You can’t write a BOM? You can’t communicate an idea in a tangible 3D form?
Maybe this particular job doesn’t want an “ID expert” do continuously spec unobtanium and “design” parts that cannot be made. Maybe they want actual customer feedback instead of a gladhand that you get from a hot sketch. And the oh-so-crazy thought that they need a package to protect/contain/market /distribute is actually pretty sane.
After your 18 years of doing ID, I would suggest expanding your horizons and not become a dinosaur.