From beach towels to graphic t-shirts, surface pattern design surrounds us. If you’re eager to become a pro in this field and overcome the initial challenges, these tips should help get you started.
1. Use a Variety of Creative Techniques
Imageby Tabitha Turner via Unsplash. No attribution required.
Even in a digital world, artists still use traditional techniques, and surface design is no exception. Textures from the real world are a great addition to digital surface patterns—the canvas texture of a wall hanging, the opacity of watercolor inks, or the ripped edges of paper.
you’re able to create your entire surface design traditionally, and then use digital methods to create patterns, move objects, or change colors. You can mix and match software and techniques to get unique results. Anything that results in designs you’re proud of can be created with any method that works for you.
2. Explore Various Software
Imageby Lucas Santos via Unsplash. No attribution required.
Not all digital design software is equal, and as a surface designer, you should appreciate the differences. Even among the Adobe Creative Cloud software, you’re able to use Illustrator, Photoshop, Adobe Express, or Adobe Fresco each for different reasons, even if your design style stays the same.
Being a surface designer doesn’t mean you must stay loyal to one program or company. Perhaps you like todraw in Procreate and vectorize in Illustrator, or create vectors in Inkscape and add texture inPhotopea—a free alternative to Photoshop.
Maybe you prefer touse Photoshop to create seamless patternseven if you create all of your raw designs in other programs. Learn the benefits of each software and lean into them for the best results.
3. Follow Trends
Image by S O C I A L . C U T via Unsplash. No attribution required.
Conduct market research on Pinterest, fashion blogs, or in person to spot upcoming trends, then incorporate the trends into your surface designs. Trends can include motifs like animals, animal prints, kitsch items, certain colors, or trending phrases.
Hopping onto trends at the right time can get your surface patterns noticed and lead to shares and sales for the length of the trend—some trends can last years. Don’t let that stop you from creating designs that aren’t linked to current trends if it’s what you feel like creating. You might be the trendsetter.
4. Use a Limited Color Palette
Imageby Vinicius “amnx” Amano via Unsplash. No attribution required.
The task of picking color palettes can sometimes be overwhelming. Not only may it prevent you from getting started on a design if you’re overthinking about colors, but it can also be easy to get carried away with the infinite availability of colors, leaving you with a garish result.
Begin your designs using a mono-color palette. This helps you focus on your visuals rather than the colors, which you’re able to add later.
Challenging yourself with a limited color palette is another great way to make harmonious surface pattern designs. Most successful surface patterns have no more than five colors; less is usually more.
5. Design From Challenge or Competition Prompts
Imageby Med Badr Chemmaoui via Unsplash. No attribution required.
There are severaldesign challenges that boost your creativityavailable online, and as a designer—or aspiring surface designer—following prompts is a great way to practice.
As well as creative challenges, you might stumble across competitions calling for patterns or artwork. There’s nothing preventing you from entering the competition with your own designs or simply using the competition or challenge prompt for yourself.
Existing prompts can be used for inspiration, whether you apply to the competition or challenge is up to you. If you’re inspired to create, then you can use your creation in your own surface pattern designs.
6. Turn Existing Artwork Into New Designs and Patterns
If you’re focused on becoming a surface designer in the future, don’t discount any previous artwork you’ve created. you’re able to use old art you’ve made and turn it into new patterns and designs.
Whether you use an entire piece of previously created artwork or simply take a motif and repurpose it is up to you. You may even use your old artwork or sketches for inspiration alone.
7. Set Up Online Shops
In the digital era, it’s easier than ever to sell your surface designs without holding stock or opening a physical store in your town. You can set up many online stores, selling the same designs in multiple places.
For surface pattern designers, the best online shops to set up areSoceity6andRedBubble—although there are plenty of otherplaces to sell your designs online. Both Society6 and RedBubble are print-on-demand models, so all you have to do is upload your surface designs and assign them to products on the sites. When someone orders a product, the website manufactures and ships it.
8. Watch Design Classes and Tutorials
Artists and designers should always be learning. Whether you’re learning direct skills about surface design, adjacent skills like thesefree Coursera courses for graphic designers, or deep-diving into software tutorials, your designs will only improve.
Surface designers likeCatCoqprovide video and blog tutorials, sharing their personal techniques and resources. You can find many tutorials for surface design on Skillshare, Pinterest, and YouTube.
9. Share Your Work
Imageby Patrick Tomasso via Unsplash. No attribution required.
Sharing your work allows you to build an audience. You can share designs on a personal social media page like Instagram or Pinterest, but social media isn’t the only way to share. Gift created pieces to others, or wear or use them yourself.
On social media, you can also share behind-the-scenes of making your products, initial sketches, inspiration photos, or finished pieces. This encourages more people to look at your work.
10. Collaborate With Others
Imageby Mapbox via Unsplash. No attribution required.
Collaborating with other creatives or businesses helps inspire new ways of working and pushes your designs into the view of a new audience. See ourtips for a successful creative collaborationand learn how you can apply these to surface design.
11. Start With a Niche
While the options of products with surface patterns are endless, don’t feel like you must create for all of them. In fact, finding a smaller niche of products will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by the limitless choices.
Do some basic research on your intended audience, the products they would buy, and the types of surface designs typically found on those products. Focus your art style towards two or three intentional products and set your goals on designing for them.
Doing this to begin with will build your confidence as well as your portfolio. you’re able to expand your product categories as soon as you feel ready, just ensure your surface designs make sense on the new products you create.
12. License Your Work
Imageby Birmingham Museums Trust via Unsplash. No attribution required.
Licensing your surface patterns will help push your designs into public view. While you may sell your designs without licensing them, it should be something to aspire to as a professional surface designer.
You may be contacted by a licensing agent if you share your surface designs online, at markets, or have a successful shop already. But if that success hasn’t found you yet, don’t be afraid to cold-contact licensing agencies yourself.
Design Your Surface Patterns With Confidence
With these tips, you’ll be a little more knowledgeable about how to become a fantastic surface designer. Practicing your art and design skills is only half the battle. A successful surface pattern artist needs to niche down at first, share work and behind-the-scenes images, and challenge themselves with limitations in color, software, or technique. The more you practice and try new techniques, the better your surface pattern designs will be.
