Packaging Design: Successful Product Branding From Concept to Shelf, 2nd Edition

Managing the Business

Some of the fundamentals of packaging design business management include authoring proposals and contracts, enforcing time-management protocols, developing budgets, and managing both projects and project teams. Communicating with the client is perhaps the most critical management skill at a packaging design firm.

CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS

The design firm must always remain on an equal footing with the client. Many clients come to the table without a full understanding of the creative process. It is therefore the design team's responsibility to keep the client informed about the design process as well as where the project stands in that process. A successful final outcome and a long-term working relationship can only result from open, respectful, and professional communications.

Challenges in Managing Projects and Clients

• Informed decision making
• Competive firms seeking the same business clients
• Time management (e.g., time is spent on proposal writing and pitching new business)
• Defining the firm's competitive difference and/or advantage
• Retaining qualified staff
• Maintaining client relationships and expectations
• Defining and maintaining standards both within the design team and for the client
• Selling the value of packaging design to clients by cultivating the philosophy that packaging design is an investment, not an expense
• Educating the client on the value of design
• Operating within a limited budget
• Maintaining sharp communication and presentation skills
• Keeping ...