Product Designer, Paper Engineering & Illustration

Pixyls Crafts Inc.; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Pixyls Crafts Inc. in Toronto, hybrid, is hiring a product designer to turn sketches into tangible craft kits and packaging. You will engineer dielines, folds and finishes, illustrate artwork for production, and work with factories to ensure cost-effective, high-quality production.

You will prototype by hand, refine designs based on user testing, and prepare print-ready files for manufacturing, collaborating closely with marketing and operations to meet launch timelines.

Qualifications

• 3+ years designing physical products, ideally in stationery, paper goods, gift, toy or craft
• Strong illustration skills with a portfolio
• Paper engineering: dielines, packaging, pop-ups, folding formats
• Print production knowledge: CMYK, spot colour, bleed, trims, dies and press checks
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator; comfortable with Photoshop and InDesign
• Prototype with cutting mat and craft knife before finalizing
• Detail-oriented: catch 1mm errors before 10,000 units
• Clear communicator with factories and teammates, owning a project end to end

Responsibilities

• Design new physical products from concept to production: kits, packaging, inserts, pop-ups and folding elements
• Engineer paper structures: dielines, folds, scores, tabs, die cuts and layers for scale
• Illustrate and adapt artist work for production-ready products
• Build and test physical prototypes by hand and refine based on user feedback
• Prepare print-ready production files and check proofs and samples
• Collaborate with manufacturers on specs, materials, finishes, tolerances and cost
• Partner with founder, marketing and operations on launches, timelines and unit cost
• Maintain a design system to ensure consistency across products

Skills

Physical product design

Illustration

Paper engineering

Print production

Prototyping

Factory communication

Attention to detail

End-to-end project ownership

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

InDesign

ArtiosCAD

Blender

Cinema 4D

Job description

Pixyls Crafts Inc. | Toronto, ON (Hybrid) | Full-time | $100,000 to $120,000 CAD

About Pixyls

Pixyls makes premium craft kits for creative adults. Every design comes from a real, named artist. We don't use AI art, and our customers frame what they make. We sell in Canada, the US and internationally, and in stores like Indigo.

We're looking for a product designer who can draw, think in three dimensions, and get a physical product from sketch to factory. You'll turn ideas into things people hold, fold, peel, build and display.

What you'll do

• Design new physical products and formats from concept to production: kits, booklets, calendars, packaging, inserts, pop-up and fold-out elements, and things we haven't made yet
• Engineer paper and card structures: dielines, folds, scores, tabs, die cuts, kiss cuts and layered builds that work at scale
• Illustrate original artwork and adapt artist work into production-ready product
• Build and test physical prototypes by hand, then refine based on how real people use them
• Prepare print-ready production files (dielines, colour separations, foil, glitter, holographic and spot layers) and check proofs and samples
• Work directly with our manufacturers, on specs, materials, finishes, tolerances and cost
• Partner with the founder, marketing and operations teams on launches, timelines and unit cost
• Keep a design system for formats, templates and file standards so every product is consistent

What you bring

• 3+ years designing physical products, ideally at a stationery, paper goods, gift, toy or craft company
• Strong illustration skills with a portfolio to show them
• Paper engineering experience: you've designed dielines, structural packaging, pop-ups, folding formats or multi-part builds that actually shipped
• Solid print production knowledge: CMYK and spot colour, bleed and trim, paper stocks, foils and special finishes, die lines and press checks
• Expert in Adobe Illustrator; comfortable in Photoshop and InDesign
• You make prototypes with a cutting mat and a craft knife before you finalize anything on screen
• Detail-oriented. You catch the 1mm error before it becomes 10,000 units
• Clear communicator with factories and teammates, comfortable owning a project end to end

Nice to have

• Experience working with overseas manufacturers and reading factory samples
• Packaging design for retail and e-commerce
• Experience with stickers, adhesives or vinyl
• 3D tools (ArtiosCAD, Blender, Cinema 4D or similar) for packaging mockups
• A love of crafting, puzzles or making things with your hands

Why Pixyls

• You'll see your work go from sketch to shelf in months, not years
• Small, fast team where your ideas get made
• A brand that values real artists, real materials and real craft