Build mood boards, concept boards, and visual directions to guide design exploration
• Support and actively participate in customer concept workshops and ideation sessions
• Rapidly iterate on concepts based on customer and internal feedback
• Create presentation-ready visuals for customer proposals and internal reviews
• Apply strong design fundamentals ( form, proportion, color, and finish ) to packaging concepts
• Translate abstract ideas into clear visual representations of packaging direction
• Partner with Product Engineering teams by providing visual intent and design direction (no technical execution)
• Maintain organized libraries of renderings, textures, finishes, and concept assets

Required Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Graphic Design, or related field
• 0–2 years of experience in concept design, visualization, or creative product design
• Proficiency in:
• KeyShot (required) – rendering and visualization
• Adobe Photoshop (required) – concept development and image creation
• Strong visual design skillset (color, form, branding, composition)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, iterative, creative environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with consumer packaging or product visualization
• Exposure to brand-driven design work (CPG, personal care, food, etc.)
• Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator or similar tools
• Interest in trends, aesthetics, and consumer-facing design

Core Competencies

• Visual storytelling and creativity
• Rapid concept development and iteration
• Strong aesthetic judgment
• Collaboration across commercial and engineering teams
• Clear communication through visuals (not technical documentation)

Success Profile (First 6–12 Months)

• Consistently delivers high-quality, customer-facing renderings and concept visuals
• Actively contributes to concept sessions with strong creative output
• Demonstrates strong alignment to brand and consumer expectations
• Effectively hands off clear design intent to engineering teams for development