What You Need to Know to Get Your Surface Designs in Big Name Stores | Elizabeth Silver

Many surface designers have the goal of getting their art in Target, Crate & Barrel and Anthropologie, but there's an important aspect of creating for big box stores that you need to consider if that's your goal. I break down how Surface Pattern Design can be a tricky dichotomy in this video.
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[@KANKOU23]

Yes...keeping it real is key if we are in it to earn a living. I am in my early journey and I know that I am very committed to that. Beside, I have always loved challenges set by others. And I know that on the side, I will always do patterns that I love to keep me very happy.

[@ElizabethSilver]

Absolutely! Work doesn't always have to line up with our favorite styles/subjects, great point!

[@GLPvillainess]

This makes perfect sense. If a creator/maker wants to make beautiful things to sell, they should consider hooking up with a drop-shipper, and do their own marketing. That way, they take on the risk and don't need to keep inventory.

[@ElizabethSilver]

Yes, drop shippers can be a great option!

[@OliveraK]

Thank you so much for this information. For someone who hasn't worked for a client yet, this makes a good point for seriously start planning what to focus on.

[@ElizabethSilver]

Glad it was helpful!

[@alyryn2]

Great advice that is thoughtfully delivered.

[@ElizabethSilver]

Glad it was helpful!

[@estelaagudelo9409]

thank you, Elizabeth for sharing your experience.

[@ElizabethSilver]

Thanks for watching!

[@acraftersstory]

This was very useful information. Thank you .

[@ElizabethSilver]

Happy to help!

[@angelli8967]

That's very valuable information!

[@ElizabethSilver]

Yay, glad it was helpful!

[@Silvinananda]

Great advice Elizabeth 🙏🏻♥️

[@ElizabethSilver]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@AnwaarAlAsousi]

That clarified to me a lot about market study, and the difference between Surface pattern designer and illustrators. Thanks for the video!

[@ElizabethSilver]

Great to hear!

[@rossellaleonardi2908]

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your content. Just wanna ask you, as an experienced designer, what do you think about AI and what impact has on surface design relating to either big brand names and smaller retailers or clients since now everyone can upload patterns on Etsy/some POD sites in 0,1 time with 0,1 skills and 0,1 awareness. I didn't know those images are not copyrighted, so I guess big brands won't rely on them. But markets like that are just a small percentage, there are tons of medium or small companies that purchase standard commercial licenses or they go more exclusive? Maybe average private clients are the ones downloading what is sadly considered "the art of the future". SMH!

[@ElizabethSilver]

AI is definitely a tricky subject, I don't really have a good answer for this right now. Still kind of processing how this might affect our industry. Betsy Cordes and I chat about it a bit in this interview though: studio.kzbin.info8NUMZsvFJ8g/edit

[@rossellaleonardi2908]

@@ElizabethSilver thank you so much!

[@saniamugasa3858]

Who in particular would you sell your designs to?

[@JenniferNilssonArtandDesign]

I so struggle with this - I've been in this industry for 17 years and I STILL can not nail down the current trends..... what do you feel would get me on the right track, Elizabeth?

[@ElizabethSilver]

Hi Jennifer! I bet you're better at this than you think you are- especially compared to the average consumer! I always recommend taking time twice a year to do a "market study" - look at some of the categories you design for - whether it's greeting cards, stationery, or home decor- and list out themes or icons you're seeing. Some categories are admittedly trickier than others- i.e. bolt fabric does ALL the themes all the time it seems. But if you're conscious about it, you'll start to see things happening- "hey, I've seen lobsters on 3 different brands of dinner plates and I haven't seen a single whale" and then 6 months down the road, you'll notice something new. Also, check out some of my other resources on the topic here: www.elizabethsilver.com/trends I've got a post that has some of my favorite go to sources for trends. One more tip: when you do market studies- ignore input from POD sites like Spoonflower and Zazzle. It's not that it's not trending, but remember that it's what an individual artist is putting out there, not what the big stores and brands are getting behind, so it's not necessarily accurate as to the big picture of market trends.

[@JenniferNilssonArtandDesign]

@@ElizabethSilver thank you for the boost of confidence and the great info ♥

[@ashrafg9671]

Dear mame i need job textile designer digree help for me