Dan Rocha

Print, Packaging & Account Management Pro | Driving Brand Success with Innovative Solutions & Global Expertise

Approachable, adaptable, and results-driven, I bring over 20 years of international and domestic business experience in leading creative teams, account management, transitional leadership, and operations. Through my expertise in leading product, printing, and packaging projects, I have a record of delivering innovative solutions and measurable results for national and global brands. I also have experience with overseas supplier management, account management, and operational efficiency. I am dedicated to driving efficiency and innovation in dynamic business environments.Here are a few highlights

  • Hired by Paulson Printing to modernize products and operations and grow accounts, resulting in 105% growth over three years.

  • Led a transition management team after Paccess was acquired by a large Swedish paper and packaging company and later became part of the new company's M&A team.

  • Launched a global project management tool that was 100% adopted in our core regions (U.S., China, Sweden).

  • Delivered packaging design and program presentations to clients and stakeholders across the U.S. and Asia, effectively communicating concepts, strategy, and value propositions.

  • Led presentations on packaging design, transportation packaging optimization, and color management, engaging brand owners and global audiences with strategic insights and innovative solutions.

  • Worked on a revamped QA and supplier scorecard program for our Chinese manufacturing program.

  • Built a production design team at Dakine focused on taking product design and creative design concepts into production.

Scroll down to view some selected work and project samples. I would love to talk in detail about my work and how I can help your business grow through account and design management with a focus on operational efficiency!

Selected work

business management

brand refresh and business overhaul

A historic small-town business operating since 1935 needed help relaunching in 2022. Honoring the name and its roots, I refreshed the logo, rebuilt the website and back-end SEO, and set up several SaaS products to streamline the workflow. Listening to our client base and looking at areas where we wanted to grow, I oversaw adding new services that complimented our core offer. The result was a one-stop experience for printed marketing. With a 95% client retention rate after relaunch, we grew our revenue from $450K to over $900K in three years.

scope

  • Business Management

  • Account Management

  • Pricing and Vendor Negotiations

  • Operational Efficiency

  • Graphic & Production Design

Brand Design

brand identity and website

A well-known organization focused on economic development in Columbia County required a rebrand and a consistent message. After going through the bidding process, presenting our ideas, and securing the project, I assembled a team that included experts in design, copywriting, and web development.To establish our direction, we conducted interviews and listening sessions with over a dozen internal and external stakeholders. Over several months, we developed a new brand identity, including a refreshed visual style and a unified voice, and created a brand-new website.The new brand and website now effectively integrate several different business units into one cohesive identity aimed at promoting economic growth in the County.

scope

  • Agency Principal

  • Art Direction

  • Logo + Brand Design

  • Account Management

  • Project Management

  • Implementation

Packaging & Account Management

retail packaging

A growing leader in the lifestyle and personal audio industry was ready to transition its product line from plastic clamshell packaging to a more environmentally friendly option. It was essential that the new packaging not only showcased the products effectively but also maintained consistent color and quality across all orders.I collaborated closely with the brand's creative team to manage the design process. We transformed their ideas into manufacturable concepts. Once the packaging design direction was approved by the brand, I focused on obtaining approval for packaging structure and color for each SKU. I coordinated with our overseas manufacturing partners to conduct ink color drawdowns for various Pantone colors. Additionally, I implemented a prepress process to incorporate a Pantone bump plate in the product images, ensuring a closer color match to the actual products.The outcome was a successful packaging refresh utilizing easy-to-recycle fiber-based materials. This change resulted in improved brand visibility at retail locations, which led to an increase in sales.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

  • Account Management

  • Production Design

  • On-site QA

  • Color Management

  • Supplier Qualification

  • Program Pricing

brand design and project management

Creating a production design team to execute design concepts

I was hired to build a production design team for the action sports brand DAKINE. As the brand expanded, it became essential to streamline the creative process and have assistance completing design concepts from both graphic and product designers.My team handled various projects, including catalog production, packaging design, trade show booth graphics, and product specifications.For print projects, I collaborated closely with the Art Director and Product Managers to manage deadlines and ensure my team adhered to the creative briefs. I also coordinated with our manufacturing partners both domestically and overseas to guarantee that everything we created was manufacturable and within budget. This process involved attending press checks, testing packaging design samples, and overseeing the setup of trade show booths.In terms of product design, I worked directly with Brand Managers, Product Line Managers, and our overseas factories. My team transformed renderings and design briefs into graphics and specifications for product trims and colorways. By engaging with our factories and identifying communication gaps, I developed comprehensive design packages for each product implementation. This new process significantly reduced the number of approval cycles needed to achieve a golden sample, allowing product samples to reach our sales team more quickly.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

  • Project Management

  • Packaging Design

  • Catalog Design and Presschecking

  • Tradeshow Booth Graphics

  • Photoshoot Direction

  • Vendor Management

  • Product Specification and BOMs

packaging design & account management

sustainable packaging program

The primary objective of redesigning the grill company's accessory packaging was to eliminate plastic. We also needed to maintain the same pack counts and shelf space. Collaborating closely with the brand's product and creative teams, I led my team in developing a packaging design that utilized micro flute and SBS board materials. Each design was rigorously tested to ensure both the packaging and the product could withstand the supply chain, from retail distribution centers to e-commerce.In many instances, we successfully increased pack counts while working with overseas OEM factories to ensure the pack-out process remained cost-effective. I established material and color standards to regulate the paper used in the packaging and to ensure that brand colors were consistent across multiple print suppliers. In addition to eliminating plastic, we enhanced shelf presence, reduced inbound freight costs in some cases, and increased both retail shelf visibility and sales.

scope

  • Packaging Design Management

  • Production Design Management

  • Color Management

  • Supplier Qualification

  • Presschecking

packaging design & account management

innovative sustainable packaging

An innovator in camping gear for over 100 years recognized the need to eliminate plastic clamshell packaging for its backpacking stoves and camp cooking accessories. If they didn't make a change, they risked having their product line pulled from several retailers.I collaborated as a subject matter expert, working closely with the brand team and the agency’s creative team. Throughout the design process, I helped set clear expectations with the brand and ensured that the agency's design concepts were practical for manufacturing.Once we established our creative direction, my team designed and conducted transportation tests on the new packaging. This included OEM factory pack-out testing, retail and consumer testing, and ISTA transit testing. We gathered feedback from consumers and retail partners and also walked through the pack-out process with their factories, addressing all concerns along the way.Additionally, I partnered with our overseas packaging supplier to create uniform color and print standards. Our initial partner struggled with printing consistent white on recycled kraft paper, so I assisted in qualifying a different supplier. I specified acceptable types of recycled paper for their packaging to ensure consistent strength and shade.The result was an award-winning fiber-based packaging solution that withstands their supply chain challenges and looks impressive on retail shelves.

scope

  • Packaging Design + Engineering

  • Account Management

  • Color Management

  • Vendor Qualification

  • QA Program Implementation

  • Transportation Testing

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I love chatting about packaging, operational efficiency, overseas supply chains and business in general.

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