Product Designer

Strings Marketing; Dadri; On-site; INR 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Strings Marketing is seeking a designer who lives and breathes character design to create original plush characters and translate licensed IP into toy concepts. You’ll take ideas from sketch to sampling, ensuring every stitch stays true to the design and collaborating with pattern masters.

With 2–3 years in plush/soft toy design and a NIFT degree, you’ll sketch characters, translate style guides for brands like Sanrio, Pokmon, and Disney, and refine samples through feedback rounds with licensor

Qualifications

• Degree from NIFT (Accessory Design, Textile Design, Knitwear Design, or related).
• 2–3 years of design experience in plush/soft toys, character merchandise, soft goods, or related category.
• Strong character sketching and illustration skills, plus fluency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Understanding of soft‑toy construction (seams, stuffing, embroidery) to review samples.
• Able to spot when a sample is “off-model” and articulate why.

Responsibilities

• Create new plush toy designs for original concepts and licensed IP (e.g., Sanrio, Pokmon, Disney).
• Develop original plush characters and product lines from idea to sampling-ready designs.
• Translate official style guides into on-brand plush concepts for licensed work.
• Prepare design sheets and references for pattern masters.
• Review sample patterns and prototypes, giving visual feedback until the sample matches the design.
• Support licensor approval rounds and incorporate feedback.
• Track trends in plush and licensed merchandise to keep the range fresh.

Skills

Character sketching

Illustration skills

Attention to proportion

Education

NIFT degree

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

Were looking for a designer who lives and breathes character design — someone who can dream up an original plush character from a blank page, and just as comfortably turn Pikachu, Hello Kitty, or a Disney character into a toy fans instantly recognise. You’ll create fresh plush concepts across our own range and the world’s strongest licensed IP, and shepherd them through sampling until the toy on the table matches your design.

About the Role

This is a pure design role — no pattern making. A year in, you’ll have created a portfolio of new plush designs spanning original characters of your own and some of the world’s most‑loved licensed ones: concepts you sketched, expressions and proportions you perfected, and samples you reviewed and refined alongside our pattern masters until every stitch stayed true to the design. You own the creative vision; the pattern team owns the construction.

What You’ll Do

• Create new plush toy designs — character sketches, poses, expressions, colourways, and size ranges — for both original in‑house concepts and globally licensed IP such as Sanrio, Pokmon, and Disney.
• Develop original plush characters and product lines from scratch — from first idea to a design ready for sampling.
• For licensed work, translate official style guides into fresh, on‑brand plush concepts that stay true to each character.
• Prepare clear design sheets and visual references (turnarounds, detail callouts, fabric and trim direction) for the pattern masters to work from.
• Review sample patterns and prototypes the pattern masters create — checking proportions, expressions, fabric feel, and finishing — and give precise, visual feedback until the sample matches the design.
• Support licensor approval rounds on licensed lines — preparing design submissions and incorporating feedback from IP holders.
• Track global trends in plush, character goods, and licensed merchandise to keep the range fresh and commercial.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Degree from NIFT (Accessory Design, Textile Design, Knitwear Design, or a related discipline).
• 2–3 years of design experience in plush/soft toys, character merchandise, soft goods, or a closely related category.
• Strong character sketching and illustration skills, plus working fluency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• A sharp eye for proportion, expression, and detail — you can spot when a sample is “off-model” and articulate exactly why.
• Enough understanding of soft‑toy construction (seams, stuffing, embroidery, appliqu) to review samples and give feedback pattern masters can act on.

Preferred

• Experience designing for licensed character brands and working within official style guides.
• Familiarity with licensor approval processes (design submissions, revision rounds).
• 3D visualisation skills or experience presenting concepts as rendered mock‑ups.

Compensation

4,00,000 – 6,00,000 per annum, based on experience and portfolio.