Inside the Course: Introduction to Pattern Design
Meet illustrator Ali Mac and find out what to expect from our four week online Introduction to Pattern Design course running Tuesday evenings from 17 November.
Interested to start your illustration journey? Find out more and book your place: Introduction to Pattern Design. (opens in new window)
Hi Ali! Could you introduce yourself and your work?
I’m Ali Mac, a US-based illustrator and fiber artist. I got my start at Jonathan Adler, creating artwork for licensing collaborations with brands like Toms, Paperless Post, and Dylan’s Candy Bar.
I’ve been freelancing for over a decade since, with clients including AMEX, Away, Kiehl’s, Munchkin, and Starbucks. During the pandemic I started working with sewn, layered felt, which gave my toothy lines and candy colors a new dimension.
I like my work to look handmade because it is. In the overly glossy age of AI, I want the hand to be seen and the process to be felt.
– Ali MacWhat appeals to me about pattern design today is that you can design the bedspread of your dreams, have it printed on cotton through a service without the huge minimums it used to take, and sew it yourself, like I do. A pattern is a way to build your own world, and now you can live in it.
Can you tell us about what drew you to working in pattern design and why it continues to interest you today?
I’ve always loved pattern. It’s what drew me to the Communications Design program at Pratt, where I focused on packaging design. After Pratt I interned in the licensing department at Jonathan Adler, which led to a design role creating artwork for collaborations with brands like Toms, Barnes & Noble, and Paperless Post.
What appeals to me about pattern design today is that you can design the bedspread of your dreams, have it printed on cotton through a service like Spoonflower without the huge minimums it used to take, and sew it yourself, like I do. A pattern is a way to build your own world, and now you can live in it.
What is your approach to pattern design?
I always want a pattern to tell a story. I don’t like repeating the same thing over and over. I draw a subject many ways, with different angles and related elements, so the viewer can find a little story on a shirt or a bedspread.
Do you have a favourite pattern design project from your career?
Kiehl’s Loves will always be my top project. I got to make over 50 patterns for them, and I saw them on products all over the world.
What key tips would you give to someone starting to design their own patterns?
- Start with a prompt! Online challenges built around one-word prompts, like Melanie Johnsson(opens in new window)’s 30-day challenges are a great way to practice and join in.
- Write two or three sentences about your pattern before you draw anything.
- Knowing who or what it’s about and where it lives makes every drawing decision easier.
- Draw more variations than you think you need. My minimum is five.
– Ali MacI always want a pattern to tell a story. I don’t like repeating the same thing over and over.
What can people expect from your four week Introduction to Pattern Design course?
You’ll start with a one-word prompt and write a short story, then draw the world your story lives in and the subject at the center of it. We build the pattern in Photoshop, with a quick look at Illustrator in the first class. Then we make colorways and put the finished pattern on a 3D product mockup. I demo each step live, and there’s time to work and ask questions. You’ll need Illustrator and Photoshop. Procreate is optional.
What key learning would you love students to take from the course?
That a pattern can have a little plot!
