product designing... (o゜▽゜)o☆

Inspo

For this project, I wanted to create something that reflected a flowery plant aesthetic. I was drawn to using bold floral shapes and natural colors that feel vibrant but still grounded. I looked at artists like William Morris, who uses repetition and nature-inspired elements in his work. His designs showed me how patterns can feel both structured and organic at the same time.

Concept Development o(*°▽°*)o

My main idea started with a simple drawing of a floral arrangement. I'd vectorized this from a stamp artwork I made earlier in my art class and created a bouquet using orange flowers, purple blossoms, and layered green leaves in a vase. I chose flowers because they are visually interesting and allow for variation in shape and color, which I think is important in pattern design.

Original stamp artwork:

Vectorized image:

From there, I asked Chat GPT to give me pattern ideas using this design. This was the outcome:

I decided the best design for me to work with would either be the bottom left design with the patterned sleeves, or bottom middle. I asked ChatGPT to break the my vectorized art into different parts:

• Main element: the full flower bouquet
• Secondary elements: individual purple flowers and leaves
• Accent element: simplified vase shapes

This helped me turn one drawing into multiple pieces that I could reuse in a pattern, and ChatGPT gave me this outcome:

Color Palette o(*^▽^*)┛

I chose a warm, earthy color palette to match the natural theme:

• Purple for contrast and balance
• Orange because its fun 
• Multiple greens for depth and realism
• Brown as a subtle grounding color
• Cream as the background to keep everything soft and cohesive

Final Product

I applied my final pattern to a product design. The pattern worked well because it was evenly distributed and visually balanced. The repeating floral elements created a cohesive look across the entire surface. Thinking about bit more, I feel like this specific pattern would be more fitting on an accessory instead of a crewneck. Here were some of the products I experimented the design with on https://www.contrado.com/customizable-accessories : (laptop case, bag, "luxury shower cap." (>'-'<))

If I were to improve it, I would experiment more with scale variation probably making some flowers larger or smaller to add even more visual interest. I think if I do go for a shirt I will also try making the more simplified pattern for just the sleeves and heat press the design onto a sweatshirt. My dad owns a custom design business for clothing and other things, so his tools will definitely come in handy if I choose to make the product using that simpler design instead. His IG is @ejp08_deisgn under the logo shown below if you'd like to check him out! 

Reflection

This project helped me understand that pattern design is not just about making something look good-it also involves structure, planning, and repetition. It's actually a lot more work than I thought¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/ 

Overall, this project pushed me to combine creativity with technical skills, and it gave me a better understanding of how patterns are used in real-world design. It was fun overall.