Hasbro plans expansion of in-house team

Toy giant Hasbro is looking to expand its in-house graphic design team – which will have a long-term impact on the outside consultancies it works with, according to a spokesman.

Hasbro is advertising for five graphic design managers. Two will replace departing staff and three are new positions. Hasbro currently has a team consisting of 33 packaging designers.

“We’re doing more work in-house than ever before. We’re changing the way we do things, though we’ll still commission some projects outside,” says Alan Gong, head of creative services at Hasbro.

“Two or three years ago we were adapting packaging from America, now we’re developing more European brands which are easier to develop in-house than externally,” he says.

But Tutssels creative director Glenn Tutssel fears that Hasbro could become “myopic – this is the danger of working in-house”. His consultancy has designed packaging for Hasbro.

Siebert Head has also worked for Hasbro. “It’s always been possible to find a more objective viewpoint by using external groups, but this is an opportunity for Hasbro to build up a very good team,” says the consultancy’s design director Paul Hance.