Product Designer – Home & Housewares

Jerseydigs; Edison, Northern (NJ, KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Home Expressions Inc. in Edison, NJ is seeking a talented Product Designer to turn trends into commercially viable home products. You will own the design process from concept through CAD, materials and packaging, collaborating with global teams to bring products to market.

The ideal candidate blends a strong design aesthetic with an understanding of mass-market retail, cost, manufacturability and speed-to-market in a dynamic home décor environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Graphic Design or a related design discipline.
• Professional experience in product design, product development or a closely related creative role.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; experience with InDesign is a plus.
• Experience with 3D modeling, CAD and product rendering software.
• Ability to create clear technical drawings, specifications and production-ready design files.
• Strong understanding of color, materials, finishes, patterns, typography and packaging design.
• Excellent visual presentation and storytelling skills.
• Strong awareness of current and emerging trends in home décor, housewares, lifestyle and retail.
• Ability to design with the realities of cost, manufacturing and mass-market retail.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to give clear direction to overseas development teams and factories.
• Self-motivated and comfortable taking ownership of projects while also collaborating closely with a larger creative and product development team.

Responsibilities

• Research emerging home, lifestyle, color, material and consumer trends and translate them into relevant product opportunities.
• Develop original product concepts, collections and seasonal assortments across home and housewares categories.
• Create sketches, technical drawings, CADs, renderings, product/assortment presentations and product specifications to clearly communicate design intent.
• Develop color palettes, patterns, finishes, materials and surface treatments appropriate for each product and retailer.
• Design and support retail packaging, graphics and presentation materials that complement the product and strengthen its shelf presence.
• Build cohesive product stories and collections tailored to different retailers, price points and consumer profiles.
• Partner closely with Product Development, Sales, Packaging, Sourcing and overseas teams throughout the design & development process.
• Communicate directly with overseas factories and development teams to review samples, materials, finishes, construction and design revisions.
• Review prototypes and pre-production samples and provide clear, detailed comments to ensure the final product accurately reflects the original design vision.
• Conduct competitive shopping and market research to identify white-space opportunities, emerging trends and new product ideas.
• Maintain awareness of competitor assortments, retail trends and evolving consumer preferences.
• Manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Skills

Industrial design

Product design

Graphic design

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

InDesign

3D modeling

CAD

Product rendering software

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Graphic Design or related design discipline

Tools

CAD

3D modeling

Product rendering software

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

InDesign (Plus)

Job description

About Home Expressions Inc.

Home Expressions Inc. is a fast-paced, design-driven company specializing in innovative and trend-right products for the home and housewares industry.

Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, with a creative center in Dallas, Texas, and offices in Ningbo and Shenzhen, our global team develops products and programs for leading retailers across a wide range of home categories.

From trend research and product concepting to packaging and final production, we work collaboratively to bring fresh, relevant and commercially successful products to market. We combine creativity, speed-to-market, global sourcing and an understanding of today’s consumer to create products that stand out at retail.

The Role

We are looking for a talented and highly creative Product Designer to join our Edison, NJ team.

This role is ideal for a designer who loves turning trends and ideas into commercially viable products. You will work across the entire product development process—from trend and competitive research through concept development, CAD/renderings, materials, color, packaging and production.

The ideal candidate has a strong design aesthetic, understands mass-market retail, and can balance creativity, functionality, cost and manufacturability.

What You’ll Do

• Research emerging home, lifestyle, color, material and consumer trends and translate them into relevant product opportunities.
• Develop original product concepts, collections and seasonal assortments across home and housewares categories.
• Create sketches, technical drawings, CADs, renderings, product/assortment presentations and product specifications to clearly communicate design intent.
• Develop color palettes, patterns, prints, finishes, materials and surface treatments appropriate for each product and retailer.
• Design and support retail packaging, graphics and presentation materials that complement the product and strengthen its shelf presence.
• Build cohesive product stories and collections tailored to different retailers, price points and consumer profiles.
• Partner closely with Product Development, Sales, Packaging, Sourcing and overseas teams throughout the design & development process.
• Communicate directly with overseas factories and development teams to review samples, materials, finishes, construction and design revisions.
• Review prototypes and pre-production samples and provide clear, detailed comments to ensure the final product accurately reflects the original design vision.
• Conduct competitive shopping and market research to identify white-space opportunities, emerging trends and new product ideas.
• Maintain awareness of competitor assortments, retail trends and evolving consumer preferences.
• Manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Graphic Design or a related design discipline.
• Professional experience in product design, product development or a closely related creative role.
• Strong proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; experience with InDesign is a plus.Highly proficient using Microsoft Office, Outlook, PPT
• Experience with 3D modeling, CAD and product rendering software is strongly preferred.
• Ability to create clear technical drawings, specifications and production-ready design files.
• Strong understanding of color, materials, finishes, patterns, typography and packaging design.
• Excellent visual presentation and storytelling skills.
• Strong awareness of current and emerging trends in home décor, housewares, lifestyle and retail.
• Ability to design with the realities of cost, manufacturing and mass-market retail in mind.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to give clear direction to overseas development teams and factories.
• Self-motivated and comfortable taking ownership of projects while also collaborating closely with a larger creative and product development team.

Preferred Experience

Experience designing products within one or more of the following categories is a plus:

Housewares | Kitchen | Storage & Organization | Bath | Home Décor | Tabletop | Entertaining | Drinkware | Seasonal | Textiles | Cleaning & Utility

Experience developing products for national retailers, mass merchants, off-price retailers, specialty retailers or private-label programs is highly desirable.

Who Will Thrive Here

We’re looking for someone who is creative, curious and commercially minded—a designer who notices what’s next and knows how to turn inspiration into products consumers will actually want to buy.

You should enjoy seeing your ideas move from a sketch or mood board to a finished product on a retail shelf. You’ll thrive here if you’re comfortable moving quickly, juggling multiple projects and collaborating with teams around the world.

Why Home Expressions Inc.

At Home Expressions, designers have the opportunity to influence products from initial inspiration through final execution. You’ll work across categories, retailers and seasons while being part of a global product development organization where great ideas can quickly become real products.

If you’re passionate about product, trend, color, materials and creating what’s next for the home, we’d love to hear from you.