5 Pro Tips for Designing Patterns

Learn essential tips to create captivating surface pattern designs that attract art directors, showcase your unique style, and elevate your design portfolio.

Embracing the journey of education and experimentation has been essential in my success as a surface pattern designer. It’s also been a lot of fun! Creating captivating and engaging patterns is an art that involves more than just aesthetics. By focusing on just a few areas, you can elevate your designs, helping your artwork stand out to your dream art director or client. Today, I am sharing 5 pro tips for designing patterns that will help you take your designs from good to great.

1. Understand the Foundations

Having a solid grasp of the basics of both pattern design and design principles will build a beautiful foundation for you as a designer. Start by familiarizing yourself with core design principles like hierarchy, balance, variety, and movement. Deepening your understanding of these principles helps shape your designs, making them more visually appealing. You can also experiment with traditional methods of pattern making, like using paper pattern tiles to make an analog repeating pattern. This traditional technique will help you better wrap your mind around how the most seamless and dynamic patterns are built. 

2. Experiment with Repetition + Iteration

My friends, you are not bound to one layout or one idea! As an artist, you’re invited to bring a vision only you have to life. When creating patterns, don’t just settle for the first layout that comes to mind. Often, the most innovative and unique designs come after the first few iterations. So, explore the options and enjoy the journey of discovery. Play with diagonal layouts, scattered patterns, and mirrored motifs. Experiment with the size, spacing, and direction of your motifs. Continuously challenge yourself by iterating on your design ideas. The more you create, the more intuitive you will become about what works and what doesn’t. Try to come up with around five different iterations for each step of your design process. This will invite you to explore all the possibilities and make more unique and creative choices.

3. Mesh Digital and Analog

Digital tools are some of my very favorites for quickly creating motifs ready to be pulled right into Illustrator (hello, Procreate!). While we love digital tools for their convenience, there’s something magical about putting a pen or a paintbrush to paper. Digital tools are there to help us bring our patterns to life, but something that can’t be replicated is your unique hand. Though it’s not always the case, many stand-out patterns begin with an artist’s hand-drawn motifs. Allow yourself to infuse analog sketching, drawing, inking, and painting into your design process, and be amazed at how it breathes life into your designs. 

4. Create Spot Patterns

A little industry secret I have is to make your patterns work over time by creating motifs that can serve as standalone spot designs. Spot designs or spot graphics are motifs that can be pulled out of your pattern and used as illustrations on something like a notebook cover, a greeting card, stamps, or stickers, to name a few. Spot designs are infinitely helpful and always in demand, giving your pattern double the licensing potential. 

5. Don’t Stop Evolving

My early work, while it’s some of my favorites, is quite different compared to what my work looks like today. As I’ve grown and changed in 12 years as a designer, that natural evolution is reflected in my artwork. All along the way, I’ve deepened my understanding of my preferences and skills, making me a better and more confident artist today. Lean into the journey of evolution and remember that the path to becoming a successful surface pattern designer will find you making continuous improvement, embarking on endless self-discovery, and always seeking the joy in creating.