The best part of our community of surface pattern designers, is learning about their inspiration workflow, and how they create surface pattern design moodboards.
So today, we’ll take you through the full process so you can create your own surface pattern design moodboard, quickly and easily.
With some insights and feedback we’ve learnt from them along the way.
But first, a quick summary of this guide:
A surface pattern design moodboard is a collage of images, objects, colors or prints that highlights a specific visual style or feel, around a certain overarching theme.
A physical moodboard is typically made from cork, on which you can pin on your materials.
While surface pattern design online moodboards are created using online moodboard makers that allows surface pattern designers to build interactive online boards.
Regardless of the medium, Surface pattern design moodboards are the start of a design process.
Eventually leading to a new and unique surface pattern that can be applied to a range of surfaces.
Textiles, apparel, homeware, to name but a few.
The start of the design journey.
There is no either or solution for physical or digital moodboards, or more accurately there shouldn't be.
In our 400+ interviews with fashion designers, and creatives of brands of all shapes and sizes, the physical moodboard was still the the preferred method of creation.
However, in our modern hybrid world, relying on one physical cork board is no longer viable.
And for surface pattern designers, who tend to work remotely, the digital surface pattern design moodboard is the preferred medium of choice.
A digital surface pattern design moodboard, created with an online moodboard maker gives surface pattern designers the flexibility to.
Now we know a little more about what is a surface pattern design moodboard.
Why designers use them.
And the difference between a physical and digital surface pattern design moodboard.
Let’s understand the moodboarding process.
Inspiration for your surface pattern design moodboard comes in many forms and may strike at any moment.
However, most surface pattern designers in our community use a number of sources to find inspiration and align their design direction.
Whereas fashion designers tend to use more omni-channel sources the surface pattern designers in our community tend to be more online.
A few sources we’ve heard from surface pattern designers in our community.
Art, nature, music and travel are also known sources of inspiration in the process of creating a surface pattern design moodboard.
Ok this is the tricky part.
Currently there are multiple siloed tools that allow surface pattern designers to capture and store content, and create a surface pattern design moodboard.
However, non of these surface pattern design moodboard tools are connected or specific or linked to a surface pattern designers workflow.
Which is why we started Make the Dot in the first place.
Another organisation hack is using surface pattern design moodboard templates to speed up the organisation process.
Or watch Emilie create her moodboard below.
Onto the best part.
How to present the surface pattern design moodboard.
Presenting ideas and concepts on your surface pattern design moodboard can come in many ways.
As mentioned earlier most surface pattern designers will use a digital surface pattern design moodboard app.
Such as, Make the Dot.
What’s crucial is that all content on the surface pattern design moodboard tells a story and explains how the print pattern was created.
What story does it collection tell?
These are all key factors that need considering, and how the final print pattern links to the overall design brief.
Want to learn more about the surface pattern design techniques?
Inspiration for the surface pattern design moodboard should first and foremost be linked to the overall project brief.
For example, a surface pattern designer in our community told us then when she’s building her surface pattern design moodboards for a christmas brief, she’d research christmas themed images.
And add them to her surface pattern design moodboard.
This gives the surface pattern design moodboard a solid anchor, that the final design can link to.
And ensures the final surface pattern design moodboard doesn’t stray too far from the brief.
Keeping the client happy with the final design.
The most important part.
And most enjoyable part in creating a surface pattern design moodboard, is finding inspiration linked to overall brief and themes.
For example if you’re creating a surface pattern design moodboard that will contain content used to create an acid vintage moodboard you would expect to see images of that nature.
Checkout my surface pattern design moodboard for that exact theme below.
From fashion to wedding planning, color palettes are a common part of any moodboard because they help establish a mood and allow creativity to flow.
When creating a surface pattern design moodboard saving
All will help later down the line in the process.
I.e. when the surface pattern itself needs to be drawn, and the color codes that needs to sent to the manufacture to create the final product.
Therefore, arguably this is the most important part in the surface pattern design moodboard given it’s importance to the theme, and final manufacture.
Checkout our blog on how to master color schemes on your surface pattern design moodboard.
Now we know more about what is a surface pattern design moodboard.
The surface pattern design moodboard process.
And what a surface pattern design moodboard should include.
Let’s dig deeper its importance in the product creation process.
More than simply a place for pulling together inspiration and concepts.
The surface pattern design moodboard has become the key component in the end to end design and creation process.
A short story about a surface designers workflow from a designer in our community will explain this better.
A designer spends a few weeks creating their surface pattern design moodboard and pulling together inspiration from various places into one moodboard.
Text, pictures, images, and colors may all form part of this content.
The surface pattern designer then structures, organises and clusters that content, and may also add other components such as, print sketches to the board.
Visualising the overall concept.
After a little more structuring, tweaking, deleting content, and finally, the surface pattern design moodboard just might be done.
The designer will then use the surface pattern design moodboard to create their actual print pattern design, using Procreate.
After some iteration they add this new print pattern design back into their surface pattern design moodboard and create a public share link for their client.
Handing off the final design.
This link can be shared with vendors and manufacturers of the final product.
Ensures the accurate brief, colors and themes are followed.
All using the surface pattern design moodboard as the start.
Creating a surface pattern design moodboard is the the glue that drives the creative process for designers.
It’s the start of the process
The place to organize and visualize ideas.
The reference point further downstream.
Of our community of 1k+ designers, we’ve heard surface pattern designers use their moodboards in many ways.
But the importance of a surface pattern design moodboard has never changed.
The best way to start is to sign-up to a surface pattern design moodboard app.
And get started.
