Matt Barnes

Current

Sr. Structural Packaging Designer at Philips Design

Past

Structural Packaging Designer at Griffin Technology
Design Manager at Tim-Bar Packaging & Display
Packaging Designer at Menasha Packaging

Design Assistant at Concept Packaging Group

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Education

Auburn University

Recommended

6 people have recommended Matt

Connections

167 connections

Industry

Design

Matt Barnes’s Summary

Who am I and what do I do?

First and foremost, I am a designer of good. A creative thinker with a focus on developing innovative ideas and effective solutions that not only perform the functional duties intended, but also invoke that much-needed emotional attachment with people that defines a great design. I am an experienced senior designer in developing innovative packaging solutions for businesses and clients within many diverse arenas for both domestic and international markets.

What has led me here?

Early on I focused on developing purely functional B2B commercial-grade packaging for companies in the manufacturing supply chain industries such as food products, furniture and automotive. More recently, I have taken on the challenges of designing creative packaging solutions for consumer product companies, Griffin Technology and Philips Electronics, which have utilized my designs for both domestic and international retail markets.

What is unique about my skill-set?

My strength lies with my versatility as a designer and my ability to understand the impact visually inspiring forms have on the decisions consumers make. All the while maintaining focus on the development of proper solutions that remain mechanically functional and readily manufacturable. Through this design process, I ensure that the most efficient and effective packaging solutions are always brought to the table.

What's next for the arena of packaging design?

It's simple...environmental sustainability. As a packaging designer, I firmly believe that developing a proper sustainable packaging strategy early on will result in success later. The packaging objectives in the environmentally-conscious consumer market will no longer be limited to product protection, marketing and merchandising only. Instead those objectives will also have to deliver on the promise of decreasing or eliminating the environmental impact once the packaging has reached end of life.

Matt Barnes’s Specialties:

ideation, 3D Design, packaging materials, manufacturing machinery & processes, project management, sketching, merging graphics with structure, market research, creative solutions, structural integrity, packaging testing procedures, communication with international manufacturing, supplier/vendor relations, sustainable packaging (materials, processes & initiatives)

Matt Barnes’s Experience

Sr. Structural Packaging Designer

Philips Design

(Public Company; PHG; Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing industry)

November 2008 — Present (1 year 1 month)

As a member of the award-winning studio of Philips Design in Atlanta, I apply my unique knowledge and experience towards creating innovative packaging solutions for a wide range of clients. Primarily, my design work is focused on developing packaging for products within the Philips Consumer Lifestyle portfolio (DLO, Sonicare, Avent, etc). I also play a role with our consulting group, working to service the packaging needs of external clients as well. Depending on the scope of a project, my services to clients can include:
1.) Production-ready designs: ability to design the final engineered packaging solutions with materials, dielines & other specifications complete. Includes working with vendors to maintain quality control and packaging consistency through final phases of production.
2.) Conceptual ideation - develop visual packaging concepts for single product category or an entire brand, with market-share and the end-user as the focal points.

I am also very passionate about environmental sustainability, and continuously strive to stay educated on sustainable packaging materials, processes and global initiatives in order to ensure my designs are minimizing their impact on the environment.

- Attended 2009 Wal-Mart Sustainable Packaging Expo in Rogers, AR
- Attended 2009 Sustainable Packaging Forum in Atlanta
- Attended 2009 Pack Expo in Las Vegas

**Gained Experience: client interaction, project presentations, conceptual sketching, creative development, 3D design, sustainable packaging, brand compliance, market research, vendor collaboration
Structural Packaging Designer

Griffin Technology

(Privately Held; Consumer Electronics industry)

June 2007 — October 2008 (1 year 5 months)

As an integral part of the Griffin packaging team, I was primarily focused on the structural packaging development for 200+ consumer electronic products in both domestic and international retail markets. Working in tandem with a team of graphic designers, I played the critical role as the lead structural designer in creating solutions that complimented the Griffin brand identity while providing the security and protection for the products contained within.
- Involved in all stages of packaging projects from conceptual development to production finalization and quality control, all while having continuous communication with Asian manufacturers.
- Work completed almost exclusively in 3D via SolidWorks by utilizing conceptual or finalized 3D product designs provided by the product design and mechanical engineering teams.
- Took lead on the creation of all transport packaging files and specifications in order to consolidate shipping carton sizes and increase efficiency.
- Lead design on POP/display work and club store packaging.
- Played critical role in the consolidation of packaging styles, materials, and sizes in order to comply with growing retail store initiatives in sustainability, efficiency and shelf set modularity.
- Rewarded in being able to see the impact of my work in key retailers such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target and the Apple Store.

**Gained Experience: retail packaging development, club pack development, Chinese manufacturing relations, 3D design, increased manufacturing knowledge, increased knowledge of packaging materials, importance of blending graphics with structure for retail sales, packaging sustainability
Design Manager

Tim-Bar Packaging & Display

(Packaging and Containers industry)

November 2004 — May 2007 (2 years 7 months)

As the Design Manager for the Birmingham Division of TimBar, I oversaw the packaging design/development for our Alabama & regional sales staff. I played an important role in delivering successful packaging solutions to a wide variety of customers including produce, furniture, automotive and other various industrial parts. Most of the design work consisted of structural design with ArtiosCAD, creating both corrugated/brown box packaging, as well as semi-temporary to temporary product displays. I also utilized my graphic design skills to develop graphic arts for customers from time to time. This position allowed me to broaden my range of experience in the industry while managing a department.

**Gained Experience: Design management, graphic design/layouts, structural design for temp/semi-temp displays, corr pallet design, manufacturing machinery knowledge, sales
Packaging Designer

Menasha Packaging

(Privately Held; Packaging and Containers industry)

October 2003 — November 2004 (1 year 2 months)

The position with Menasha allowed me to broaden my design skills with more tools at my disposal. The design work included returnable packaging, expendable packaging, and limited product display design. As the automotive production market in Alabama and surrounding regions continued to grow, our design team took on more projects to provide long-term solutions in both materials and logistics. Automotive customers included Honda and Mercedes via Delphi, Johnson Controls, Mid-South Electronics, ISE & Brose. I also took on added responsibilities on top of my design work such as creating and implementing a new filing system for the design team, as well as overseeing most technical aspects of the design computers and Kongsberg CAD table. By taking on these roles, my leadership skills were tested and utilized more every day.

**Gained Experience: project development/management, heavy-duty corr design, organizational skills, teamwork, supplier relations, sales/design calls to customers
Design Assistant

Concept Packaging Group

(Packaging and Containers industry)

September 2002 — October 2003 (1 year 2 months)

Experience w/ CAD and 3D modeling software (Solid Works) in developing cost-saving solutions for the packaging of manufactured parts. These parts included automotive parts, small electronic components, and other various injection molded parts. My work often required 2D & 3D part profiling in order to create specific corrugated and foam packaging. I worked extensively with our sales staff, as well as our customers, and attended many sales meetings with our customers. It was a great opportunity for a young designer to network in the industry.

**Gained Experience: CAD & 3D design, utilizing alternative packaging materials (foam, plastic), steel rack design, networking, direct involvement with customers

Matt Barnes’s Education

Auburn University

BID , Industrial Design , 1998 — 2002

- design methodology
- market research & product development
- packaging design (structure, graphics)
- graphic design (Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel)
- corporate identity (logo, letterhead, business card, etc.)
- exhibit design (structure, graphics, layout, modelmaking)
- POP/POS design (structure, graphics, modelmaking)
- product design (footwear, electronics, kitchenware, lighting, etc.)
- model making/prototyping (plastic, wood, metal, foam)
- corporate sponsored projects (Dr. Martens Footwear - 2001)