Treatment

Forage was a new level of design for me. I have never used fabrics within my designs or work. I enjoyed exploring different techniques of print making on to fabric. Forage was an enjoyable brief; the target was to collect a brief from designing our own brief. To get a response from someone within the design industry.

The idea behind my project was to make samples of my own patterns on to fabrics and then to send them out in to the industry. I collected my patterns from the cathedral. I did this by taking photos of particular areas of the cathedral. The floors, ceiling and pews. From this I chose one particular area and copied it and repeated the pattern in multiple ways. Distorting and breaking down the image, I used the different parts to create repeated patterns. I also added my own parts n to fill gap and add my own elements to the piece.

My research led me to look at artists such as Jennifer Sterling. Graphic designer who also design furniture coverings. These designs are very modern. Using sleek lines and illustrated images, with a mixture of monochrome colours. On the other hand I researched in Orla Kiely who’s works are more feminine and floral. Using a range of earthy colours in her work. This is where I got most of my inspiration for my work. I wanted to keep my work rich with pattern and colours to relate back the cathedral and Norwich as a city.

Once I completed my designs I took them in to Jane Richards. This is an interior designer. I went there with my patterns because I wanted to know what a buyer of interiors would like to see.  The person I spoke to John Richards gave me useful information on how to improve my work. What the future of interior design entails and how I could improve my work to make it more sort after a wider public.

This information was useful and I will be taking it with me into further design. I hope to carry on using patterns in my work. I would love to get more extreme with what I design and use more still life works in my pieces. I hope to collaborate with other designers to get a broader spectrum of work. I would collaborate with someone who has a different style to mine so there would be a variation within our designs.

Final outcome

Here are the final out comes for my Forage project. I am very pleased with the results. What I enjoy about the piece is the the constant theme that runs through. The bronze foiling is something new I tried this term. I think it has been effective in my work making it look elegant and feminine.

I created an insert for the catalog for the viewer to refer to.It has information of how I made the patterns and what influenced my ideas for the patterns and the names, it is also in order of what the patterns come in, in the booklet. I wanted to create this as a reference and hard copy of my work.

Here is an information card I made to go with my work if i was to send it off in the post to manufacturers. I have put my contact information within so that I could be contacted directly if anyone was interested in my work.

My digitally printed work differs to the laser cut fabric because of the textual and style of fabric. I have used a more robust stronger cotton which would be like upholstery. This would be so the viewer could get a good example of my patterns on furniture.

Going to the merchant

After creating my patterns and designing the holders and publications to go along side the work I decided to take the work to one of the most elaborate and individual interior show rooms in Norwich, Jane Richards. 
The pieces they hold are truly amazing using mixtures of printing techniques to produce different prints. One piece of furniture used digital printing for the more intricate designs and then it was layered with screen printing, which used bold mono prints on top of the more elaborate designs. 

Timorous Beasties

Timorous beasties was one of the designers I was told to research in to after visiting my chosen merchandiser. John Richards (co owner of Jane Richards) led me in the right direction with my work. Explaining which routes would lead me to success if I wish to continue with pattern design. He explained how pattern design is becoming more in-depth and more bizarre with the use of digital printing and ability edit and distort images. It was also suggested that collaboration is a route that is becoming more popular. I believe this is a good idea because of the different styles of working two people may have. If i was to collaborate with a person I would go out of my comfort zone and chose someone who has a different style to me. Possibly an illustrator which does refined and detailed work.

NLXL

NLXL are a Dutch interior designer which uses a mixture of realistic images and illustrations to produce fun and humorous designs for wallpapers. That are used to produce an exciting atmosphere for the viewer. As i progress in pattern design I hope to produce something more to this style using still life objects as a focus point which will captivate the viewer, pulling them in to different focus points of the wall paper. John Richards advised me to follow the route of wall paper because of how demanded it is becoming. Also it will be a bigger surface to work with giving me more space to work with letting my designs become more in-depth and random. 

Here is a small publication I am going to send off with my swatches and catalog. I have made it so the manufacturers will have an idea why I have made the swatches and why I am sending them. Instead of asking for a brief back I have asked for there opinion on my work and how i could improve the designs if i was going to have my samples produced in to furniture.

I have kept everything to do with my work similar so that there is a running theme throughout the project and would be recognisable to the viewer.

Reflective journal

Here is one of the first drafts of my reflective journal. I have incorporated my own patterns in to the publication to fill space and show the multi uses for them. On the front of the cover I am going to bronze foil to stay similar to my Forage project. I will also use the same paper as I did in Forage. I am going to try the publication with different patterns in that I have created.

After I created the church window patterns I decided to make hand drawn patterns using the flooring for inspiration. The flooring had an ornate tudor daisy style pattern which I have edited in to variations using dots lines and repetitive layering. 

Here I have taken a few of the first designs i composed and coloured them accordingly. I have used the colours i found around the cathedral, I did this to stay with the theme of using the cathedral as inspiration for my work.