Textile patterns: more than just a design
1/ What is a textile pattern?
A textile pattern is a single design (called a placed pattern) or a repeated design (called an all-over pattern) that appears on a textile medium; a canvas, a satin, a twill, or even a knit. Does that sound technical? Don't panic.
A "placed pattern" is generally the design found on a t-shirt, a tote bag, or like the little animal heads on Carotte & Cie cuddly toys!
An all-over pattern, on the other hand, is a repeating pattern like a polka dot, a check, or our patterns used on bibs, blankets, or playmats.
Generally, a company commissions a graphic designer to create a textile pattern that can be used on clothing, accessories, furniture, or any other fabric object.
So how do you create a textile pattern?
2/ The initial brief
For Carotte & Cie, everything starts with an idea; a pattern seen in nature or an object that I like... But most graphic designers work for a company with precise specifications. They provide the graphic designer with their own inspirations, a color palette, a fabric, and a target object. This can be in the form of a brief or through a mood board, an inspiration board.
3/ Additional research
If the graphic designer works for a company, they also conduct their own additional research based on the company's brief to complete and add their personal touch; this is why the company chose THIS graphic designer rather than another. Each graphic designer has their own universe.
Pinterest, Google, Instagram, nature (yes, again) are all sources of inspiration. The advantage of Pinterest is being able to compile all similar ideas in one board.
4/ Choosing the technique
There are several main techniques for embellishing fabric: weaving, printing, sublimation, embroidery, jacquard... It is important to choose the most suitable technique for the medium and the client's request or the desired rendering.
The same applies to drawing techniques: flat, watercolor, pastel effect, embroidery effect, pencil sketch, textured... The choice is vast! It is also possible to mix styles, but always respecting the DNA of the company and the graphic designer.
5/ Composing the pattern
The graphic designer often begins by drawing the different elements before making a complete composition. For my part, these are small idea sketches, pieces of patterns drawn by hand; then scanned before being redrawn, vectorized, and colored using drawing software like Illustrator, Gimp, Photoshop, Procreate…
Once the different elements of the drawing have been reworked, it's time to assemble them to create a composition that will appear on the fabric. For an all-over pattern, elements that repeat or are very similar are needed to create dynamism and rhythm. It is also important to avoid the line effect created by a repeating pattern that is too quickly noticed by the eye, unless of course, it is intentional. The graphic designer also takes care of the repeat of the all-over pattern so that it is printed endlessly and without interruption.
6/ Defining the pattern scale
Finally, the textile designer must define the size of their pattern by testing different scales. The same pattern will look completely different if it is printed at scale 1 or scale 1/6, for example. The size can also be imposed by the client; it must then be taken into account in the pattern design.
7/ The technical file
Once the design is in the correct colors and size, and after client validation, it's time for the technical file. It is essential for the printer. In order to print, embroider, or weave the pattern, the supplier must have the pattern's technical file as well as a clean, scaled mockup where the printer can find a certain number of elements such as the pattern reference, the season, the pattern size, enlargements if necessary for small details, the color range and their Pantone or other references, the chosen technique (digital printing, embroidery,...), and any other detail important for printing on fabric.
As you will have understood, there is a whole technical process behind each pattern. The graphic designer must follow several precise creative steps to bring each pattern to life. It is a fascinating job that combines creativity and technicality.
There you go! You can now better understand the exciting work of a textile graphic designer and how I create patterns for the Carotte & Cie collections.