ABSPD Module 4 / / Dashwood Studio Live Brief!

We are bursting with excitement about some of the incredible ***LIVE BRIEF'S*** that we have in store for you! Set by a hand-picked selection of ***TRULY AMAZING COMPANIES*** in Module 4 of 'The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)'! Module 4 is an advanced seven week course in which you will learn everything you need to know about building your professional portfolio. The course is crammed with masterclass video tutorials, templates, tons of brilliant inspiration, invaluable content & individual work reviews from either Rachael or another flourishing designer! PLUS you will get six months’ FREE access to the MOYO Directory, where you can create a bespoke profile, upload unlimited portfolios and attract potential clients. This is a rare opportunity to build your commercial portfolio in a structured way, with the support & guidance to boost your confidence & make you raring to go!

WE WILL BE REVEALING EACH WEEK THE COMPANIES THAT WE CONFIRMED. STAY TUNED!

We are thrilled to announce that wonderful textile company 'Dashwood Studio' will be writing a Live Brief! Dashwood Studio specialise in producing beautiful, design-led fabric collections for today's quilt & home-sewing communities. They are passionate about what they do, taking a fresh approach to the design process, seeking & collaborating with the best design talent the UK has to offer! Their team of designers includes three of our talented ABSPD Alumni; Phyllida Coroneo, Wendy Kendall & Bethan Janine!

Many of our graduates are now big players within the design industry & we're proud to say we have really nurtured some amazing talent! You can see more success stories from current students & Alumni in this Facebook album or read some of our lovely testimonials. We are so pleased that the course & our Alumni have received outstanding industry recognition, as we have been going from strength to strength since our intial launch at the end of 2011.

ABSPD / / Module 4 ‘Building your professional portfolio’ is here!

At last it is time to unveil Module 4 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design: Building Your Professional Portfolio! This brand new course has been developed in response to popular demand from graduates of Module 3, but is open to anyone who has some experience in surface pattern design and wishes to concentrate on growing their body of commercially-viable work. Module 4 is an intense seven week course, which consists of five weeks of class plus two weeks of design reviews.

Module 4 will run for the first time MARCH 24 - MAY 10 2014. PLACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED in order to allow individual design reviews for every class participant, so book your place now! Instalment plans are available - see this page for details.

Module 4 includes:

- Weekly LIVE briefs from real companies

- A series of video-based technical masterclasses to hone your professional design skills

- A series of advanced design challenges to help you grow as a designer and build a strong, sellable portfolio

- Insight into the practicalities of managing a growing design studio

- A whole host of downloadable templates

- Opportunity to put questions to Rachael Taylor

- Individual work reviews from a flourishing designer*

- Six months' extended access to class materials once class has finished

PLUS you will get six months' FREE access to the MOYO Directory, where you can create a bespoke profile, upload unlimited portfolios and attract potential clients. *Please note this course includes a review of two designs per student, when submitted in line with the guidelines given in class. The review will either be by Rachael Taylor or another flourishing designer whose opinion we trust and respect. 

This is a rare opportunity to build your commercial portfolio in a structured way, with the support and guidance to boost your confidence and make you raring to go!

Video-based technical masterclasses

This module includes a series of 10+ advanced video-based masterclasses including the following topics: 

- Character design (hand-drawn and graphic) 
- Typography (traditional and contemporary) 
- Using mixed media, textures & collage in pattern design 
- Using photography in pattern design 
- Advanced repeats 
- Advanced mockups 
PLUS You will also get access to a library of textures and media to use. Each video will be supported by a PDF transcript including step-by-step visuals. This is an advanced class and you will need to be proficient in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to get the most out of this module. Please note we do not offer technical guidance for any other software programmes (including free software).

This is for you if:

- You want to be stretched and challenged as a designer to create new work and expand your design comfort zone 
- You want to strengthen and build your portfolio quickly, with pieces that are commercially viable 
- You want advanced technical guidance for developing sophisticated work
- You want to learn more about putting strong collections together
- You want to work more on developing your signature style
- You want to become part of a supportive community of fellow designers
- You have graduated from Module 3 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (although this is not a pre-requisite if you already have some design experience)

PLACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED in order to allow individual design reviews for every class participant, so book your place now! Instalment plans are available - see this page for details.

ABSPD Module 3 / / Announcing Oysterbaby Live Brief!

We are so excited to share that Module 3 of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design: 'Monetising your designs' features a live brief from Oysterbaby, to design patterns for their gorgeous reversible bamboo fibre baby slings!

Oysterbaby is an inspiring young company run by Kate Thorman, who will personally feed back on participants' responses to the brief. 

Module 3 also includes live briefs from other real companies - all will be revealed in class. We have a brilliant track record of course alumni being signed by the companies who provide the live briefs for class, so this is a fantastic opportunity to get your work in front of a real company (& someone may even get a deal from it!) 

What are you waiting for? There is still time to squeeze in to Module 3 here. 

And if that wasn't enough, we also have a live brief for Module 2 students!

If you are at the stage where you need to develop your brand identity, learn more about online & offline marketing, & create your professional identity, then Module 2 is for you. There is still to register for Module 2 if you hurry!

ABSPD Inspiring Quotations / / Competition Winner!

Happy Friday! Today we are announcing the winner of our ABSPD Inspiring Quotations Competition & showcasing some of the AMAZING designs we received. We get send many emails & words of gratitude from the alumni of The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (which makes the hard work worthwhile) - & thought it would be fun to ask students to design their words into a visual testimonial. You can see our winner below. We have tried to share a diversity of creative styles but please be sure to check out our testimonial Facebook album to see all of our wonderful entries! We would like to thank everyone for their brilliant designs & kind words, it really means a lot to us. We love the ABSPD community & we are honoured to be a part of it!

We are excited to launch the next round of classes this very Monday, there's still to join if your quick! (*This is the last time we will run the courses until Spring 2014).

Love the #ABSPD team x

And the winner is...

Brandi Powell! 

We thought Brand's design really showed her signature style & we loved the clever composition & the way she used her motifs & typography.

Below you can see a variety of lovely designs that were entered:

Sam Osborne

Anneline Sophia Designs

Faye Brown

Bethan Lumb

Gill Eggleston - Pattern Addict

Joanne Cocker - Jojo Coco Design

Jo Elise Designs

Melanie Pennell - Bee and Haych

Nicola Griffiths - Pikadoodles

Rosie Simmons

Sonia Atwal - Apple Kaur Designs

Ali Benyon Designs

Carolyn Greifeld

Inspiring Quotations / / ASBPD Alumni & Student Competition!

Happy Monday! Today I am sharing with you lovely testimonials from some of the students & Alumni of 'The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)' as well as some of my own motivational quotes. We are also giving the ABSPD community an exciting design challenge (read below for more information).

The Challenge

We are thrilled to announce we are running a mini competition for all e-course students & Alumni! We would love for you to create your very own beautiful typography design! The winning designer will be given a free place on the e-course Module of their choice! (This includes 1, 2, 3 & the brand new Module 4). Below you can find the competition requirements:

• Create an inspirational typographic design in your own style & media (this can be hand-drawn or created with different fonts)
• The quote should include your own testimonial on how you have found a Module or the e-course as a whole, for example: “Maybe this course should come with a health warning as it is so addictive!”
• Please supply a 550 pixels, 'save for web' jpg & send to kelly@rachaeltaylordesigns.co.uk with your full name, website & social media links
• Deadline: Midnight (GMT) Thursday 7th November
• You will also need to share your design on social media. This can be on our Facebook page or tweet to @MakeitinDesign or @SurfacePatternD. Use hashtags #makeitindesign, #surfacepatternecourse or #ABSPD
• The winner will be announced on Friday along with a supporting showcase on the Make It In Design blog & on this blog

Love Rachael x

The above two images are an example of testimonials from past & current students

The above are examples for styling inspiration!

If you have ever dreamt of having your own designs on homewares, stationery, fabric or other products then HURRY & sign up for Module 2: Creating Your Professional Identity or Module 3: Monestising Your Designs, running November 11th! Register now as these modules will not be running again until Spring 2014!

MOYO Directory / / Giveaway!

It's giveaway time! We are loving seeing all the new designer profiles going up on the new MOYO Directory, and want to encourage you to make the most of all the features the site offers by beautifying your profile even further. To do this, we are offering a giveaway of these delicious prizes: 

* A gorgeous tote bag from the Rachael Taylor collection (see below)

* Two fat quarter bundles of Phyllida Coroneo's gorgeous Enchanted Forest fabric collection, courtesy of Dashwood Studios (see above)

* A copy of Marie Perkins' new book 'Print & Pattern Kids'

* Some patterned washi tape from Japan

The prize will go to the person whose MOYO Directory profile we love the most, in terms of the effort that has gone into making it beautiful, and the variety of images shared to really make the portfolio stand out. The winner will be chosen on Friday 27 September 2013 so be sure to get working on your profile between now and then! (And if you haven't signed up yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join and start sharing your work with the world!)

   

A bit more about the MOYO Directory:
The MOYO Directory is a visually striking, easy to navigate, highly customisable directory, which allows you to create your own profile, upload unlimited portfolio images and receive direct enquiries from potential clients etc. Ultimately it will be a fantastic place to showcase your designs, attract work and get noticed even more. It will be a fantastic complement to your existing website, and we aim to make it the most popular designer directory available. Access it anywhere – on your PC, tablet or phone – to find designers on the go.

It is a one-stop-shop for companies looking to hire talent or find freelancers so you need to part of it! Showcase your work, share your social media links and network with other designers – all for less than the cost of a single advert on any leading design blog. Let it complement your existing website, or if your website isn’t ready yet, your personal profile and portfolio area will be the perfect substitute.

We aim for the MOYO Directory to become the go-to resource for companies seeking designers to work with, either freelance or for licensing/selling designs.

Features include:
* Quickly and easily customise your own MOYO profile
* Upload unlimited portfolio albums
* Get great value marketing for your business
* Complement or replace your existing website
* Find other designers near you Find out more here 

DEADLINE: This giveaway will close at 12 noon GMT on Friday 27 September 2013. We will only consider MOYO Directory profiles posted at that point.

THE SMALL PRINT: There will be one winner who will be announced on this blog shortly after the deadline. The competition is open to anyone over 18 anywhere in the world. There is no cash alternative. Our decision on the winners is final and no correspondence will be entered into. By entering you agree for your email address to be added to the mailing lists of Do What You Love and Rachael Taylor Designs but you can unsubscribe at any time.

Launching the brand new MOYO Directory!

It is hard to believe that it is two years since Beth Kempton & I released The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design into the world! Since then, we have helped thousands of budding designers develop their pattern designs skills, build their brand & monetise their designs. They have had some incredible successes - winning national design contests, landing multiple clients, launching their own labels, being featured in industry books & magazines & so on. But then we realised there was something missing... a go-to place for potential clients to find surface pattern designers just like them. So we created the MOYO Directory - the online home of surface pattern designers. Over the coming months we will be heavily promoting this to the key players in industry - buyers, studios, trade show organisers etc - to help bring even more attention to the work of the featured designers.

(Image shows Rachael's MOYO Directory profile)

And we would love to have YOU join our directory! Are you a surface pattern designer, illustrator, graphic designer, mixed media artist or other kind of artist or designer? Then this is for you! The MOYO Directory is a visually striking, easy to navigate, highly customisable directory, which allows you to create your own profile, upload unlimited portfolio images & receive direct enquiries from potential clients etc. Ultimately it will be a fantastic place to showcase your designs, attract work & get noticed even more. It will be a fantastic complement to your existing website, and we aim to make it the most popular designer directory available. Access it anywhere – on your PC, tablet or phone – to find designers on the go.

The MOYO Directory is a one-stop-shop for companies looking to hire talent or find freelancers so you need to part of it! Showcase your work, share your social media links & network with other designers – all for less than the cost of a single advert on any leading design blog. Let it complement your existing website, or if your website isn’t ready yet, your personal profile & portfolio area will be the perfect substitute. We aim for the MOYO Directory to become the go-to resource for companies seeking designers to work with, either freelance or for licensing/selling designs. Features of the MOYO Directory:

• Quickly and easily customise your own MOYO profile
• Upload unlimited portfolio albums
• Get great value marketing for your business
• Complement or replace your existing website
• Find other designers near you

It’s very easy to get going in just a few simple steps:

(1) Visit www.moyodirectory.com

(2) Watch the short introductory video

(3) Sign up

(4) Create your profile

(Image shows Suzanne Washington’s MOYO Directory profile)

(5) Upload your portfolio images – you can have as many albums and upload as many images as you like

(Image shows Jessica Swift’s MOYO profile)

(6) Share your unique URL on social media, on your blog and in your newsletter mailings etc (Hint: There is an option to search by ‘Most Loved’ so be sure to get all your followers to your profile!)

And it’s not just for surface pattern designers – you can be listed as a illustrator, mixed media artist, graphic designer etc, and really stand out from others in your field.

What are you waiting for? Check it out and sign up now!

Unveiling our brand new surface pattern design website

It's been a busy time here at the studio unveiling two new websites in little more than a week. For some time we have wanted to give our surface pattern design courses a home of their own, as well as giving all our amazing alumni and other designers across the world a place to showcase their work, learn and connect. Beth Kempton & I have been working on these projects for a year with our teams, and are now delighted to unveil...

MakeItInDesign.com

This new website is a home for all things surface pattern design - tools, inspiration, learning options and opportunities to showcase your work. This is the new home for The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design and MOYO Magazine. Check it out here. Huge thanks to Jo Klima of The Darling Tree for her wonderful help!
 

MoyoDirectory.com

This brand new directory is the place to showcase your work, attract clients and connect with other designers worldwide. Check it out here. We'd love to hear what you think!

ABSPD Alumni / / Phyllida Coroneo

So many of our ABSPD Alumni have been up to great & exciting things & we love sharing their fantastic news! In the run up to the next series of M2 of the e-course we will be sharing some of our alumni successes! Which you can also see more of in our Success Stories Facebook album!

Phyllida Coroneo is a UK based surface pattern designer with a background in high fashion. She is well experienced in trend & colour research. She also worked 15 years within the interiors industry for both residential & corporate clients. Her knowledge of colour, trends & markets has led a natural progression towards surface pattern design. "My design reflect my love of colour, nature, fashion and culture. I love to create fashion inspired colour palettes and mix bohemian and vintage style florals with contemporary and ethnic patterns".

Phyllida has gone on to create some amazing design work including her 'Enchanted Forest' Collection with Dashwood Studio. A UK based textile company, Dashwood studio are an up & coming company who "specialise in producing beautiful, design-led fabric collections for today's quilt and home-sewing communtities". They are "passionate about what we do" & love "collaborating with the best design talent the UK has to offer". Collaborating closely with creative director David Sweet, Phyllida has created a beautiful fabric collection. Her 'Enchanted Forest' collection was inspired by childhood memories of Somerset countryside & the children's book series 'The Faraway Tree' by Enid Blyton. Her colours stem from her love of interiors & fashion styling, as well as cultural influences. We absolutely love her use of colour & the magical qualities of her collection.

Phyllida also has a beautiful licensed collection with Keka Cases!

You can find more about Pyllida & her work on her website, Twitter & Facebook. Read more about her collection with Dashwood Studio on their website. Connect with Dashwood Studio on their blog.

 If you are interested in ‘The Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design (the e-course)’ we are thrilled to announce we are running a new series (starting on August 19th 2013) Register here. Also, don’t miss out on our next run of Module 2 ‘Creating Your Professional identity’ which is running 19th August 2013! Brought to you by Rachael Taylor and Beth Kempton.

Rachael on Twitter: @rachtdesign Beth on Twitter: @DoWhatYouLoveXx

You can also read some magic words from some our past students who have gone on to achieve some amazing things!