A textile design begins with an idea. It might stem from the natural world, from architectural forms, from other cultures, or simply from playing with shapes, colors, and surfaces. The path from abstract concept to actual fabric requires imagination, foresight and technical skill.
Finding the Right Spark
This creative process usually starts much earlier than the moment the design is first sketched. A designer will gather information, photographs and colors, along with other visual elements. This will help establish the tone for a collection.
Ideally, it will all stem from something like flowers, landscapes, geometry or historic motifs. This provides a starting point that leads to an original textile design.
Initial Sketches
When a theme is chosen, designers will begin to create preliminary drawings and design studies based on this theme.
The first step will be rough designs, with many options often explored in terms of composition, structure and design layouts. It doesn’t have to be a perfect drawing or illustration at this stage, because these initial concepts will evolve into a finished piece.
Creating a Repeat
Most textile designs must repeat, so that they can be created on a long piece of cloth that covers a wide surface area. This means that designs are carefully thought out to make sure they are aligned.
A repeat is seamless and will look just as natural as you move it along the width or length of a print, no matter how far.
Color and Material
The same design will take on a completely different look depending on the colors chosen and the materials it is printed on.
Bright colors may be used in a pattern design for fashion and clothing, whereas darker and more muted palettes would often be better for upholstery. The texture of a material can change the look of a color as well. It changes the look and feel of the end product too.
Digital Design Software
Digital design software is a huge part of the contemporary textile designer’s toolkit, and is now a staple in almost every professional textile production process. It allows for easy manipulation of the design, so a user can create different colors, change the scale and save them so that they can be printed or manufactured.
The use of technology has greatly expanded the range of design choices available.
Test Printing
A design can be printed as a sample, to make sure that the color and pattern alignment are correct. These samples are often used before a print goes into production.
Minor adjustments and corrections made during the design process and print phase can often result in a huge difference to the end product.
Creativity and Practicality
While beauty and originality are very important, textile design must also be practical and functional. A pattern created to make a fabric for clothing, or for decorative items, must meet different expectations.
A design is more successful when it balances this with the end goal of the pattern. It must work for its intended use.
It Doesn’t Stop There
A textile design doesn’t end when the fabric is printed. A design will often end up being part of other garments and furnishings, and is usually part of the end user’s day-to-day life.
Seeing your concept turn into a physical object is one of the most satisfying aspects of textile design.
It All Starts with the Idea.
It takes a whole range of processes, from research and experimentation to design and refinement, to create an image or pattern to be used on fabric. It is important for students to understand the process that textile designers go through to create their work.
From the initial design concept to the final printed fabric, it is a combination of these that leads to successful work being produced.