Freelance Product Designer for Physical Products (Cards, Journals, Keepsakes)

Paired
Full-time•$30-50undefined (USD)
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📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Freelance Product Designer for Physical Products (Cards, Journals, Keepsakes)

Company: Paired

Location: London, City of, United Kingdom

Job Type: Freelance

Category: Product Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-04

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Remote (USA, UK, or EU)

🎨 Role Summary

  • Design and develop physical products (cards, journals, keepsakes) that complement Paired's couples app, enhancing offline connection experiences
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to transform early-stage concepts into polished, manufacturable products and packaging
  • Bring a strong eye for detail and visual storytelling to create beautiful, functional, and gift-worthy products
  • Contribute to product vision and roadmap discussions to ensure design aligns with brand and solves real customer problems
📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a balance of creative ideation and strategic thinking, with a focus on user-centered design and brand alignment.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

  • Conceptualize and shape new physical product ideas, considering form factors, dielines, and packaging systems
  • Design layouts for cards, inserts, and companion materials, ensuring both beauty and functionality
  • Create 3D mockups and production-ready files that are manufacturer-friendly
  • Collaborate with the team to explore materials, finishes, and tactile details to elevate the product
  • Support user testing by creating prototypes and incorporating early feedback
📝 Enhancement Note: This role involves a mix of creative exploration and technical execution, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and user feedback integration.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Product Design, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Experience: Proven experience (2-5 years) in designing consumer physical products, especially stationery, card games, journals, and/or gifts

Required Skills:

  • Proficient in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign
  • Strong understanding of printing, packaging, and manufacturing processes
  • Excellent visual storytelling, layout, and typography skills
  • Ability to iterate based on feedback and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams

Preferred Skills:

  • Experience with 3D tools
  • Background in building systems for scalable product lines or retail packaging
📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should have a strong foundation in design principles and be comfortable working across the entire product development lifecycle.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Showcase a variety of physical product designs, highlighting your ability to create beautiful, functional, and manufacturable items
  • Include case studies that demonstrate your process, from initial concept to final product
  • Demonstrate your understanding of packaging systems and unboxing experiences

Process Documentation:

  • Include sketches, mood boards, and progress images to illustrate your design thinking and decision-making process
  • Showcase your ability to create production-ready files and collaborate with manufacturers
📝 Enhancement Note: Your portfolio should clearly articulate your design process, creative problem-solving skills, and attention to detail.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £25-£40 per hour (UK) - This range is based on market research for freelance product designers in the UK with 2-5 years of experience. The cost of living in London is considered, and the range is inclusive of both entry-level and mid-senior level roles.

Benefits:

  • Flexible working hours (20+ hours per week)
  • Ongoing project with multiple ideas in the pipeline
  • Opportunity to work with a growing, award-winning company in the couples app space

Working Hours: 20+ hours per week - This role offers flexible working hours, allowing you to balance your freelance work with other commitments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is inclusive of both entry-level and mid-senior level roles, reflecting the diverse experience levels of freelance product designers in the UK.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Paired is a global couples app with over 12M downloads and 200,000 daily active users, focused on improving romantic relationships through engaging questions, games, and quizzes. The company is expanding into physical products to complement its digital offerings.

Company Size: 11-50 employees - Paired is a growing company with a strong focus on innovation and user-centered design.

Founded: 2023 - Paired was founded with a mission to help romantic couples stay in love and has since grown into a globally recognized platform for relationship support.

Team Structure:

  • Distributed team with members based in the USA, UK, and EU
  • Collaborative environment with close communication between creative and operational teams
  • Flat hierarchy with a focus on cross-functional collaboration and open communication

Methodology:

  • User-centered design approach, with a strong emphasis on user testing and feedback integration
  • Collaborative design process, involving input from various teams throughout the product development lifecycle
  • Agile development methodologies, with a focus on iterative improvement and continuous learning

Company Website: Paired

📝 Enhancement Note: Paired's design culture emphasizes user-centered design, collaboration, and continuous learning, with a strong focus on improving romantic relationships through engaging and innovative products.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: Mid-Senior Level - This role requires a strong design background and proven experience in designing consumer physical products, with a focus on stationery, card games, journals, and/or gifts.

Reporting Structure: The freelance product designer will report directly to the Head of Ecommerce and collaborate closely with the Head of Design and other team members.

Design Impact: The freelance product designer will have a significant impact on Paired's expansion into physical products, contributing to the company's overall success and growth in the couples app market.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Ongoing project with multiple ideas in the pipeline, offering opportunities for long-term collaboration and growth
  • Potential for full-time employment or long-term freelance contracts, based on performance and project needs
  • Chance to work on a variety of physical product designs, expanding your portfolio and skillset
📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth potential, with opportunities for long-term collaboration, skill development, and potential full-time employment.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Remote - This role is remote and open to candidates based in the USA, UK, or EU. Collaboration will primarily take place online, with regular video calls and virtual team meetings.

Office Location(s): N/A - As this is a remote role, there are no specific office locations to consider.

Design Workspace Context:

  • Collaborative digital workspace, with tools and platforms designed for remote teamwork and communication
  • Access to design resources, templates, and brand guidelines to ensure consistency and efficiency
  • Opportunities for creative collaboration and feedback exchange with team members across different time zones

Work Schedule: Flexible - This role offers flexible working hours, allowing you to balance your freelance work with other commitments and personal responsibilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote work environment offers flexibility and the opportunity to work from anywhere, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and communication using digital tools and platforms.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

  • Initial call with the Head of Ecommerce to discuss the role and your relevant experience
  • Paid task: Complete a design challenge and present your work to the Head of Ecommerce and Head of Design
  • Team interviews: Final step involves interviews with different team members you would be working with on this project
  • Offer

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Highlight your experience in designing consumer physical products, with a focus on stationery, card games, journals, and/or gifts
  • Include case studies that demonstrate your process, from initial concept to final product
  • Showcase your ability to create beautiful, functional, and manufacturable items, with a strong emphasis on packaging systems and unboxing experiences
  • Demonstrate your understanding of the manufacturing process and your ability to create production-ready files

Challenge Preparation:

  • Prepare for a design challenge that focuses on your ability to transform early-stage concepts into polished, manufacturable products and packaging
  • Demonstrate your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and incorporate user feedback into your design process
  • Showcase your understanding of the manufacturing process and your ability to create production-ready files

ATS Keywords: Product Design, Consumer Products, Stationery, Card Games, Journals, Gifts, Packaging Design, Prototyping, User Testing, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, 3D Mockups, Visual Storytelling, Collaboration, Creative Ideation, Manufacturing Process

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process for this role is designed to assess your design skills, collaborative abilities, and understanding of the manufacturing process, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design and creative problem-solving.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

  • Adobe Illustrator - Essential for creating vector graphics, logos, and illustrations
  • Adobe InDesign - Crucial for designing layouts, page layouts, and publications
  • 3D tools (bonus) - Optional, but useful for creating 3D mockups and visualizing products in a real-world context

Collaboration & Handoff:

  • Slack - Primary communication platform for team collaboration and communication
  • Trello - Project management tool for task tracking and team coordination
  • Zoom - Video conferencing tool for team meetings and virtual workshops

Research & Testing:

  • Google Forms - User testing and feedback collection tool
  • UsabilityHub - Remote user testing platform for gathering user feedback and insights
  • Google Analytics - Web analytics tool for measuring design performance and optimization
📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack for this role is focused on design, collaboration, and communication, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design and remote teamwork.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

  • User-centered design - Putting users at the heart of the design process, with a focus on understanding and addressing their needs and pain points
  • Collaboration - Working closely with cross-functional teams to ensure design aligns with brand, solves real customer problems, and meets business objectives
  • Continuous learning - Embracing a growth mindset and actively seeking opportunities to improve skills, knowledge, and design processes
  • Innovation - Pushing the boundaries of what's possible and exploring new design approaches to create engaging, meaningful, and impactful products

Collaboration Style:

  • Cross-functional collaboration - Working closely with creative and operational teams to ensure design aligns with brand, meets business objectives, and delivers value to users
  • Design critique culture - Encouraging open feedback, constructive criticism, and continuous improvement in the design process
  • Knowledge sharing - Actively seeking opportunities to learn from team members and contribute to the collective knowledge and skillset of the design team
📝 Enhancement Note: Paired's design culture emphasizes user-centered design, collaboration, and continuous learning, with a strong focus on innovation and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

  • Transforming early-stage concepts into polished, manufacturable products and packaging, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design and brand alignment
  • Balancing creative exploration and technical execution, with a focus on collaboration, user feedback integration, and iterative improvement
  • Working with a variety of materials, finishes, and tactile details to elevate the product and enhance the unboxing experience
  • Navigating the manufacturing process and creating production-ready files that are manufacturer-friendly

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Working on a variety of physical product designs, expanding your portfolio and skillset
  • Collaborating with a growing, award-winning company in the couples app space, with opportunities for long-term collaboration and growth
  • Gaining experience in building systems for scalable product lines or retail packaging, with potential for full-time employment or long-term freelance contracts
📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant learning and development opportunities, with a focus on expanding your portfolio, skillset, and creative problem-solving abilities.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

  • Walk us through your design process, from initial concept to final product, with a focus on user-centered design and collaboration
  • Describe your approach to packaging systems and unboxing experiences, with examples of your work that demonstrate your ability to create beautiful, functional, and manufacturable items
  • How do you incorporate user feedback into your design process, and how do you ensure that your designs meet the needs and expectations of your target audience?

Company Culture Questions:

  • How do you see yourself contributing to Paired's design culture, and how do you plan to work collaboratively with our team to ensure that your designs align with our brand and meet our business objectives?
  • Describe your experience working with cross-functional teams, and how do you approach collaboration and communication to ensure that your designs are well-received and effectively implemented?
  • How do you stay up-to-date with design trends and industry best practices, and how do you incorporate this knowledge into your design process to ensure that your work is innovative, engaging, and impactful?

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Highlight your experience in designing consumer physical products, with a focus on stationery, card games, journals, and/or gifts
  • Include case studies that demonstrate your process, from initial concept to final product, with a strong emphasis on packaging systems and unboxing experiences
  • Showcase your ability to create beautiful, functional, and manufacturable items, with a focus on user-centered design and brand alignment
  • Demonstrate your understanding of the manufacturing process and your ability to create production-ready files
📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for this role is designed to assess your design skills, collaborative abilities, and understanding of the manufacturing process, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design and creative problem-solving.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this freelance product designer role:

  • Submit your application through this link
  • Prepare a portfolio that showcases your experience in designing consumer physical products, with a focus on stationery, card games, journals, and/or gifts
  • Tailor your resume to highlight your relevant skills, experience, and design portfolio, with a focus on user-centered design and creative problem-solving
  • Prepare for a design challenge that focuses on your ability to transform early-stage concepts into polished, manufacturable products and packaging, with a strong emphasis on user-centered design and brand alignment
  • Research Paired's design culture, values, and approach to physical product design, and be prepared to discuss how you would contribute to the team's success and growth
⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and design industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.
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