R&D Print & Production Designer

About the role

A leading e-commerce, gifting and retail company is looking for an experienced R&D Print & Production Designer in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The successful candidate bridges creative design and physical production, turning product and creative concepts into technically feasible, commercially viable and repeatable production solutions.

Key responsibilities

• Assess creative and product concepts for production feasibility and recommend design changes to improve manufacturability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Create and adapt production-ready artwork for products, packaging and printed materials, including die-lines, templates, cutting guides, print specifications and layouts.
• Manage colour, dimensions, bleed, resolution, finishing and other pre-press specifications, and specify substrates, materials, finishes, inks and production techniques.
• Develop physical prototypes and production samples, test materials and methods, and build repeatable production processes.
• Create templates, jigs, guides and cutting layouts, and support product costing with material usage, print costs, labour, machine time and wastage.
• Prepare production-ready files, technical documentation, SOPs, work instructions and visual production guides.
• Support production during launches, trials and initial runs, train production teams, investigate quality issues and research new printing technologies.
• Maintain records of approved artwork, samples, prototypes and die-lines, and liaise with printers, manufacturers and suppliers.

Required profile

• Graphic Design qualification or equivalent practical experience, with at least 2-3 years in graphic design.
• Experience preparing production-ready artwork and understanding die-lines, templates, cutting paths and finishing requirements.
• Ability to work with physical materials, develop prototypes and collaborate with Creative, Product Development, suppliers and Production teams.
• Advantageous: product or packaging development experience, laser cutting, engraving, vinyl cutting, sublimation or digital printing experience, CAD or basic 3D design, costing and SOPs experience, and experience in e-commerce, gifting, retail or manufacturing.

Required skills

• Adobe Creative Suite, especially Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.
• Pre-press and print production knowledge.
• Attention to detail, technical and problem-solving ability, and strong file management.

The recruiter states that salary is negotiable and that applications are handled through the recruiter, who will contact suitable candidates within 3 days.