Words by Lyndsay, Creative Lead and Senior Designer.

Struggling to create at a commercially viable pace? You’re not alone. Keeping productivity high in the fast-paced world of fabric design is a daily challenge, even for those of us who have been in the game for years. 

But, while we Longina Phillips Designs designers can sometimes find it hard to fly through a brief, we have one important ace up our sleeve: Photoshop training. Or, more specifically, certain skills that help us complete a job much faster than when following textbook (aka. more longwinded) processes.  

Fellow designer Steph and I give honest answers to your common questions.

When you first started in the fashion industry, did you find the expectations to finish designs quickly quite shocking?

Lyndsay: For sure. I remember being at university and having so much time and freedom to really craft each design in Adobe Photoshop and hoping that my whole career could be like that!...

Longina Phillips Designs for Monte and Lou

Are you interested in designing for swimwear clients? It's a thriving market for prints and an excellent opportunity to express your love for vibrant colors and bold floral patterns. Here we share our most important dos and don'ts to help you get started

Prints by Longina Phillips Designs pictured left to right: Zimmerman, Skatie.

DO: Stick to a smaller scale

When designing for swimwear, it's crucial to consider the shape and size of the final garment. Imagine a small bikini – if your motifs are too large, most of the design will not be visible. It's best to keep designs at a smaller scale for swimwear. 

Prints by Longina Phillips Designs: Both Maaji.

DO: Balance your colors

Color plays a significant role in any design. Take into account the distribution of color and ensure even coverage throughout. Since the garments can be cut from anywhere along the fabric, you don't want one bikini top to have a...

"Composition. It is something that I talk about a lot with our designers and freelancers and it is considering negative space."

"So I've got a few designs here to talk though. I've got some that work and one that's not working, as well," says Bec, Creative Director of Longina Phillips Designs. 

While all of our bigger courses guide you to create stunning, commercial compositions, the Complete Repeat Course for Surface Designers is the one that will really up level your layouts - across ALL print design categories.

1. Key composition tip for swimwear prints 

"This tropical design here is a great composition for swimwear because wherever the swim bikini is going to fall you're going to get a similar color distribution on every style. Which means that when it comes to production no matter where it is cut it's going to look very similar to the piece that they bought online."

2. How color factors into your composition

Not sure if your color choices are always...

Whenever you need to elevate a design, textures are an easy option. They can add interest and authenticity to the simplest composition and bring it bang up to date.

In the Longina Phillips Designs studio we have an enormous digital library of pre-made textures.  It’s an essential resource for the designers on our team and we dip into it daily!

Whether you are starting your texture library from scratch or building upon an already well-furnished folder, check out creative director, Bec's suggestions for using texture in 2023.

1. Tie-dye

You can get so much mileage from a few tie-dye textures. Cut them up, make new variations of them, and create more stylized tie-dye designs like the Ulla Johnson pre-fall examples. Or strip them back and use them as a non-print print for a more sophisticated market, home, or menswear (Scotch and soda).

Clockwise from Top: Ulla Johnson, Raquel Allegra, Scotch...

With inflation, rent and interest rates rising, life is getting pretty expensive. Throw in Christmas and school holidays and your card is whipped from your purse so often, you think it might catch fire.

You have a little time to paint and create over the break and could really use some new art supplies but, for aforementioned reasons, it's a bit out of the question (unless you cleverly popped them on your Christmas wish list!)

Materials can dwindle quickly in our commercial studio of 15 designers. And, like you, we’re on a budget. If there’s anything we can do to get the absolute most out of a tube of paint, brush or pad of paper, we will!

So here's how we rein in our art supply spend, in hopes to get you through this holiday season with piles of beautiful, completed work and your credit card in one piece.

1. Reactivate dried paints

• Unlike acrylic or oil based paints, when a blob of gouache or watercolour dries on your palette, you can use it again. Wet it...

Be a fly on the wall of this private VIP coaching call where our company leaders, Longina Phillips, Bec (Creative Director) and Sara (Head of Design) are asked about pricing designs internationally, working within a signature style and replicating successful designs. 

Read on and favourite this page for future reference!

If you're creating floral prints with a signature style, how can you use your signature style to create other designs such as abstracts or animal skin prints to include in your portfolio? 

Bec: Good question. If your style is naturally very detailed, you would just take that across into your skins where you might use more detail in the hair of the skin or the movement, you'd be more detailed in the way you draw a flower.

If you are very loose and abstract you would still take that same handwriting into paisleys or animal skins. I think it's just practice and finding the right methods for your handwriting. What do you think Lola? 

Lola:...

Do you wish you could do more business or earn more money? If you’re spinning your wheels but getting nowhere, consider: could you be getting in your own way? Here’s five ordinary habits that can stall a design career, and the techniques to turn them around. 

Written and produced by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager

Ever wondered what surface pattern design is? Then you’re in the right place. We break it down (with picture references) in this two minute vid. Enjoy.

Look around you. On your desk you might see a pretty notebook, mug or phone case. 

If you’re in your bedroom there might be a floral bedspread, a stripe wallpaper or a polka dot pillow.

Open your cupboard doors.

Photos: a beautifulmess.com

 Have you got dresses? Skirts? Trousers? Or workout gear?

Photos: Joyce & Girls; Monte & Lou; Ralph Lauren; Lulus; Ell & Voo at Rebel Sport

These may be feature florals, checks, paisleys, tropicals or tie-dyes.

So basically, any art created to be mass produced on a product surface is considered surface design. And that counts for every kind of product. Homewares, accessories and also fashion apparel.

The pattern part of the term “surface pattern design” of course refers to repeated...

Words by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager

First of all, congratulations for being on this design journey — wherever you are, whatever stage you’re at.

You've made the wonderfully rewarding decision to nurture your passion for print. The fact that you are even reading this blog proves it!

You are doing the work and putting it out there. And we know that can be scary. Even the simple act of putting brush to paper,  and not sharing it online will expose you to the worst critic there is….. yourself. 

We know here from personal experience how awful that inner nag can sound. 

“My painted rose doesn’t look anything like I wanted!”

“I have published my digital folio but had no interest in my work!”

“I’m a failure.”

“I’m not a good enough artist to be in print design”

“I cannot complete this print in Photoshop, but I should be able to!”

“My work is rubbish.”

Always wanted to see your print designs on a garment in Zara? Or Anthropologie? Or Reiss? We explain how mass production sets parameters for print designers so you can create the correct style of work for this specific customer. 

WATCH IT NOW!

Written and produced by Erin, Digital Design Media Manager

If you're reading this you're on the path. You want to make a solid living from your surface prints and we congratulate you on that! You've made the decision to create the life you've always dreamed of. 

But we don't want to lie. Making it in this competitive biz takes work and a lot of learning about the print industry and how it operates. The good news is, we've created a course so we can explain everything  in-depth to you. Check out our Comprehensive Business Builder for Surface Designers and sign up for the waitlist right here. 

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