Today I’m excited to sharing with you an interview I did with Goldie Moran, the WEEK 3 winner of Surface Pattern Design Community's Facebook challenge. For the challenge, which focused on typography, Goldie created a really fun pattern filled to the brim with 'birthday vibes'.

Read below to learn more about Goldie’s journey. Enjoy!

Hi Goldie! Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into surface pattern design.

Art was my favorite subject growing-up, so when the time came I decided to study graphic design at an art college in York. I’ve been working as a designer in Manchester, UK ever since. I enjoy it (most days!) but the work is very corporate, and sometimes uncreative, and I’ve always felt the need for a creative hobby on the side. Over the years I’ve dabbled in pottery, sewing and interior design. I've taken evening classes and a have done a lot of decorating – my long-suffering husband will confirm that for you!

My journey to surface pattern design began when I saw an advertisement for an online interior design course offered by KLC, London. I’d never taken an online course before, but felt the time was right as I had a bit more spare time with my six year old son starting school. I decided to go for it and signed-up. I loved it and spent hours every evening on Pinterest putting together moodboards and swatches. I was about to sign-up for another interior design course but realized it was playing about with colour and patterns that I enjoyed most, not so much the Interior design.

I did a bit of research and found Make it in Design. I was so excited by the course offerings, I signed up right away.I completed all 3 modules last year. It was a great experience and I learned so much. It helped to build my confidence (especially when I won the typography testimonial competition in Module 1!!), and I enjoyed connecting with other students on the same journey. I even met-up with three of them in Manchester for coffee! I felt I’d found something I loved and was pretty good at. It made me wondered why I hadn't found surface pattern design before.Since then, I’ve continued to design patterns and have spent my spare time building-up a portfolio of work.

How would you describe your style? What makes your work unique?

People keep telling my that my style is now shining through, which is lovely to hear as it’s sometimes hard to see it for yourself.I’m still quite new to pattern design so my style is constantly evolving as I learn and experiment. I would describe my patterns as fun, graphic, with simple childlike motifs. I have been using a lot of florals recently, so the Surface Pattern design Community challenges have offered a fantastic opportunity for me to push myself out of my comfort zone and try new themes.

I love colour and spend a long playing around with palettes as I feel this can really make or break a design. I’m drawn to warm palettes and usually throw in some pink and yellow. Sometimes I'll go bright and sometimes I'll use more subtle pastels. It really depends on the mood I'm in. Looking back at my Instagram squares helps me to see themes and which colour palettes I'm focusing on!

For inspiration I look to vintage fabrics. I'll browse vintage markets, taking lots of photographs. Then I'll use the Adobe Capture app to pull colors from my photos. I'm also into Scandinavian design and always turn to Instagram for inspiration.

I’m still trying to figure out where I would best fit in to the pattern world, so I’ve been designing as much as I can and entering competitions to practice my technique and get my designs out there.

How did you approach the typography design challenge?

I’ve always been scared to create my own typography for a pattern.I don’t know if it’s because I've spent so much time choosing fonts for my graphic design work, but I never felt I’d be able to loosen up enough to do it justice. When I saw the typography brief, I thought 'this is my chance, I can do this'.

I didn’t take it too seriously. I just had fun cutting out shapes from coloured paper to form letters. I wanted them to look organic and hand-created so I traced around them roughly in Illustrator. It turned out the hard part was deciding which words to use! As it was my birthday week, I came up with ‘Birthday vibes’ to create a pattern for a birthday card and gift wrap. It really helps me to have an end product in mind if I’m feeling stuck. I wanted a young, fun feel, so used a bright palette and opted for a slight on trend '80s feel. Ultimately I tried to think about what my teenage niece would like. I’m happy with the end result and have been adding small amounts of typography to my designs since.

What are your goals for the future?

I have so much I want to do! The next steps are to building a website and putting together a strong portfolio so I can start approaching agents. I don’t feel ready quite yet. I want to spend a but more time perfecting my patterns so I can be confident with my portfolio.

I’d love to design for childrenswear, so I have been having fun experimenting with character designs. And I'd also like to try my hand at greeting card design now that I’ve found my love for typography.

I recently attended MsSpanner’s ‘How to sell on Etsy’ class which was so inspiring. I plan to set up a shop selling typographical posters and cushions for children's bedrooms/playrooms/nurseries. I have so many ideas and avenues I could take this, it is difficult to decide where to put my focus my efforts. And I admit at the end of Make it in Design module 3I did feel overwhelmed and it stifled my creativity. So for now, I’m taking it slowly day by day. I want to keep learning and enjoying the journey and I'll see where it takes me.

What would you like your colleagues and the design world to know about you and your work?

I love what I do and I hope that shows through in my designs. I just aim to have fun with it and not take it too seriously.When I’m drawing or designing, the hours fly by which is always a good sign. My graphic design background means I have a good grounding in composition and colour and I feel I can make design decisions quickly. I also have the advantage of knowing both Illustrator and Photoshop which has been a godsend... although there’s always more to learn.

Can you tell us a few fun facts about you?

I sing in a community choir called SoundingOutUK. It’s fantastic fun and so good for your wellbeing. I would recommend it!
I’m from Wales but please don’t ask me to speak Welsh! I’m ashamed to say I only know a few words.
I’ve been to see the band Arcade Fire five times, most recently 2 weeks ago in Manchester on my birthday. (There’s a real birthday theme to this article isn’t there haha!)
I recently discovered I love running (after years of being an exercise dodger!). I’ve ran a few 10K races and will be running the York 10k in August.

Want to see more of Goldie’s work?

You can connect with her on Instagram or on Facebook.

SPCD week 3 challenge winner: Goldie Moran