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Freelance packaging designer: Chee

This Case Study belongs to Graphic designer.

Chee studied a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design at the University of Kent. She graduated in 2004 and now works as a freelance packaging designer.

During my studies, I did some freelance work for advertising agencies. This work gave me the opportunity to build my portfolio and become connected to a network of people who are successful in the industry. Once I graduated, I moved to Switzerland where I worked as a packaging designer for a global advertising agency specialising in chocolate, cigarettes and beer. I worked there for two years. I then moved to London where I worked for the same agency but at their London office. A year ago, I decided that I had enough experience, contacts and confidence to start working on a freelance basis and manage my own work.

My degree was essential for my work as it equipped me with technical knowledge. However, you can’t just rely on the degree. The profession is very competitive and you have to be highly proactive to be successful. You can do this by participating in competitions and taking up any opportunity to do freelance work in order to build your portfolio. It is important to do this even if the pay is not great in the beginning. Once you build your portfolio, it is much easier to find a permanent job.

While there is no typical day at my work, I normally work with marketing managers and production engineers in order to determine packaging requirements and to understand the product as well as the market. There are lots of factors that I need to take into consideration. These include the materials, competitors, brand name, production costs, etc. Most of the time, I need to make changes to what I have created initially, as very rarely the clients are happy with the first draft.

What I find very satisfying about my job is that I can walk down the corridor at the supermarket and recognize my products. I also enjoy the creative element of it. The downside is that work can get very stressful when getting closer to a pitch or deadline. As I progress with my work, I want to specialize even more in the beverage industry and continue working as a freelance.

If you want to work as a graphic designer, you need to be creative, flexible and a good communicator. At the end of the day, you work for a client, and you have to be able to listen to their needs. Finally, take advantage of any opportunity for networking and give 100% of yourself to each project.

Case Study sourced by Myrto Kalle of AGCAS, 22 January 2010.