Context
At Insight Editions, I designed and managed production for licensed book formats and collectibles across entertainment brands, TV networks, and pop culture franchises – including stationery, cookbooks, comics, and children's board books. I directly managed over 100 titles a year across gift and children's lists, developing custom effects like 3D embossing, specialty color processes, and lenticulars, and working with vendors to bring them to life at scale.
Approach
This was production design in the most literal sense: color accuracy across print runs, specialty materials, foil, emboss and deboss, and so much more. I worked directly with vendors on sample approval and quality, and even ended up negotiating pricing — a skill I never expected to have, but it's come in handy more than once.
Challenges
Licensed products can be unforgiving. They're often tied to a release date, so staying on schedule was critical, and licensors often have final say on every brand detail. Quality demands were just as high – I learned to take real pride in the work I was doing and the products that shipped. That structure taught me to make firm decisions quickly, and to build real relationships with the vendors on the other end of every request.