Welcome to the first edition of The Design Path!
Recently I’ve had a few lovely people reach out to me on Instagram asking about my work. What I’ve learned from these conversations is that I’m not alone. Like me, many emerging surface designers are working alone while consolidating and refining their new skills, left to piece together their next steps and navigate their own path.
So, I thought it might be helpful to share my experiences at the level I’m at and hopefully connect with others who are navigating the same path. What I have learned from more seasoned designers is that building a surface design career involves so much more than just knowing how to use Adobe and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
The Design Path is my way of sharing - what I'm learning, the resources I’ve found helpful, and how I’m moving towards my own version of success. I’m keeping it simple: a place to reflect, share, and hopefully support someone else along the way.
I'm so glad you're here!
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
This book has genuinely transformed how I move through my day. I was waking up feeling stressed, torn between what I wanted to do, and what I knew would actually set me up for a better day. Since incorporating The Miracle Morning's suggested routine, my days are feeling calmer, more purposeful, and intentional. I seem to be getting more done too. It suggests beginning your day with six practices: silence, affirmations, visualisation, exercise, reading and writing. I don’t always complete all six, and it doesn’t always happen first thing, but when I complete even a few, I find I enjoy my day so much more. I've made myself a little corner in our family room which has made the whole practice easier and more automatic. I've set out lots of books, my reading glasses, notepad and pencil, headphones and a comfy quilt at the ready (It's getting very chilly here in the mornings!) It's a lovely spot to spend a minute, or an hour.
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 My 'Miracle Morning' Corner |
The Tillage Podcast
If you haven't discovered Shirlee Fisher of Quiet Lines Design I highly recommend listening to her podcast. She's based in California where she designs her stationery that she sells in over 250 stores worldwide. New episodes are released on Tuesdays. It easy to listen to, especially when I'm designing, and often gives me food for thought. She also hosts a community called 'The Tillage Village'. It might be just what you need!
Recolouring Trick
Using the Recolour Artwork Tool in Illustrator is a skill in itself which I am still mastering. Especially when, if you're like me, you make your designs really complicated and don't think ahead as to how you may want to recolour the artwork in the future. I find using the 'select same' function really helpful, but sometimes it is just too niche for what I want.
This is a really simple trick, especially when you want to change only one or two colours in a design, but until I saw Barbell Dressler do it, I hadn't thought of it. And now I use it all the time!
- Add swatches of the new colours you want to add into your design on your artboard
- Select your design and the new colour swatches
- Open the Recolour Artwork Tool. Your new colours will appear in the 'current colors' bars allowing you to 'drag and drop' the new colour over the old instead of having to use the 'color groups' section
I find it's much quicker to recolour an illustration or repeating pattern using this method. And if I have several versions of my design in my document, as I often do when I'm experimenting, using this method allows me to only recolour the specific design I have selected - not every design in my document!
A New Colour Palette
I recently revisited one of my favourite designs, created a few years ago, and gave it a new colour way just for fun. I love it so much I've used it for the theme of The Design Path. I've included both the hex code and the Pantone. Do you ever revisit a past design by adjusting motifs or changing the colours?
Rediscovering the Joy of Painting
A few months ago I pitched to several stationery companies hoping to achieve a licensing opportunity. I had one particular company respond, asking to see any hand painted work I had as they don't use digital art on their products. Luckily, I'd restarted working with gouache as I'd completed a workshop by Hanna Wendelbo earlier in the year and was so inspired by her designs. So I set about getting re acquainted with the medium. Throughout high school and university I regularly painted with gouache, and I often painted with acrylics when I was teaching. Painting was my happy place. I definitely was not prepared for how out-of-sync I felt after 20 years! How very naive I was, thinking I would be able to pick up as I left off. But I stuck with it and created a few pieces of work. I've recently bought some watercolour paints but haven't ventured into using them yet. I will see how that goes.
It's Time to Write a New Story
I recently created a brand new mood board to remind me of my goals. I’ve always found surrounding myself with inspirational images and meaningful quotes really helpful for my mindset. One quote in particular has really resonated with me. It reminds me that it’s never too late to re evaluate my path or begin something new — like this newsletter! I hope it encourages you too.
Which motivational quotes do you find meaningful? What are some of the tips or tricks you use to stay motivated and focused? Please let me know!
Please get in touch if there's anything that you'd like to share or if you'd like to make a suggestion for the newsletter. I'd love to hear from you. Hit reply or email me at alison@greenacredesigns.com.au
Until next time,
