Dan Rocha
Graphic design. Design Team Leadership. Print + Packaging Expert.
How do we get from here to there? This is a question I love helping to answer! My career has been full of organizational change and opportunities to lead creative teams through change. The graphic and packaging design world constantly changes and requires an innovative leader with a talent for looking through the chaos to the end goal. I am a seasoned Graphic Designer and Manager who brings direction to creative teams, design and packaging projects and deliver expected results to my clients.Below are some highlights from my over 25 years in design and packaging management and operations.
Trained designers and built a network of in-house design studios in West Coast corrugated packaging plants
Extensively traveled in SE Asia qualifying print and packaging suppliers
Built a production design team for an in-house creative team that increased the brand's speed to market
Set up an ISTA packaging testing lab staffed with engineers and designers in the US and oversaw the creation of a mirrored lab in China
Spent some time as a solopreneur building my design agency from zero to $100,000 in billing in 18 months
Partnered with a fading printing business bringing new segments inhouse and increasing revenue from $450,000 to $1,000,000 in three years
Scroll down to view some selected work samples. I would love to talk in depth about these projects and others and how I can help your business grow through design management and operational efficiency!
Selected work
brand design
brand refresh
A historic small-town business operating since 1935 needed help relaunching in 2022. Honoring the name and its roots I refreshed the logo and rebuilt the website. The result is fresh branding and a new website with solid SEO that greatly expanded the reach and growth of this business.
scope
Graphic Design
Website Design + SEO
Brand Voice
Rebrand Launch
Brand Design
brand identity and website
A force in economic development in Columbia County needed a rebrand and consistent message. I assembled a team including a copywriter and a web design agency. Led by me, we built a new brand identity, created a consistent voice, and developed a brand-new website.
scope
Art Direction
Logo + Brand Design
Account Management
Project Management
Packaging design
retail packaging
A growing powerhouse in personal audio was ready to move its product line out of plastic clamshell packaging into something more environmentally friendly that still showcased the product. Working with the brand my team designed, prototyped, and launched fiber-based packaging across their retail line. The result is easy to recycle packaging and increased sales.
scope
Design Management
Production Design
Color Management
Supplier Qualification
brand design
non-profit campaign
Columbia Pacific Food Bank was looking for help launching a capital campaign. Funds raised would be matched with a grant to fund a new building. We focused on the root of what they do, FEED the community. I created a logo and collateral. The logo which features elements from the community, has gone on to be used for an annual fun run, pride month fundraiser and other events. They met their capital campaign goal and to date, the fundraisers have raised thousands of dollars to fight food insecurity.
scope
Logo Design
Collateral Design
Socail Media Graphic Design
Fundraising Strategy
brand design
catalog, tradeshow and packaging design
I built a production design team for the action-sports brand DAKINE when it was based oi Hood River, Oregon. My team took on catalog production, trade show booth design production, product specifications and more. Working directly with Product Line Managers and our overseas factories we decreased the time to prototype approval by creating comprehensive design packages for each product.
scope
Brand Design
Packaging Design
Catalog Design and Presschecking
Tradeshow Booth Design
Photoshoot Direction
Product Development
Presschecking
packaging design
sustainable packaging
The main goal in redesigning this grill company's accessory packaging was to eliminate plastic. Of course, the pack counts, and shelf space had to remain the same. I led my team in creating a packaging design that used micro flute and SBS board. In many cases, we increased pack counts. We worked with the overseas factories to ensure the pack-out process would not add cost. I also established color standards to match brand colors across multiple print suppliers. Besides eliminating plastic, we improved shelf presence, decreased inbound freight in some cases, and increased sales.
scope
Packaging Design Management
Production Design Management
Color Management
Supplier Qualification
Presschecking
website + brand design
real estate
A veteran in the residential real estate market came to me looking to increase her online presence. Specifically she wanted her own branded website that featured her listings and let visitors search the entire RMLS catalog. I created a personal brand, built the site in WordPress and connected an MLS services. Our SEO strategy included creating pages and content for each key geographic area she serves with custom local photography, listings, and recommendations. I also created content for home buyers and sellers and connected her biweekly podcast. The result is a responsive, easy to navigate site that ranks well in local search.
scope
Logo and Brand Design
Brand Voice
Website Design and SEO
Print Collateral Design
packaging design
innovative sustainable packaging
An innovator in camping gear for over 100 years needed to eliminate plastic clamshell packaging in its backpacking stoves and camp cooking accessories. There was a catch. I partnered as a subject matter expert with their creative team. Once we had our creative direction nailed down my team designed and tested the new packaging. This included OEM factory pack out testing, retail and consumer testing, and ISTA transit testing. I built color and print standards and qualified overseas printers. The result was an award winning, fiber-based packaging.
scope
Packaging Design + Engineering
Production Design
Color Management
Vendor Qualification
QA Program Implementation
Request more info
I love chatting about design, packaging, operational efficiency, overseas supply chains and business in general. Reach out and lets talk.
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