Amy Koster

• Managed all aspects of the product development process for key product categories through collaboration with management, design, marketing, sales, purchasing, international sourcing, and quality control to deliver products that met market and customer expectations.
• Developed product programs for B2B customers, including The Home Depot, Target, Michaels, Joann, Walmart, Kroger and Dollar General.
• Developed product, packaging, brand guides and marketing collateral for licensed product assortments.
• Interpreted quantitative and qualitative data, such as POS (Point of Sale) analysis, competitive shops and trend reports, to indentify line extensions and tailor design concepts to match industry trends and customer needs.
• Created spec art files for all product concepts to ensure quality initial quotes
and samples. Spec art files included dimensioned orthographic views, assembled
views, packaging dielines, vector renderings, component listings, material and color breakdowns, and other production notes.
• Participated in product sample reviews for all product programs to ensure design integrity was maintained across each phase of the product development process. Modified concepts based on customer requirements, factory recommendations, and/or costing restrictions.
• Designed visual merchandising Plan-O-Gram (POG) renderings for retail space
planning and customer presentations.
• Illustrated seasonal style guides for trend report and product design applications.
• Assisted in the development of packaging brand guides and logos for specific
product categories including Surfaces, Basics, and Lighting. Assessed typography sets, text formatting, color palette, and integrated photography.
• Recognized as a subject matter expert (SME) for a key growth category; Surfaces. Art directed a team of designers and executed over 550+ new craft surface SKUs for both retail and wholesale accounts, resulting in year over year sales growth.

• Developed retail, wholesale, and private label packaging designs for craft goods.
• Particular emphasis placed on growing the company’s kid craft, stationery and
scrapbooking programs.
• Created custom illustrations, patterns and colorways for above mentioned categories. Art directed a team of freelancers for any and all overflow.
• Analyzed consumer and market trends to conceptualize packaging and product
design initiatives.
• Mocked up prototypes of packaging to validate function and design.
• Collaborated regularly with internal and external teams to ensure all packaging
meet compliance standards, brand guidelines, product specs, marketing content,
merchandising requirements and manufacturing processes.
• Maintained regular communication with vendors and printers domestically and
internationally to ensure stage gate milestones were met on time.
• Oversaw the proofing process for both pre and post production samples.

• Conceptualized, designed, and managed hundreds of SKUs across several key categories including toys, plush, arts and crafts, and stationery for the zoo, museum and aquarium gift market worldwide.
• Managed and executed the product development process from concept through to production.
• Created spec art files for product and packaging to ensure quality initial quotes
and samples.
• Collaborated with overseas vendors, worldwide buyers and internal teams to meet design standards. Negotiated daily with vendors to maintain target costs to ensure margins were met.
• Traveled regularly to China to oversee the product development process, expedite product and packaging approvals, source new product and refine new ideas.
• Maintained program timelines to gaurantee stage gate milestones were achieved.
• Mocked up and coordinated product samples for trade shows and sales meetings.

* Worked alongside junior and senior designers helping generate ideas and develop existing ones for a number of medical and safety products.
* Helped resolve problem areas of user interactions through sketching and large scale foam model making.
* Participated in several innovation and benchmarking sessions.
* Prepared for and participated in concept validation meetings with end users.