About

Packaging design specialist and graphic designer with more than twenty years of hands-on work— turning bold ideas into shelf-ready packaging, high-impact book covers, and production-ready files.

What I do. I create packaging dielines from scratch—then art, refine, and sign files for production.

Every project begins with a client request: their guidance and a clear description of what they need. Work is built from the client’s specs, or—when they don’t provide specs—I define structure and production specifications from their goals.

When packaging structure is required, I create dielines from scratch, then complete art through production. My signature on project files is the authorization clients use to proceed to production.

I use Eagle as my art management system—organizing production art, packaging files, process versions, and client assets so work stays findable, versioned, and ready for handoff.

I run Outlaw Star Press (outlawstarpress.com)—cover design, icons (including Hero Forge), and art direction for the imprint’s catalog: Those Left Behind, The Saga of Shamus, Prince Aiden (collaborated with author and illustrator to take their files to a printer-ready package; live on catalog), and more.

I designed and built ArtForge—a private custom web application for digital art review, live at gbob.ddns.net/artforge: project uploads, pin annotations, guest review links, role-aware sharing, status (Pending / In Review / Approved), and approved package download.

On Christmas by Krebs programs, packaging and presentation often served as the creative point their teams used to direct other Christmas vendors. Major retail work includes Walmart branded packaging (product, chipboard, corrugate)—I have been working with Walmart’s art department for 20+ years—and requirements such as How2Recycle and JUMP.

Across 2001–2024, product and packaging programs are estimated at roughly $1.69 per unit combined mid cost (~$8.4M at a 5M-unit year; ~$76.8M cumulative, activity-weighted). Christmas by Krebs deliveries continued through 2023. As a freelance designer for Gerson Companies, I handled Hobby Lobby and Walmart packaging for the 2025 season (work in 2024)—first-review approval both accounts—plus training and handoff for Krebs clients absorbed in Gerson’s acquisition of Krebs. Those figures are estimates for context, not audited accounting.

Open to packaging, book cover, branding, and creative direction projects.
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