Packaging + Print
Packaging is where brand strategy meets the tangible world
and hold in your hands matters as much as how it looks.
66%
Shipping cost reduced Packaging · Food + E-commerce
30%+
Increase in donations Direct Mail · Nonprofit
What packaging work involves
Great packaging is all the decisions made before going to print. Format, material, USPS compliance, vendor relationships, and mockups all shape what ends up in someone's hands.
- Print vendor recommendations
With 15+ years of experience working with national and local vendors, I recommend the right partner for your project's format, budget, and timeline. - USPS compliance
Direct mail that meet USPS standards costs less and delivers. I design with postal requirements built in from the start so there are no surprises at the printer. - Detailed Mockups
You see exactly how the design will look before it goes to production. Mockups include die-lines, fold patterns, and structural details so you understand exactly how the piece assembles. What you approve is what gets made. - Practical design decisions
Every choice has a cost implication: ink coverage, die cuts, material weight, quantity. I factor those in from the beginning so the design that looks good also works within your budget.
Over 30%
Increase in donations for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls from a single year-end direct mail campaign.
“Kristi’s approach makes her a must hire. Her knowledge helped my organization raise 30% more with just one campaign. She is easy to work with and makes the process simple and enjoyable.”
Brand identity defines how your business looks and sounds across every touchpoint. Packaging design applies that identity to a physical format (ex. a label, a box, a mailer) and adds practical decisions around material, format, production cost, and shipping. When packaging is designed as part of a brand system, every surface carries the same visual language as the rest of your identity.
Yes. Packaging can be updated independently if the core brand identity is solid. A redesign often reveals opportunities to improve presentation, reduce production cost, or better align the physical product with how the brand shows up everywhere else. A brand and site audit is a good place to understand which approach makes sense.
Retail packaging needs to stand out at a glance. Shipping packaging needs to survive transit and arrive intact. When both matter, I design a system that accounts for both from the start rather than retrofitting one for the other after the fact.
USPS has specific requirements for size, weight, address placement, barcode positioning, and paper stock that affect whether a piece qualifies for standard postage rates. Designs that don't meet these standards cost more to mail or get returned. I build compliance into the design from the mockup phase so the finished piece is ready to print and ship without revisions.
A single label or direct mail piece typically takes two to six weeks from brief to print-ready files. Timeline varies based on quantity, printing method, addressing, and shipping. Q4 production windows fill up fast, so please plan ahead if your project has a seasonal deadline. A full packaging system across multiple products is scoped individually.
Yes. With 15-plus years of vendor relationships, I can recommend the right printer for your project and prepare print-ready files to their exact specifications. I hand the files off directly, so that billing and shipping between you and the vendor stays in your hands, which keeps the process clean and gives you full control. For clients with existing vendor relationships, I work with your printer and make sure everything is specified correctly before it goes to press.