How I Organize my Spoonflower Swatches

As a designer, there is nothing cooler than seeing my art on a physical product, and I see Spoonflower’s requirement that you proof every design as a benefit rather than an annoyance! Seeing every pattern ensures that the file is clean, the colors are correct, and I can ensure scale is correct compared to complementary patterns. BUT since I’m not a sewist myself, and I’ve got over 600 designs proofed, all of those swatches were starting to pile up.

So I rolled up my sleeves, channeled my mother’s organization skills, and set out to organize my swatches. I decided to use binders with clear sleeves for a few reasons:

• I often proof multiple color ways, so wanted to be able to store the different colors of one print together regardless of number of colors while still being able to see each one.

• I wanted the flexibility of changing the order of patterns. I don’t always design in collections, but sometimes go back and take two or three prints and expand them into a larger set, so I didn’t want to permanently affix things next to each other. Additionally, I wanted to be able to organize by “Holiday” and “Coastl Kids” for now, but have the ability to subdivide or rearrange later.

• Binders provide scalability while being easy to store - I don’t have a ton of space, but also wanted to be able to continue to add as I proof more designs.

• Lastly, I have a few different sized swatches. I didn’t know about the FAY option (forever grateful for stumbling on Ashley’s Spoonflower guide as a total beginner) when I first started and also have proofed a few designs with multiple FAY squares to see sizing) so a full 8.5x11 page gave me more flexibility.

Step One: Supplies

• Binders: Yes, I had to get the muted, cute colored binders… Samsill Earth’s Choice*

• Cardstock: (I used 90lb Cardstock*) This is important - I tried to use regular printer paper and it doesn’t quite hold up with multiple swatches on one sheet!

• Sheet Protectors - Poly Sheet Protectors* (I’m on round two of these guys already!)

• Double Stick Tape*

Step Two: Cut, Sort and Tape

This step is best done in front of a TV show, with a podcast, or jamming to music because if you’ve waited as long as I have to get organized, you’re going to have a LOT of cutting, taping, and putting cardstock into sheet protectors

Step Three: Organize!

Once you’ve got all of your swatches into protectors, think about how you want them organized - I’ll share how I broke up prints, but it’s totally dependent on your art!

• Holiday - all of my Christmas and winter holiday designs (I’ve heard stats about holiday being up to 50% of licensed work)

• Collections - These are groups of 3 or more patterns (on their own pages) that I’ve collected or created to pitch as a collection - the goal is to break this out further once it’s more than one binder worth!

• CoastL Kids - Not necessarily collections, these prints are all more youthful and fun and more specifically geared toward baby or kids products (Kids at Heart are also allowed)

• Prints - Currently my largest binder, this is everything that doesn’t fall into other categories - I plan to refer back to these prints to mix and match and design additional prints to move them into the “Collection” category down the road.

Looking for more tips on Spoonflower / Print on Demand? Check out a few more of my Studio Notes!

• I challenged myself to enter every Spoonflower Challenge this year - here’s how it went!

• Actionable Ways to Market Your POD Designs
  

*This post may contain affiliate links ~ at no cost to you I may earn money if you shop though links!

Color Me! Fabric and DIY Craft

In brainstorming for Spoonflower’s Doodle Bug design challenge, and idea popped into my head that I couldn’t shake - rather than color in the hand drawn bugs I created, why not let you doodle too?!

And the Color Me! Collection was born. Beyond doodle bugs, I turned a few other prints I had into canvases ready to be colored in.

This low prep craft is perfect for a rainy summer day or a girls night with a bottle of wine - you make the rules!

Step 1: Order Color Me Doodle Bugs on a Throw Pillow or Placemat

Step 2: Buy/Break out some Fabric Markers (I grabbed some Tulip Bright Fabric Markers)

Step 3: Cut a Piece of Cardboard to fit inside the pillow case - remove pillow and insert cardboard

Step 4: Color Away! Perfect for a crafty evening or a rainy day activity with kids!

Doodle Bugs

These sweet doodle bugs wont give you the creepy crawlies, just a world of creativity.

Shop here

Wildflowers

How fun would placemats be for a party favor?! Whether it’s adults only craft night or a girls birthday party, this fits the theme! If you’ve got a sewing machine, you can diy from fabric, but if not, just grab them here!

Shop here

Jungle Cats

Definitely for the intermediate coloring crew, this wall hanging makes a great addition to a tween room or study station!

Shop here

How to Engage with Your Target Audience (Your People!) on Social Media

If you’re here after reading my blog post on Sketch, Design, Repeat - welcome! If you haven’t had a chance yet - you can check it out here!

Identifying your target audience (the end purchaser of your art) is your first step in creating strategic content and improving your portfolio but where do you go from there? I’ve outlined a few tips for starting to engage with your target audience once you’ve identified your people!

Hang Out Where They Are

You wouldn’t go to California to hang out with Georgia residents, so why would you spend your time on a platform that your consumer isn’t on?! For example, if your audience is in Gen Z, there are fewer of them on Facebook than on Tik Tok. While it’s not as simple as googling where your audience is, if you’re not seeing traction on a platform, test out another one (or if you’re on several, focus your time where you’re seeing engagement and conversion!) Hanging out where your people are also means showing up in their algorithm - talk about the benefits to your art and products in a way that resonates with them (for example, I try to frame my reels around coastal home decor and use hashtags from accounts that I’d like to be featured on!)

Be a Resource

This goes along with showing up in your audience’s algorithm. Sharing knowledge, recommendations, or other resources around your work and your audience is an easy way to create sharable, savable content that will help new followers resonate with what you’re selling and build the “know, like, and trust” factors for your brand. I like to share other beachy or coastal products on my account from time to time because people aren’t just looking for my products to bring a little vacation into every day!

Create Connection

Give your target audience a reason to follow you - if they see you as a person who is just like them (or like they want to be) then they’re more likely to follow and engage! Ask questions, share struggles they may relate to, or encourage them as they overcome obstacles (that you’re trying to solve)! Mom accounts are popular because their target audience (other moms) relate to their lifestyles. (Artists with littles - you don’t have to be a mom account to be relatable… in fact - focus on your art and use your motherhood as a connection point only when it’s relevant to your art!)

Stay Consistent

Showing up is half the challenge - the more consistent you are, the more benefit you’ll see from Social Media! And I’m not just talking about posting every 4-6 times a week. I’m talking about what you’re saying! Keeping your messaging focused on your brand and brand pillars will help you with the “know, like, and trust” factor as well!

Not sure about content themes (hint: they fit in with your target audience)? Or want even more support in planning engaging and strategic content? I can help! Check out the Content Calendar Kit - you can sign up for the newsletter and a free download to help you identify your content themes and get started on planning social media content more quickly and more effectively!

Did I miss a tip? Let me know in the comments! And if you found this helpful, I’d love it if you shared with a friend!

Three Lessons from Three Years of CoastL Studio

I don’t remember exactly what day in August I started calling this a “business”… but over the past three years, I’ve just lumped my surface pattern design business birthday in with my own birthday (and my mom’s… hi Mom!). It’s the first of the month, it’s easy to remember, and as I kid, I was conditioned to lump August birthdays together because that’s what they did in school (… I’ll resolve those emotions later).

It feels a little crazy that I’ve been designing art to go on products for three years (time flies when you’re having fun), but here we are! My technique, style, and brand name have changed since I started and I’ve learned a ton, so I thought it’d be fun to share three things that helped me grow over these past three years!

Say “Yes!” before you’re ready:

I know this is a common piece of advice, but one I really wish I’d learned (or listened to) sooner. I heard about Society6 back in 2016 I think, but wasn’t confident enough in my design skills (nor was I at a point in my life where I was willing to invest in an iPad Pro and pencil) to even create work to upload. Looking back, I realize that what pushed me to try new things and learn new techniques and programs was the desire to improve. If Who knows how my business would have been different if I started uploading in 2016, but we’re here now!

Another thing I wish I’d said “yes” to much earlier was the question “Are you a Surface Pattern Designer?” Not that anyone asked me that directly, but it look me a LONG time (and hearing Elizabeth Silver’s encouragement on a webinar) to say “I’m a surface pattern designer AND a marketing professional” not just “a marketing professional with a design hobby.” TBH, still working on that one a little.

What I’m hoping to say “Yes” to next: combining more of my experience in marketing with Surface Pattern Design. No courses or education plan here (just not the direction I want to take my business), but I’ve created a system (and product) called the Content Calendar Kit that I am hoping to launch soon in a Print on Demand format, but I’ve also pitched it to some traditional publishers… keep your fingers crossed for me!

Take one step at a time:

Cue Jordin Sparks (it’s a very specific reference, I know). Every time I try to push ahead on too many different things at once, all of them suffer. Back in 2019, I decided to upload everything to Society6, Redbubble, and Etsy (with Printful). Nope. When I started focusing on Society6 and just making my technique and art better for one platform, I was enjoying my business more and I started to see more traction. I didn’t add a second platform until 2022 when I started creating seamless repeats and opened a Spoonflower shop. (I did also add Deny Designs in early 2022, but they pull from my Society6 designs, so it’s not an additional upload). I think it’s easy to try to do everything at once because our community is often talking about diversifying income, but tackling one at a time is more sustainable in the long term.

My next step is to start some more pitching for licensing, but am giving myself some time to really fill out my Spoonflower shop before creating licensing-first work. I’m still doing some pitching when it makes sense, but I do not currently have designs that are separate from what’s available on Society6 and Spoonflower (if you’re an art director, 1) Hi! 2) I’m willing to retire designs from POD for category exclusive licenses if you’ve got your eye on anything!)

Do what you love:

This is definitely not a get rich quick industry, and I’ve learned that in order to really “make it” in Surface Pattern Design (or your own business in general I guess) is to love what you do. I genuinely enjoy drawing, creating, and even talking about my business which I think has been the key to growth over the past three years. I also think that realizing the things I don’t like has helped me shape my business. I’m not interested in holding inventory, email newsletters, or being in front of a camera… so I’ve built my business to generally avoid these things (I know, I should start an email newsletter).

In the future, I’m looking to add to doing what I love by continuing to focus on creating, but also hopefully doing more with small businesses - both with art licensing and wholesale through Deny Designs and with the Content Calendar Kit!

Whether you’ve been following my journey for three years, or a few days - thanks for being here. Cheers to the next year, and many more!

Surface Pattern Design Calendar 2023

First off, I want give credit to the women who inspired me to put this together. I was listening to an episode of The Jenna Rainey show podcast (from January 2020…. I’m a bit behind) and she talked about how she planned out her entire year of content in one day. It reminded me of a similar planning method from Katie Hunt of Proof to Product where she mentions blocking out different timeframes for different projects and life (I can’t find the exact episode, but really you should listen to every single one of them).

Second, at the top(ish) I want to admit that this isn’t for everyone. I mean, you can have it, but it may not work for you. I believe that everyone’s process, business, and success looks different, so if you don’t get Thanksgiving art up in August, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t publish it at all. That’s part of the reason I added the editable excel version (spoiler alert) - if you want to set your timing up differently, then feel free!

Who This Calendar is For

It’s for me! I kid. I would say, you’ll find this calendar most helpful if you’re a surface pattern designer who is mostly doing Print On Demand and is looking to plan further ahead in hopes of pitching PR, possibly working with small licensing clients, or get their art in front of the folks at the POD sites when they’re creating. Speaking of sites, I created this specifically based on what I’ve seen on the platforms that I focus on, which are Spoonflower, Society6, and Deny Designs. I did try to incorporate a bit of licensing timing as well, since that’s something I’d like to expand on in 2023. I also took note of when “big names” started sharing collections of fabrics in some of the "Launch” dates this year.

How to Use This Calendar

I’ve highlighted three different sections of the calendar:

• Design / Licensing Pitch: These are tied less to a specific calendar date as they are tied to the month to do the things. For example if you’re asking “How soon should I pitch my holiday designs for licensing” the answer is now. (Unless you’re reading this after August… then the answer is next year)

• Launch (POD) / PR: This is when you should take the designs you’ve created and pitched (but not licensed) and get them uploaded to POD sites (and proof on Spoonflower). You may be thinking, “But Leah, July is too early for the holidays” First, seasonal creep is real. Two, PR folks I follow are already looking for gift guide pitches, which means POD PR teams are sending pitches. And if you’re looking to grow on Spoonflower, makers are looking for holiday designs so they can sew ahead of time and get their shops ready for PR pitches, hoping for Etsy features, etc…

  Edit: On a recent Spoonflower webinar, their Sr. Merchandising Manager Emerson mentioned that they also work about 4 to 5 months out on featured fabrics and promotions!

• Consumer Dates and Seasons: This is more for your marketing strategy than for creating art, but I put it all in one place… because “One Calendar to Rule Them All” is my motto. I tried to make note of when POD sites were talking about holidays (like “Back to School”) so you can anticipate sales and promotions, or fit with a theme for your content - like gift guides, or “how to decorate a dorm” (if that fits your niche). Maybe 2023 will be the year my Studio Notes gets updated consistently with Pinterest-worthy posts! Shameless plug - more consumer content marketing coming soon!

I’d like to also note that this is by no means comprehensive to every holiday, theme, or piece of content… and that if something doesn’t fit your niche, just leave it alone*.

How Some Things Ended Up in Certain Places

As I mentioned above, a lot of the consumer dates and content are based on what I’ve seen on the front end of POD sites, from established surface pattern designers and based on the fact that I’ve worked in digital marketing for more than 10 years. But I want to spend another minute on the Design and Launch dates.

Edit: On a recent Spoonflower webinar, their Sr. Merchandising Manager Emerson mentioned that they also work about 4 to 5 months out on featured fabrics and promotions!

While I don’t have as much experience on the licensing side, I did a little digging on most important holiday timeframes, and made an assumption that the more important the holiday, the further ahead the planning. Specifically, lets talk about why I put “Design Holiday (ie Christmas)” before Thanksgiving designs. According to the National Retail Federation, in 2020 consumers spent 5.1 BILLION dollars for Thanksgiving. Christmas came in at 777.3 BILLION. So guess which holiday shopping occasion is more important to a retailer, wholesaler, and by extension Surface Pattern Designer’s bottom line… Yeah, it’s Christmas. Companies are going to do styled shoots earlier for more important holidays (Deny Designs shared on their Instagram stories from a holiday photo shoot in MAY) and therefore select featured products earlier as well.

How You Can Get The Calendar

Originally, I was only going to share a PDF version of the calendar, but once I worked through organizing it in excel, I realized that it could be useful as well, so I’ve decided to make both available. The PDF comes with some words of encouragement, as well as some puns, free of charge!

Please note, that this is my work and while I’m allowing you to freely download it, please see the copyright notice at the end of the post (not trying to be a jerk, please don’t profit off of what I’ve worked hard on!) If you’re going to share with fellow surface pattern designers, please direct them to this post.

Have questions? Feel free to comment, DM me on Instagram, or shoot me a note in my contact form! It may inspire another artist support blog post (see also Actionable Ways to Market Your POD Designs)

If this helped you out, please consider sharing with a surface pattern designer friend, or support my surface pattern design journey by sharing something of mine that you love from my Instagram, Society6 Shop, or Spoonflower shop!

(I’m also giving this Ko-Fi thing a try as an artist if you’re so inclined… I love my caffeine over here!)

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