Design-A-Day SpoonChallenge: Day 6
Design-A-Day SpoonChallenge Day 6: Geometric
Today's Design-A-Day SpoonChallenge prompt comes from Spoonflower friend and neighbor, Nadia Hassan. Nadia walks us through her process for creating vibrant geometric designs that are both angular and inviting, abstract and natural.
Designs from left: Stone Soup | Mod Mosaic | Fetching Fletching
Nadia: From classic polka dots to arabesque mosaics of staggering complexity, geometrics are arguably the most diverse and versatile category of prints. They can be simple or extravagant, precise or imperfect, subtle or bold, and anyone can create a geometric design, regardless of skill level. They appear in just about every conceivable product market, are suitable for all ages and genders, and can be tailored for formal or casual settings. I think of them as the workhorses of the pattern design world.
When I first began creating repeating patterns, I gravitated toward geometrics because I loved making crisp, bold shapes that would show off my latest favorite color palette. Fast forward more than a decade, and I still love the way geometric prints allow you to make a big statement with only a few colors and basic shapes.
Designs from left: Fleurir: Colorburst | Mod Moons | Four-by-Finch
Here are some examples that push the definition of a geometric design, which are usually non-representational; these designs loosely reference things that exist in the physical world, but in a stylized, abstract way.
Another reason to love geometric designs? You can achieve an impressive amount of diversity within the same basic structure (in this case, a honeycomb layout):
From left: Hex'd | No. 2 | Kaliedoscopic: Vertical
Nadia's Pro Tip: Have fun and experiment!
The stakes are low (you really can't go wrong), and the possibilities are endless. Perhaps more than any other print category, geometrics offer room for interpretation and experimentation, easily accommodating every style, medium and skill level. They provide the perfect opportunity to try out new-to-you techniques such as watercolor, cut paper, or block printing, because you can test out the method without getting too distracted by the subject. Anyone can draw, paint, or cut out a few basic shapes, and you may be surprised by just how easy it is to go from a blank canvas (digital or otherwise) to a whole collection of prints.
Sunday's design is a day late. As a christian, I try to honor the sabbath and refrain from doing my design work on this one day of the week. So there should be two posts today if I can get it together. lol. Anyway, the geometric design that I did for today is a sort of freehand maze meets tetris blocks. I tried to add a lot of variation in the way that each shape branches out and the size of my triangles.
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| Maze Shapes |
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