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Surface Design Success: Your Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide

Writer's picture: Jenna Jenna

I recently sent out a survey asking about your biggest frustrations with surface design, and there was one big theme in the responses: overwhelm.


Not knowing where to start, no road map to follow, feeling swamped by all of the moving parts: the sketching, the social media marketing, setting up a business, the legal end of things, who to present your portfolio to, and so on.


As one person said, "I try to do everything at once and then get overwhelmed."


So here it is: your ultimate step-by-step guide for surface design success.


In this blog post I'm going to lay out the very first step in the path to becoming a successful pattern designer!


Step 1: figure out WHO you want to design for and WHAT you want to create for them. 


For now, forget about the tech, how to form a sole proprietorship, how to copyright your art, etc. 


Until you know who your end customer is and what you want to create for them, you will spin in confusion.


Here's what I mean. Do you want to create repeating patterns that will be printed on fabrics for the DIY quilt market? So the quilters are your "who", and the "designs for quilt fabrics" are part of your "what".


However, you can't stop here. What kind of LOOK do you want YOUR quilt fabrics to have? Go into a fabric store that sells quilting fabric, or look online. Look at quilts that people have made--on Instagram, in magazines, in stores. 


Many traditional quilts are made from fabrics with small scale floral designs.  


I just went on to Instagram and did a search with #quilts, and a dropdown appeared with other search suggestions, like #quiltsinthewild. Here's a post I found on Moda Fabric's IG page. It looks like a woman named Corey Yoder has just licensed a collection of holiday quilt fabrics with them:

Christmas fabric collection created by a surface pattern designer

These patterns are lovely and in my opinion, are on the traditional side. 


But here's a completed quilt from @molly_sparkles that is definitely not traditional:


Surface pattern design on a quilt

If you look closely at the black fabric pieces, they appear to be constellations and stars. The colors chosen are not traditional, nor or the fabrics.


So...WHO are you designing for, and WHAT kind of products do you want your art to go on?


You can take the quilter example and apply it to any niche. For example, do you want to create repeating patterns for the baby market? What kind of products--onesies? Swaddles? Diapers? Or how about the baby's bedroom--sheets for the crib, blankets, wallpaper, fabric for pillows and curtains? How about toys? This is your WHAT---what niche, what products.


OK, now it's time to think about your WHO. What kind of look do you want to create? Is your customer a conservative mom who wants cute designs, or are you aiming for the rocker/biker chic mom who can't stand pastels and bunnies, and would get a good laugh out of baby clothes that have skulls and crossbones on them? Do you want to go with the color palettes that everyone else is using for baby products, or do you want to work with a palette that no one else is using?


Notice that I haven't even mentioned "signature style" yet (that's Step 2). Right now we're zooming in on the end customer and what kind of products your art will show up on. 


Currently I am working on a collection of designs for the home decor market that I would like to get licensed. So the products will be wallpaper and fabrics for upholstery, curtains and pillows. That's my "what products I want to see my art on". 


As for my "who", it's a man/woman/couple who loves quirky, rustic designs. I don't do cute. I don't do traditional. I don't do the Ralph Lauren log cabin look, nor the Miami Beach swanky penthouse look with tropical designs. I don't do Scandinavian minimalism.


(For what it's worth, it took me months to figure out WHO I would be designing for. If you already know who you want to design for, cheers! But if not, give yourself the time to dive in and think this through.)


When I draw, I think of someone who owns an old house (1800s, maybe early 1900s). They don't want to decorate it so that it looks like a museum exhibit, however, with wallpaper and fabrics that fit in with the time period of the house. My "who" will buy a beat up vintage farmhouse kitchen table at a flea market, and then snap up an ornate Victorian chandelier to hang over it. They have eclectic taste. They like intense colors that are on the autumn-y side. 


Duh, this person is me! This is my taste. I don't have the 1800s house yet (I'm looking, #goals), but when I design, I ask myself, "would this pattern look good in the house I want to buy? Would I buy this wallpaper and fabric?"


I'm a block printer, and I love the technique because it creates a quirky look that shows the hand of the maker. My customer appreciates this as well. 


This is where to begin: with your end customer in mind, and what products they will be purchasing with your art on them. Developing your signature style comes after this, and I'll address that in another blog post.


You may be thinking, "Wait.....why do I have to zero in on the end customer and products first?" 


Because if you don't, you'll sit down and create a body of work that is not defined. If you try to please everyone, you'll end up pleasing no one. It will be difficult to produce a cohesive portfolio that can be licensed or sold on print-on-demand sites.


Or maybe you're saying, "I have no idea who I want to design for, and what products they will buy". 

That's OK. Start thinking about it. One of the best places to start is with yourself: what would YOU like to buy? Have you ever gone into a store (for fabric, clothing, gifts or home decor) and said, "I don't like anything here"? 


The moral of the story is this: don't be afraid to niche down and get really focused on who your customer will be. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to develop your signature style, create art and then patterns, and to sell them successfully. 


This is the first blog post in a series! As I introduce the next steps to success, I will link the blog posts here.


Here's the blog post for Step 2: develop your signature style https://www.jennamcleanart.com/post/5-ways-to-create-a-sizzling-signature-style

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