| CHEF’N PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PACKAGING | Art Direction & Graphic Design

CLIENT: Chef’n DTC customers, Retailers, Wholesalers, and Amazon

ROLE: Art Director & Graphic Design

DELIVERABLES: Packaging artwork ready for print, compliance-approved photography, and asset families that scaled across SKUs. This ensures consistency from studio to shelf and across online and offline environments

TEAM: Producer: Shelley McCracken, Photographer: Ryan Castoldi, Model: Carly Hood

CHALLENGE & APPROACH: Create packaging photography that clearly communicates product functionality, supports compliance requirements, and strengthens the retail shelf presence of the Chef'n brand. As Art Director, I developed shot lists, directed photography, collaborated with copy and compliance teams, and ensured each image could support packaging, instructions, displays, and marketing materials while maintaining a consistent visual experience across the product line.

OUTCOME: Developed photography assets that were successfully leveraged across packaging, product instructions, ecommerce, web, advertising, retail displays, and trade show materials, creating a consistent visual experience across every customer touchpoint.

Sweet Spot Fondue Set

Working closely with the copy and compliance teams, I developed detailed shot lists that outlined image requirements, product interactions, props, and usage scenarios. Beyond the standard information, I also included in-use references showing hands interacting with the product, helping photographers and talent quickly understand what each image needed to communicate. This approach kept the shoot efficient while ensuring every asset supported both packaging objectives and customer understanding.

One of my key visual priorities was hierarchy—making sure the product identity, use case, and packaging cues were clear at first glance. That meant thoughtful decisions around lighting, composition, and framing to highlight product features while avoiding unnecessary visual clutter. These details help improve scanability, which is critical in both retail and ecommerce environments.

For the Sweet Spot product line, I also considered how the packaging would function on shelf. Because the line was positioned as a more premium and giftable offering, I designed the photography to support two primary front-facing presentations, allowing either the cheese or chocolate experience to take center stage depending on the season or merchandising strategy.

Packaging Images and Dielines