Production Designer — Merchandise & Production Artwork | Contract

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Production Designer for a short-term, contract/project-based assignment supporting Pineapple Central merchandise and promotional production.

This position is focused on production execution rather than extended concept development. The selected designer must be able to take approved creative direction and convert it into finished, editable, production-ready artwork for merchandise, promotions, storefront use, and customer-facing product drops.

The initial assignment will use existing Pineapple Central creative direction as the production reference.

Responsibilities

• Translate approved creative direction into finished, production-ready artwork
• Prepare artwork for apparel, promotional products, printed materials, and merchandise
• Create organized, editable vector and source files
• Prepare vendor-ready artwork using correct dimensions, placement, resolution, and file formats
• Adapt approved artwork across multiple product types while maintaining brand consistency
• Work with existing company logos, wording, colors, and approved visual direction
• Prepare artwork for products such as T-shirts, hoodies, tumblers, magnets, stickers, keychains, shot glasses, playing cards, tote bags, and related merchandise
• Make revisions efficiently based on approved feedback
• Maintain clean file organization, layers, version naming, and source files
• Identify production limitations or concerns before final delivery
• Provide finished files suitable for commercial production and future reuse

Required Qualifications

• Proven professional production-design experience
• Strong Adobe Illustrator skills
• Strong Adobe Photoshop skills where applicable
• Experience creating vector artwork
• Experience preparing print-ready and production-ready files
• Experience with apparel graphics and product placement
• Experience working with vendor templates, imprint areas, or manufacturing specifications
• Understanding of bleed, resolution, dimensions, color, and production requirements
• Ability to work from approved creative direction without unnecessarily redesigning the concept
• Strong file organization and revision discipline
• Ability to provide editable source files
• Clear communication and dependable delivery estimates

Preferred Experience

• Apparel production
• Promotional products
• Retail merchandise
• Packaging
• Signage
• Vendor or manufacturer file preparation
• Multi-product creative adaptation
• Commercial printing

Initial Assignment

The first commercial assignment will be a bounded production-design project based on approved Pineapple Central creative direction.

The designer may be asked to create:

• A small front-chest apparel emblem
• A coordinated larger back graphic
• An adaptation of the same approved identity for a smaller-format product such as a sticker or magnet

The objective is to determine whether the designer can accurately turn approved creative direction into finished, editable, vendor-ready artwork.

Application Requirements

Applicants should provide:

• 2–3 examples of completed production-design work
• Examples involving apparel, merchandise, promotional products, packaging, signage, or similar commercial work
• A description of their personal contribution to each example
• Examples of finished production execution rather than concept-only work
• Earliest available start date
• Weekly availability
• Proposed fixed-price cost for the initial assignment
• Estimated delivery timeline
• Revision terms
• Confirmation that editable/source files are included with final approved work
• Confirmation that completed work can be commercially used and reused by the company under the agreed project terms

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a small unpaid design assessment using controlled reference materials.

The unpaid assessment is for evaluation purposes only. It will not be used as a production deliverable or commercial work product.

Engagement Boundaries

The initial engagement does not authorize:

• Broad brand redesign
• An uncapped creative contract
• Merchandise purchasing
• Production orders
• Paid samples
• Vendor commitments
• Unrestricted company-system access
• Work outside the approved project scope

Any expanded work requires separate authorization.

Contract Details

• Remote
• Contract / project-based
• Approximately 10–20 hours per week during the initial assignment
• Short-term …