Illustrator for Product & Packaging Design Course
Create accurate, professional packaging and product artwork with confidence. This specialist Illustrator course focuses on real‑world workflows used in packaging, labelling and product design including dielines, barcodes, wraps, mockups and 3D tools.
- Ideal for designers, small businesses and in‑house teams who need to produce commercial‑ready artwork for print or digital use.
- Available onsite at your premises or online
What you'll learn
This Illustrator course focuses on the practical Illustrator skills used every day in packaging, labelling and product design. You’ll work through real‑world workflows step‑by‑step and build the combined design skills needed to create accurate, commercial‑ready artwork.
You’ll learn how to:
- Create and edit dielines for boxes, sleeves, cartons and packaging shapes
- Build accurate product layouts using guides, grids and measurement tools
- Work with barcodes, QR codes and variable data
- Design labels, wraps and product artwork for print and digital use
- Use Illustrator’s 3D tools to create simple product mockups and visualisations
- Integrate Illustrator’s AI Studio tools into your packaging and product workflows to work faster and more creatively
- Create manufacturing spec callouts by standardising dimensions and line weights
- Speed up ideation (CMF Design, Colour, Materials, Finish): reusable colour swatches / global colour palettes for rapid iteration.
- Prepare artwork for print, including bleed / colour profiles / pre‑press checks & optimising artwork for different substrates like cardboard, plastics, and eco-friendly materials
- Apply brand assets such as logos, colour palettes and typography
- Export files correctly for printers, manufacturers and online platforms
Training is hands‑on throughout, with plenty of time to work on your own product files if you’d like to bring them along.
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for anyone who needs to create accurate, professional product or packaging artwork using Illustrator.
It’s suitable for:
- Graphic designers working on packaging, labels or product visuals
- Small businesses and makers producing their own product artwork
- Marketing and in‑house teams who need to update or create packaging assets
- Print and production teams preparing artwork for manufacturers
- E‑commerce sellers creating product imagery, labels and packaging for online platforms
- Anyone moving into packaging or product design and wanting a practical, workflow‑focused introduction
No previous packaging experience is required just a basic understanding of Illustrator.
How this course works
Training is practical, hands‑on and tailored to the type of product or packaging work you need to create whether that’s boxes (dielines, crease lines, pen tool work), wrappers, bags or other packaging formats.
You’ll work directly in Illustrator throughout the session, building real artwork and learning the workflows used in commercial packaging and product design.
The course is:
- Flexible: content is adapted to your products, brand assets or current projects
- Practical: you’ll work step‑by‑step through real packaging and product tasks
- Tailored pace: suitable for software beginners through to experienced Illustrator users looking to specialise
- Interactive: ask questions, try techniques and get guidance as you work
- Project‑friendly: bring your own files if you’d like to work on live artwork
Available as online training or on‑site sessions across the UK, delivered for individuals or small groups.
Course overview
Working with packaging dielines
Learn how to import, interpret and work accurately with packaging dielines. You’ll use layers, stroke alignment, precision guides, path editing and shape tools to build artwork that fits perfectly to the supplied cutter guide.
Creating product labels and packaging artwork
Design clean, production‑ready labels using type styles, colour swatches, global colours, spot colours, linked assets and brand‑consistent elements. Ideal for bottles, jars, boxes and retail packaging.
Building 3D product mockups
Use Illustrator’s 3D & Materials tools to create simple product mock‑ups for presentations and client visuals. Explore extrude, inflate, lighting, shadows, materials and mapping artwork onto 3D surfaces.
Working with barcodes and product data
Add and manage barcodes using barcode generators, EPS imports, vector clean‑up, scaling rules, and print‑safe placement. Learn how to handle product data, batch variations and multiple SKUs efficiently.
Creating wraps, sleeves and multi‑panel artwork
Design artwork that flows across multiple panels using artboards, bleed, alignment tools, pattern fills, linked graphics and appearance settings. Perfect for cans, bottles, boxes and flexible packaging.
Using Symbols and Libraries for product ranges
Build reusable assets for product families using Symbols, Graphic Styles, Libraries and CC Libraries. Update entire ranges quickly by editing a single master asset.
Advanced image trace for product illustration
Convert sketches, logos and product drawings into clean vectors using advanced Image Trace, threshold control, path fitting, noise reduction, corner refinement and post‑trace clean‑up.
Master compound paths, clipping masks and opacity masks
Learn how to build complex, layered artwork using Illustrator’s most powerful masking and shape‑combining tools. You’ll work with Compound Paths, Clipping Masks, Opacity Masks, Knockout Groups, Shape Modes, and Pathfinder operations to create intricate designs, layered effects and precise cut‑outs. Essential for advanced illustration, branding and production workflows.
Colour management for packaging
Work with Pantone, spot colours, tints, global colours, colour groups, Recolour Artwork, and proofing tools to ensure accurate print output across packaging materials.
Preparing artwork for print and production
Export production‑ready files using PDF/X standards, bleed & trim, overprint settings, flattening options, pre‑flight checks, and printer‑friendly file organisation.
Also included in the course
- Complete Course Assets: all source files, dieline templates, and examples used during your session.
- Lifetime Post-Course Support: continuous support via email or video for any follow-up production questions.
- Manufacturer-Ready Tips: insider advice on how to communicate effectively with printers and factories.
- Workflow Optimisation: best-practice guidance on structuring layers and assets for seamless production.
- File Setup Blueprints: templates for flawless packaging, label, and product visual output.
Note: Where helpful, we can also explore light Photoshop crossover workflows, such as cleaning product photos, preparing raster artwork, or creating composite mockups. The course also incorporates Firefly Adobe AI Studio where useful to build new workflows and marketing boards with Fireflies Mood Boards and Generative AI tools.
How is the Illustrator training delivered?
Virtual online Illustrator Training
Our online Adobe Illustrator product design courses are delivered live with an instructor via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. Sessions are interactive and hands-on, letting you interactive with screen shares, chat and receive live feedback throughout the training.
Virtual onsite Illustrator Training
We also host onsite Adobe Illustrator training on your premises, whether office or home across the UK. Dates and timings are flexible and work to your schedule
Greta Powell 5* Verified Reviews
“I had a great in‑person training session with Greta. The day was taken completely at my pace, with time to tailor the content to what I actually use day to day at work. We covered a lot across Illustrator and Photoshop, and everything was explained clearly. Greta is very friendly and made me feel at ease straight away. It’s brilliant knowing I have ongoing support if I ever get stuck.” Smart Payment Technologies Ltd, Coalville
“Greta delivered training to our team at Walsall College and was an amazing instructor, fast‑paced, clear and incredibly supportive. She took time with anyone who needed extra help and made the whole group feel confident. I’ve always had a barrier with computers, but after the first day I couldn’t wait to get back on it. I can’t recommend her enough.” Wayne Aveline, Fashion Designer & Senior Lecturer, Walsall College
Pricing and how to book
Pricing
- Live Online Sessions (Our Most Affordable Option): Perfect if you want to learn from the comfort of your own desk with no travelling to a centre. And because there is no commute or travel time for us, we pass those savings directly on to you with our lowest base rate.
- On-Site Workshops (At Your Workplace): Ideal if you want hands-on, face-to-face training for yourself or your team. This rate covers our dedicated studio time at your location anywhere in the UK, plus simple travel expenses.
How group size affects costs
- One-to-One Training: Dedicated, 100% focused attention just for you and your specific products.
- Team & Group Bookings: If you have a few colleagues who need to learn together, the cost per person drops significantly, making it incredibly cost-effective for businesses.
Adobe Illustrator Training FAQ's
How do Online Adobe Illustrator Courses for Product Design and Packaging work?
Our online Adobe Illustrator Courses run virtually with a live instructor giving you direct contact with them throughout the training via video, chat & screen share.
We run this online training via all the most popular video conferencing software including Zoom, Teams, Google and WebEx. It’s your choice which one you prefer.
Once the course is booked we organise a pre-training Zoom /Teams meeting to discuss the course content and answer any questions about the training.
How does Onsite Adobe Illustrator Courses for Product Design and Packaging work?
The Illustrator Training is run onsite at your premises and follows a similar pattern to traditional training except the trainer travels to you and not vice versa.
Do I need Adobe Illustrator experience?
For this course it is helpful if you have some experience of Illustrator but for private individual or company courses we can tailor the content to factor this in.
Do you offer training for teams and colleges?
Yes. We regularly deliver Illustrator training for fashion teams, universities, colleges and creative departments.
Do you record online Illustrator courses?
Yes in some instances we do but because of privacy issues we can only do this for the private one to one sessions or closed company groups,
How to Book the Adobe Illustrator Training
Booking with us
Please get in touch with us via the online booking form or click to:
We will then get in touch and send the details of booking reservation and find out your timeframe for training.
We will then send across dates.
Once the booking is confirmed we then organise a pre-course call /meeting to discuss the course and any logistics around the day.
Payment
Payment for training is via BACS or Credit Card
Credit Card payment is via Stripe
*Greta Powell Training Ltd does not collect or store your card details.
Purchase Orders
We accept purchase orders from UK registered companies and the public sector.
What are the timings and course duration for this Illustrator training?
Depending on the amount of people attending this is a two to three day course. For online training bookings we can offer great flexibility and split full days into half days.
For onsite courses delivered directly on your premises we can only offer full day options
