Quick and Easy Coordinates: Create a Pattern Collection

In this class Quick and Easy Coordinates - Create a Pattern Collection, you will be guided step-by-step through the process of finding very different techniques for creating coordinate/secondary and blender  patterns for a collection. Most of the pattern-making demonstrated is achieved through the use of Illustrator Art brushes. When creating collections, the concept is this: you’re more likely to sell multiple patterns to a client if you present them uniformly in a collection. A collection typically consists of a hero, a coordinate/secondary and then multiple blender prints, so we will focus on these. You will find a lot of value from including coordinates alongside hero patterns and illustrations in your portfolio. The process can be intimidating at first, but using Art Brushes makes this much easier. And it's quick!

This course will arm you with all the knowledge necessary for rounding out a single hero pattern design to be a fully-fledged collection. I teach you the development of your collection and guide you step-by-step in the process and techniques necessary for designing the secondary and blender prints.

This pattern-making skillset is an ideal competence if you are a fabric designer, illustrator or surface pattern designer, or simply a graphic designer on a mission to create a self-sustaining career. Many insights about designing a collection will be shared and hopefully they can inspire you to take a look at your current pattern designs and have you planning many different collections in the future.

Intro: The surface design industry is competitive, so you should always try and present your designs to be as attractive to buyers as possible. After all, clients and art directors want to get as much out of their budgets as they can! Designing in collections is how you achieve this goal and make your patterns more desirable.

Lesson 1:

In Lesson 1, we look at the whole process of developing mood boards and research and inspiration when beginning to flesh out a collection.

Lesson 2: Why Design in Collections:

This lesson gives you an overview of the purpose of designing collections as well as giving you real world examples.

Lesson  3: Designing Coordinates

We examine how coordinates are patterns which go with or complement the main design. They are intended to be used with the main design as part of a range, yet they are inherently independent designs. I will show you examples and discuss them in more detail in the next three lessons.

Lesson 4: Secondary and Blender Prints

Secondary and blender prints are discussed in this lesson which includes many examples and solutions as well as a full demonstration.

Lesson 5: Scale, Complexity and Contrast:

A well rounded pattern collection will include 8-12 prints which vary in scale, complexity and contrast. In this lesson we will produce more alternative patterns that address these points directly.

Lesson 6: Considering Theme and Style

In this lesson, we review why considering theme and style is important when we begin to design and how to make that work for us.

Lesson 7: Choosing Content for the Collection

In this lesson, we will start the process of choosing content for the final collection. We will discuss important considerations.

Lesson 8: Testing with a Quilt Squares Document

We will start the process of testing our collection content in this lesson. We will do that with the use of the tester quilt squares document I have included as part of the instructional materials.

Lesson 9: Preparing Swatch Files for Export

Exporting swatches and making separate swatch files is the focus of lesson 8. You will learn all the steps necessary through demonstration of the process.

Lesson 10: Making Your Mockups and Sell Sheets

During this lesson I demonstrate how I created the mock-ups and then how I finished one of the sell sheets.

What you can expect:

In this class, we will go through specific concepts in 10 lessons that cover...

• The process for creating some quick co-ordinate/secondary and blender prints
• How to develop a complete collection
• What factors go into the scale, complexity and contrast choices for your collection
• How to keep the theme and style consistent in your collection
• How to test your pattern collection
• How to work with mockups
• How to create sell sheets (a Photoshop version with smart-objects)

Key concepts will include:

Designing in collections, surface pattern design collections, hero prints, coordinate prints, secondary and blender prints, motif design, theme in pattern design, consideration of color in pattern design, Illustrator pattern making, asset export, working with mockups and finally, creating a Sell Sheet.

You will get the bonus of…

• over 70 minutes of direction from an instructor who has been in the graphic design business and education for over 40 years
• knowledge of multiple ways to solve each challenge
• handouts explaining key concepts
• a list of helpful online sites to further your education into surface pattern design.

• Intro
• Lesson 1 Inspiration and Mood Board
• Lesson 2 Why Design in Collections
• Lesson 3 Designing Coordinates
• Lesson 4 Secondary and Blender Prints
• Lesson 5 Scale, Complexity and Contrast
• Lesson 6 Understanding Theme and Style
• Lesson 7 Choosing Content for Collection
• Lesson 8 Tester Quilt Squares
• Lesson 9 Preparing Swatches for Export
• Lesson 10 Mockups and Sell Sheet
• Outro