Welcome to a brand new feature on the blog called Talent Tuesday, where I plan to showcase a designer whose work I really love. This might not happen every Tuesday but I'll do my best for once or twice a month. So it's with great pleasure that I introduce you to recent graduate, Emma Frances Designs who kindly agreed to have a little chat with me about her gorgeous work...
Hi Emma. Thank you for taking part in the first little chat on my blog... Can you start by telling us your route into surface pattern design?
Well I've always been creative and loved to draw but didn't realise there was such a thing as surface pattern design until I went to university. I took art and design and textile design throughout school and college, these were focused on drawing, painting and sewing though. All are great skills to have for surface pattern design but I hadn't been taught to design on a computer or make repeating patterns. I can remember the pivotal point where I knew I wanted to go into surface pattern design. In my second year at university while i was studying textile design Rachael Taylor gave a lecture about her route to becoming a surface pattern designer. I was gripped from the moment she started talking and knew from that point on that was what I wanted to do. From there I went into printed textile design through my degree and took part in Rachael and Beth's 'the art and business of surface pattern design' where I met some amazing designer friends and learnt how to make my love for surface pattern into a business.
So after deciding this was definitely the route for you can you tell us how you went about making it into a business and what a typical day might be?
I am just starting out at the moment so have yet to mould it into a fully fledged business, but I am currently building up my portfolio and will start contacting companies very soon for freelance projects and licensing deals. My typical day consists of mostly designing at this stage, I work at a restaurant during the evenings so have plenty of time during the day to do what I love, making patterns.
What advice would you have for students about to start a similar degree to the one you did?
As for advice, definitely get some work experience in your holidays while your at university, you won't have time to gain that experience once you've finished and having to work to pay rent. Also network and meet new designers, it's been wonderful to have designer friends there to help if you need it, give advice and encourage you to do your best.
How would you describe your style?
I always find it quite difficult to describe my style as I like to keep it varied. I always like to hand draw my motifs though so have a fairly sketchy style and I like to use delicate colour palettes in my work as well.
What would be your dream brief and client?
My dream brief and client, thats a difficult one, I just love designing patterns and especially like to design for interiors, so probably a bedding design brief, any client would be wonderful though!
What are your plans for 2013?
My plans for this year are to continue to work on my portfolio, to blog more often (which is going well so far!), I'm going to bring out a line of greetings cards fairly soon and look into other products later in the year. I also hope to contact companies for licensing deals, so a fairly busy year and lots to be getting on with!
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