Pattern play at Saturdays Surf NYC

I’ve had my eye on the Saturdays Surf NYC x Colette collaboration for a few weeks now as I’m pretty much obsessed with anything Saturdays Surf NYC. I stumbled across this pattern they’re using on shorts in their spring 2013 collection and I’m so in love. The print is simple and graphic, and works really well in multiple applications. I like that it appears hand painted too. Patterns like this are so simple to create and put into repeats. Once this is done you can apply them to anything: clothes, product design, packaging and digital applications too. I’ve been feeling the itch to get back to designing new prints and patterns so keep on the lookout.

Colette window in Paris displaying the Saturdays Surf NYC x Colette collabo

Notice how the pattern is applied to bags and hats too, and how well they match with the shirts? Get into it!

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Kenzo Spring 2013

While looking through the March fashion magazines, Kenzo’s Spring 2013 ads caught my eye with their bold colors, prints and layout. Compared to other advertising in the March issues, these really stand out. Also I can’t get enough of the bold patterns! Now I can’t truly see myself wearing something like this, but I’m very into the pattern mixing that’s trending right now. I love how playful and graphic these combiations are. From a textile/pattern design standpoint, fashion is a great place to be inspired. And Kenzo’s Spring 2013 collection is a great place to look for new ideas.

Kenzo Spring/Summer 2013 Ads – great right?

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Step into Spring 2013 with Marimekko

Marimekko Spring 2013 – full catalog here.

It’s (almost) that time of year again, SPRING! To celebrate, I’m sharing new images from Marimekko‘s Spring 2013 campaign, “Colour for a reason.”  Aren’t these colors and textiles like a breath of fresh air?? Be sure to drop by one of their stores, or check out their new collections online here.

Spring 2013 at Marimekko – Colour for a reason. Get into it!

Maija Isola pattern from 1961, today in 2013. How great is that?

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Kapitza Geometric – Digital Textiles

Kapitza Geometric + 100 Geometic Pattern Fonts

Months ago I stumbled across Kapitza’s Geometic pattern book while researching textile design and feel deeply in love with the colorful visuals. How great is it that designers began developing pattern fonts much the same way pictorial or symbol fonts exist today. The book was developed by sisters Nicole & Petra Kapitza who together run the independent design firm Kapitza. According to abduzeedo.com, “Both sisters share a passion for everyday life, minimalism, patterns & colour. Their studio is based in East London, a vibrant and dynamic area which forms part of the inspiration for their work. Other inspirations include nature, people and software. The sisters have been developing an extensive series of unique picture fonts and illustrations that lie somewhere between image resource and art project.”

So you may ask, what are pattern fonts? “Pattern fonts can be installed on your computer just like any other font. But instead of letters they contain a graphic shape on the keys. The power of pattern fonts lies in the way they allow patterns to be created in any software application (from word processing to graphics); and standard font features – like size, leading and letter spacing – make tweaking and tuning pattern designs limitless and easy.” – abduzeedo.com

Sadly, it appears the book is out of stock, but check out the website to see if more are available here. You can also purchase just the pattern fonts (here) or vector art (here). So get into Kapitza’s Geometric pattern book with the video and happy patterning!

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DVF Pattern Inspiration

Last week I began following Diane von Furstenburg (@DVF) on Instagram and they’ve been posting some really interesting photos. I love fashion brands that use Instragram, Tumblr, Facebook etc. to give fans a unique behind the scenes look at the brand. DVF does this quite well, and even shares a “Print of the Week” from their pattern/textile library. As a textile/pattern design lover I get so excited when they post them.

How great are these patterns? The first one is hands down my favorite! If I was a girl I’d dress ALL in graphic patterns.

I love seeing how they mix patterns and textiles at DVF. It’s a tricky business and they do it so well!

Couldn’t have a DVF post without posting one of Diane herself!

So get into the graphic print greatness that is DVF and be sure to check out their Spring 2013 show at NY Fashion Week. Also be sure sure to follow Diane von Furstenburg on Twitter and Instagram (@DVF) for a behind the scenes look at the brand. And remember, love is life! -Diane

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Introducing Weft and Warp

Today I’m sharing a project I’ve been following for months by Brooklyn-based designer Charlotte Graves of Weft & Warp. I had the great pleasure of working with Charlotte during my time at Starwood Hotels & Resorts (she trained me on my first day!) and we’ve kept a close friendship all these months later. Quickly Charlotte and I realized we shared a love of textiles design and screen printing, and this love of textiles and craft lead her to create Weft & Warp, a line of hand crafted silk scarves. Charlotte recently launched W&W’s online shop featuring her first collection for Weft & Warp and I couldn’t be more proud of her and the amazing work she’s done. While the scarves are beautiful in design and craft, I’m just as in love with the identity system she created for the brand.

Weft & Warp
Handcrafted silk scarves inspired by a love of the land.

We are culturally curious. We find creative kinship in those who use craft to preserve the heritage of their people. In the same way, every scarf we make is the product of a unique memory. Every collection a chapter in our own history. Land. Craft. Heritage. These are the tools of our trade. This is the fabric of Weft & Warp.

Look books (above and below), – how great do these look? I love the playful application of the W&W logo.

Packaging (above). Each scarf comes in one of these custom envelopes. Now onto the scarves!

The current collection, available at www.shop.weftandwarp.com

My favorite, the Isabel (above and below).

The Jessica.

I’m absolutely IN LOVE with how the website changes each time you refresh the page with new patterns.

Charlotte, the designer behind Weft & Warp above.

To learn more about W&W, check out their website, shop the collection and see what they’re up to on tumblr!

And finally, see their first look book below. <3

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2000 & Counting

It’s been a while since my last post but a lot has happened in the last few months! No longer am I an unattached freelance designer, free to design for any client of my choosing. I’ve entered into an exclusive long-term (design) relationship with …. Moroccanoil! In a few days I’ll have been there 2 months. Time really does fly. While adjusting to a full-time work schedule, I’ve tried to blog here and there but I haven’t been able to get back into my grove, but I plan on changing that soon. I have a huge list of artists, designers, illustrators and photographers I’d like to share, and hopefully some new work of my own too.

I also want to celebrate that for the past FOUR consecutive months, I’ve hit 2,000 page views. While that pales in comparison to many design blogs out there, it’s miles away from the 17 views a months I had back in May 2010. This blog has been a great outlet for me to share inspiration and put into words my goals and passions, especially when it comes to design during my two years at Pratt Institute. Blogging turned into cheap therapy for a grad student that never felt at home in an MFA program. Good bad and ugly, it’s all here. And some really GREAT things have come from this blog too!

While studying abroad, I blogged about Scandinavian Textile Design and was featured on a few blogs about my travels through Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Blogging about the artists we saw and the showrooms we visited ignited my interest in learning more about textile design and writing about design in general. It also gave my blog a particular focus. Last summer I was completely shocked when I was invited to interview with a creative director that has and continues to make work I greatly admire. Last month my thoughts on resume design and interviewing were featured on another blog, also to my surprise. So while this remains a side hobby, no matter how small, your hobbies and interests can open doors! So here’s to opening new doors in the coming months and sharing more stories.
-Daniel

See more of my pin’d type quotes (here) on my pinterest.

Lastly, a quote from one of my favorite posts, and read more about Marimekko here.

 

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Pattern Play in Paper Magazine

Hey pattern lovers out there, get into this fashion spread, It’s All about a Print Mash-Up, in the current issue of Paper Magazine. Mixing bold patterns is such a tricky exercise but I’m loving all these pictures. I really enjoy what the models are wearing and that hanging textiles behind them. Kudos to Martha Violante and Paper Magazine for conceptualizing this cool story.

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Weaving Community at Herman Miller

The fine folks at Herman Miller created a great page on their site for anyone looking a new desktop, ipad or iphone wallpaper. On their Weaving Community page, Herman Miller asks, “As people work more together—much of it digitally—they place increasing value on interacting with others face to face. How do we define community?”

The enormous changes in how, where, and with whom people work necessitate a nuanced approach to workplace design. Community spaces for social and knowledge sharing are balanced with those that enable concentrative individual work. A variety of space types allows choice, helping people engage more deeply. Sixty years ago, designer George Nelson said the ultimate office should be like a daytime living room. We embrace his blurring of work and life in the Herman Miller Collection, authentic modern design for how we live and work today. – Herman Miller

On the site are 10 responses about the importance of community and working together in well-designed spaces hidden behind beautiful pattern designs by the likes of Alexander Girard and other Herman Miller artists. So get into the inspiration and down free pattern here on on their site.

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Introducing Lotta Kühlhorn, illustrator + pattern designer

Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström

Today I’m sharing the work of Scandinavian pattern/textile designer and illustrator Lotta Kühlhorn. I stumbled across Lotta’s work while browsing the Huset Shop website (a great place for Scandinavian design inspiration) and immediately recognized her work from my travels to Sweden and Denmark last summer. Lotta is a great example of a designer using bold graphic colors and prints to create simple yet beautiful pattern designs. I particularly enjoy her fruit and vegetable patterns. According to her bio on Huset Shop,

Lotta Kühlhorn is a Swedish-born illustrator and designer. She started her professional career while attending Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. Lotta is known for her bold patterns and vibrant colors. In the 1990s, she was one of the first Swedish designers to begin experimenting with the graphic elements of “junk culture,” using pop art, films and mass produced items as the basis for her inspirations. Lotta’s simple “happy-making” products are inspired by her childhood and feature a bit of retro seventies style. -Huset Shop. 

I really love that she turned ‘junk culture’ or things considered lowbrow into beautiful patterns and works of art. What I really enjoy about Scandinavian Design in general is designers in this genre use simple elements, patterns and shapes found around them and create pieces of art from it. It’s not that deep and conceptual … and THANK GOD! Scandinavian design is stripped down to its simplest elements and is therefore democratic and more accessible to a larger population. That’s what I’d like to do with my work. Just look at IKEA and H&M, two Swedish designed brands with simple, honest approaches to design and world-wide appeal. I don’t think as designers we should be creating barriers to understanding and communication. But I digress ..

I also like that Lotta designs book covers, which as a graphic designer myself, I really connect to.  So check out her work below, on Huset Shop and on her website here. Enjoy!

I love her simple illustrative style. Great for patterns and surface design.

Pear Mugs.

Pear Tray – cute right?

Hotplate.

Apples.

As an illustrator, her work varies in complexity of pattern.

Great kitchen illustration. Love.

Lotta uses this same approach to book cover design. I want a set of all her books!

I’m going to blog more about her book cover designs later this week, so stay tuned! Hope you enjoyed the work of Lotta Kuhlorn so far!

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