There is just something about Heather Dutton's patterns...they are so full of energy and playfulness that when you see them you can't help but smile. And you know what? If you have the chance to talk to Heather, she'll make you smile too. It's just her personality.

When I reached out to Heather for this interview I had no idea how willing she would be to share with us her journey, and how wiling she would be to offer up advice to new designers trying to break into the industry. This is a must read interview.

Enjoy!

Hi Heather! Can you tell us a little bit about your background as an artist and how you got into surface pattern design?

I've always known beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a fashion designer. And when it came time to go off to college I followed my dream and studied fashion at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I moved to San Francisco after graduation to take on the fashion world (Ha! Ha!) and worked my way up the ladder, so to speak. Over the years I designed everything from women’s clothing to men’s loungewear.

My time in the fashion industry was a wild ride. It was filled with trips to corners of the world I never thought I’d see and invaluable insight into the production end of the business. However, at the end of the day, I felt like something was missing. I was more excited about the fabrics and prints I was working with than the actual clothes I was designing. During this time I worked with a lot of print studios and in-house artists, developing gorgeous fabrics & embroideries for clothing. This gave me a glimpse into their creative world and really sparked something in me.After some serious soul searching, and a lot of sleepless nights, I decided to shift the direction of my career. I lucked out, finding a new job that allowed me to design clothes and work on prints at the same time. That’s pretty much all it took… I was hooked!

A few years later I took a huge leap of faith and I left the regular working world to start my own surface design business: Hang Tight Studio. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done and one of the most rewarding. I look forward to working on new designs every day and I feel so lucky to be doing something that I love.

How would you describe your signature style? Did it take you awhile to settle on one?

I’ve always struggled to define my style because I’m drawn to so many different types of design. I never really worked on developing a particular style… which is probably good because the pressure of trying to find it would have freaked me out. Ha! I just designed whatever popped into my head and I think over time a style developed organically.

I’ve always had a major soft spot for vintage design in general… fabric, graphics, all of it. I think part of that love bleeds through into my designs, whether it’s the color palette or the overall design. I guess if you asked me to define my style I’d say it’s contemporary vintage with a dash of whimsy.

Your patterns have so much energy and are so colorful. They just make me smile. Is this a reflection of your personality?

One of the best compliments I can get is that my designs make people happy. It makes me smile so much my cheeks hurt! I’d like to think that there’s a piece of me inside each of my patterns and I think the designs you surround yourself with should make you smile. It makes me so happy that some of that energy comes through in my work.

Where do you find inspiration? What guides your design work?

Oh boy!!! I’m flooded with inspiration all day long… the tricky bit is having enough time to get all of the ideas out of my head and down onto paper. I would kill for one of those time turners that Hermione had in Harry Potter so I could get more done in a day. Hehe!

Instagram and Pinterest are two of my favorite sources for delicious visual inspiration right now. There are so many incredible artists and designers out there and every time I look at their work it gets my creative juices flowing. A lot of the artists that I follow have a totally different style than mine but it’s hard not to be inspired simply by surrounding yourself with so many yummy images.

I spend so much time in my studio in front of a computer, so anytime I get away and take a trip or simply walk in the woods my brain starts thinking about things in a new way. If I had to pick, I’d say that nature is one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I didn’t inherit the gardening gene that runs in my family but I love plants and flowers. There are so many amazing colors, shapes and textures.

You’ve worked with some amazing clients. Can you tell us a little bit about how you established those relationships?

When I first started my business I was extremely lucky to connect with a big name client through my contacts in the fashion industry and a dash of 'being in the right place at the right time'. I worked with a few different people within that company doing freelance design and every connection that I made eventually led to another connection and then another. It’s like that game - six degrees of separation. The design industry is huge but at the same time it’s a small world. Making contacts and maintaining good relationships with people is a game changer.

I also spent a lot of time (and still do) researching companies that I’d like to work with and reaching out to them. It’s one of the hardest parts of the job in my opinion but is important It all comes down to making connections.

What advice would you give to someone who is new to the industry and doesn't have any connections?

It's totally fine if you are new to surface design and haven't had the opportunity to work professionally doing surface design. There are still loads of things you can do to break into the industry and get your work seen by art directors and businesses. Two essential starting points that seem pretty obvious are to make sure you have a great website and a well balanced portfolio of work covering a variety of categories like florals, geometrics, novelty and seasonal designs. You don't have to have every category but the more variety you have in your portfolio the better.

Another great addition to your website is to have a newsletter that people can sign up for. Newsletters are a great way to show off new work and to stay fresh in the mind of art directors. I'm long overdue for a website overhaul and the first thing I'll be adding is a newsletter!

Instagram is one of the best places to show new work and interact with potential clients since it's all about yummy visuals. I'd highly recommend setting up a business account on Instagram. Their business accounts let people contact you directly without having to visit your website and you get great analytics on your feed which are really helpful.

Would you recommend that folks participate in contests or design challenges to get their work out there?

Every designer has their own thoughts about entering contests or design challenges. There are definitely some that are better than others in my opinion. It all comes down to the individual contest terms and how you want to run your business.

I started working with Spoonflower when they first hit the scene 8 or 9 years ago and am a huge fan of their design challenges and their entire business as a whole. I've had a lot of companies discover my work simply from spotting my designs on Spoonflower and when you enter a design challenge you're increasing the amount of traffic to your shop regardless of whether or not you win. Being a part of the Spoonflower community is also a great way to connect with other designers and earn some passive income for your business.

I'm also a big fan of Printed Village. They have major retailers coming to them on a regular basis looking for designs for their products and having a portfolio of work available gives you a great chance to make connections and have your work picked up.If you're interested in licensing your designs and you're still feeling a little lost on where to start the first thing that I would do is start researching companies that you'd like to work with. Make sure that your work fits their product line and review their website to see if they accept design submissions.

There are a lot of companies out there that have an art submission policy in place and that's a great place to start.Another great way to build contacts is by connecting with companies through LinkedIn. I could ramble on and on about ways to make connections because there are so many different ways to run your creative business but hopefully some of these tips help you get started.

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far as a designer?

The surface design industry has blossomed so much since I first started my business. There are so many new designers entering the field. I think it's great because it helps infuse creativity into the industry. However, it is also a bit harder to stand out in the crowd with so many new designers.

The biggest challenge I’ve had as a designer is staying on top of where the industry is heading and trying to figure out how to adapt my business to move forward with the changes.

What advice do you have for designers who are just starting out and trying to develop a plan for selling their work?

I think the best advice I can give is to design from your heart and stay true to your own design style. Your passion and personality will shine through your designs and that will be what makes them memorable and fresh. Staying active in as many creative groups as you can is a huge help too. There are a handful of amazing Facebook groups out there where you can connect with other designers, ask questions and learn a wealth of information about the industry. I wish that I’d had those resources when I was starting out because making creative connections is so important and information is like gold when it comes to building your business. Most of all… Have fun!

Want to see more of Heather's work? You can visit her website or her Etsy shop.

You can also find her on social media:

Instagram

Facebook

Twitter

Breaking into the Surface Design Industry with Heather Dutton