Packaging Designer
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Packaging Designer is responsible for the graphic design of packaging that attracts the eyes of consumers and preserves products. Ensures that the packaging makes physical and emotional connections with consumers and helps to market a product.
Job Outlook
There were 11 Packaging Designer job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 748 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Industrial Designer industry, which includes the Packaging Designer career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Packaging Designer jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $49,646.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $49,646.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Packaging Designer postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $38,593.
Education and Experience
Posted Packaging Designer jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 59.49% |
| Master's Degree | 5.75% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.2% |
| Other | 5.35% |
Posted Packaging Designer jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 28.24% |
| 3 to 5 years | 59% |
| 6 to 8 years | 10.25% |
| 9+ years | 2.51% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Packaging Designer positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Packaging And Labeling (88.77%)
- Communication (44.12%)
- Innovation (34.89%)
- Detail Oriented (34.63%)
- Sales (27.27%)
- Problem Solving (23.13%)
- Presentations (21.26%)
- Microsoft Office (19.52%)
- Customer Service (18.98%)
- Ability To Meet Deadlines (17.51%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Packaging Design (80.42%)
- Adobe Illustrator (51.25%)
- Adobe Photoshop (47.64%)
- ArtiosCAD (7.78%)
- Adobe InDesign (30.97%)
- Adobe Creative Suite (35.83%)
- Marketing (27.5%)
- Project Management (26.67%)
- Graphic Design (40.83%)
- Artwork (16.81%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Design Software (15.56%)
- Workflow Management (8.33%)
- Illustration (9.86%)
- Prepress (5.97%)
- Print Production (11.94%)
- Industrial Design (14.72%)
- Proofreading (7.5%)
- Computer-Aided Design (13.06%)
- Typography (23.06%)
- Visual Composition (5.14%)
- Art Direction (4.03%)
- AutoCAD (3.89%)
- SolidWorks (CAD) (8.61%)
- Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) (2.08%)
- Brand Identity (6.39%)
- Photography (10%)
- Brand Management (14.03%)
- Design Elements And Principles (5.83%)
- Logo Design (3.75%)
- Purchasing (5.83%)
- Manufacturing Processes (7.78%)
- Market Trend (11.53%)
- New Product Development (22.64%)
- Merchandising (10.14%)
- Prototyping (15.42%)
- Product Design (14.31%)
- Production Process (9.72%)
- Structural Engineering (12.22%)
- Mock Ups (10.42%)
- Color Theory (5.42%)
- Branding (19.03%)
- Packaging Engineering (6.25%)
- Target Audience (4.86%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Adobe InDesign (60.6%)
- Graphic Design (79.89%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Packaging Designer skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Structural Packaging Designer
- Package Designer
- Structural Designer
- Packaging Design Manager
- Corrugator Operator
- Designer
- Packaging Production Manager
- Analog Designer
- Packaging Graphic Designer
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Packaging Designer jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Green Bay Packaging (24)
- 24 Seven (19)
- Georgia-Pacific (14)
- Cella (13)
- Aquent (13)
- WestRock (13)
- Mattel (11)
- Robert Half (11)
- Graphic Packaging International (10)
- Stock Executive Search (10)
North Carolina
- Impact Fulfillment Services (3)
- WestRock (2)
- Computech Corporation (1)
- Ryder (1)
- Highline Warren (1)
- Ferguson Supply & Box Manufacturing (1)
- International Paper (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.