What Do Textile Designers Do?

Have you ever wondered why some rugs or furniture have these eye-catching designs? It must take forever to incorporate these repetitive patterns. Without these designers, we would be lefts with bland-looking décor in our homes. 

Fortunately, textile designers are familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator’s repeat features. They create new motifs, color variations of existing patterns, and layouts in CAD (computer-aided design) software. If you are craving for new patterns and design, continue reading to learn what these designers do.

Color Palettes

Pantone is the global color language used by all designers. Textile designers, for example, often use Pantone chips in paper, cotton, or polyester. However, a graphic designer often uses Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors.

Manufacturers may dye special fibers to match the Pantone chips for your palette. Custom dyeing yarn and fibers require a significant amount of time and work on the factory’s part. That is why it is preferable to operate with a restricted color palette of around 20 to 30 colors, so you can easily bulk dye the yarns.

Product Development

Along with color and design, textile designers often use their knowledge in construction and fibers. When developing a product, you may use a different type of weave or add fringe or tassels to dress it up a bit. Then you will wonder if this is feasible to apply textures or create a high-low effect?

Line Vs. Custom Projects

As a textile designer, you will need to manage custom and line projects. Custom projects include collaborating with a private label customer, such as Pottery Barn or Osnf.com. A custom project may also imply collaboration with a licensor, such as Orla Kiely or a well-known design brand. 

By contrast, line projects are textile collections created for the company’s brand. Any customer may shop line items, implying you’re assembling a collection of items to advertise. Buyers or clients can browse your collection and purchase whatever they like.

Marketing

Textile designers are highly engaged in the product’s preparation and marketing aspects. They may spend a week or more away from home. Set-ups include decorating exhibit spaces and placing items across the showroom to create a visually appealing presentation.

Textile designers will need to connect with clients and aid sales representatives with product and design information. Sales representatives are knowledgeable about price and the minimum order quantities (MOQs). When buyers enter the market, they want to know the whole story, which is why it’s beneficial for the textile designer to function as the sales representative’s wingman.

Research Trends

Competitive research begins with a market analysis to see what rivals are displaying. This analysis is conducted online, using sites like Pinterest, design blogs, and WGSN websites. 

Shopping for trends entails creating a list of high-fashion boutiques and businesses to visit. This is to acquire a sense of what’s fresh in the marketplace. You may also check out your town’s trendy stores and take images with your mobile phone.

Learn More About Textile Designers

As you can see, a textile designer is responsible for mastering colors and patterns, marketing your products and designs, and performing trend analysis. They work on household fabrics, military fabrics, commercial fabrics, medical fabrics, and various other types of fabrics.

If this is your dream career, pursue it to the max. You might be featured in Anthropologie or Target shops or go to Paris to do your own trend analysis. For more information, check out our blog posts on textile designers.