Production Designer

Production Designer

Location: Portland, OR

Contract: Approximately 27 weeks

Schedule: Hybrid / On-site

Industry: Global Footwear & Consumer Products

About the Role

We are seeking a Production Designer to join a fast-paced footwear and product design team supporting a special project. This is a highly technical graphic design role focused on taking creative concepts from graphic designers and translating them into accurate, production-ready artwork and technical schematics.

The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented designer who enjoys the production side of design and understands how artwork needs to be prepared for physical products. This is not a primarily conceptual or illustration-focused role. You will be responsible for making thoughtful design decisions while ensuring creative work meets technical and production requirements.

What You'll Do

• Translate graphic design concepts into production-ready artwork and technical schematics.
• Create and maintain detailed product graphics, layouts, labeling, and design files.
• Prepare artwork with accurate dimensions, layers, specifications, and file organization.
• Collaborate with graphic designers and cross-functional partners to execute designs for production.
• Make informed design decisions while working within technical and manufacturing constraints.
• Separate and organize artwork for various production and printing processes.
• Review files for accuracy, consistency, and production readiness.
• Help ensure designs can successfully transition from digital artwork to physical products.
• Manage multiple projects while maintaining a high level of attention to detail.

What We're Looking For

• 1+ years of experience in production design, graphic production, technical graphic design, or a related discipline.
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience creating schematics, technical layouts, production artwork, or detailed design files.
• Strong understanding of design execution and the technical side of graphic design.
• Experience with print, packaging, labeling, book design, typography, product graphics, or similar production-focused design work.
• Ability to take existing creative direction and accurately translate it into production-ready assets.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work within precise specifications.
• Portfolio demonstrating technical/process-oriented design work.

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of pre-press and printing processes.
• Experience with color separations or screen printing.
• Knowledge of trims, production specifications, and physical product applications.
• Experience preparing artwork for packaging or physical products.
• Strong typography skills.
• Experience with footwear, apparel, sporting goods, or consumer products.
• Experience using Adobe Illustrator and other Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
• Previous experience supporting a large footwear, apparel, retail, or consumer brand.

Portfolio Expectations

We are particularly interested in portfolios that demonstrate how you execute and prepare design work for production.

Strong portfolios may include:

• Technical schematics
• Print design
• Packaging
• Labeling
• Typography
• Book or editorial design
• Product graphics
• Production file preparation
• Dimensioning and technical specifications
• Layer separation
• Design process and production work

Portfolios that are primarily focused on illustration, branding, conceptual design, or art direction are less aligned with this position.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to work alongside an experienced product and graphic design organization, contributing directly to the process of bringing creative work from concept through technical execution and production. You'll have the opportunity to work on highly visible consumer products while developing your expertise in production-focused graphic design.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and welcome qualified candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.