I'm Kristin Tope, a senior designer with over 25 years of experience delivering innovative branding, packaging, and product design across print, digital, and retail channels.
I’m Kristin Tope, a senior designer with over 25 years of experience delivering innovative branding, packaging, and product design across print, digital, and retail channels. I thrive on turning complex ideas into clear, engaging visuals that strengthen brand identity and resonate with target audiences. My work spans consumer packaged goods, private label lines, and cross-media campaigns, blending typography, color theory, and storytelling to drive growth. As a hands-on leader, I’ve improved design team productivity by 75% and reduced outsource costs by 62% by implementing standardized SOPs, structured workflows, and strong vendor collaboration, while consistently delivering high-quality work on tight deadlines.
Driftwood line of 4 designs, 16 cards total with blank envelopes. My job was to render the template, using Illustrator, and then create the art, using Photoshop, based off of the cards created from the original artist. The interiors of the cards were rendered by myself as well based upon the original art provided.
Led the end-to-end design and production for hundreds of SKUs in consumer packaged goods, combining licensed artwork and original illustrations with premium finishes (foil, embossing, spot UV, glitter) to strengthen brand identity and shelf appeal. Managed a four-person design team and remote proofing (three technicians), ensuring color fidelity, print accuracy, and packaging specification compliance. Created packaging concepts that elevated shelf presence and brand identity. Developed, maintained, and optimized production templates, dielines, SOPs, and digital asset systems; supervised vendor relationships and version control using FileMaker Pro SARS software to streamline workflows, increasing throughput by 41%. Drove targeted marketing assets for catalogs, POS/POP displays, and online platforms (Amazon, Shopify, Walmart), boosting product visibility and consumer engagement by 38%.
• Led the end-to-end design and production of consumer packaged goods (CPG), including greeting cards, bookmarks, puzzles, stationery, and box trays/lids, using both licensed artwork and original illustrations. Incorporated premium finishes such as foil stamping, embossing, spot UV, glitter, and other embellishments to enhance shelf appeal and brand identity. • Applied expert-level skills in typography, color theory, layout design, copywriting, and visual storytelling to deliver visually compelling and commercially successful products across multiple retail categories. • Designed marketing collateral including print and digital catalogs, sell sheets, POS/POP displays, and promotional content for Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart online retail platforms, driving increased product visibility and consumer engagement. • Developed, maintained, and optimized production templates, dielines, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and digital asset organization systems. Managed version control, file archiving, and artwork QA/QC processes. • Directed remote technical proofing and vendor communication, ensuring color fidelity, print accuracy, and compliance with packaging specifications through detailed spec analysis and updates using custom FileMaker Pro SARS software. • Amplified Design Team Productivity by 75%, through speed, organization, creative and technical accuracy.
• Executed detailed art profiling, rendering, and file preparation for high-resolution digital large-format printing, ensuring production-ready assets met stringent prepress standards for accuracy, color consistency, and output fidelity. • Performed advanced color correction and applied color theory principles to maintain brand consistency across varied substrates and print technologies. Responsible for art signoffs, version control, and ensuring all assets met technical specifications for final output. • Served as lead operator and technician for the Truepress Jet W3200UV flatbed printer—handling daily operations, preventative maintenance, repairs, and troubleshooting to minimize downtime and maintain optimal print quality. • Supervised pressroom staff, managed print schedules, tracked inventory and supplies, and introduced efficiency- focused process improvements to enhance throughput and reduce waste. • Reduced setup time and ripping errors by 50% by developing and implementing a streamlined press configuration and RIP workflow. This directly increased production capacity and minimized production delays.
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