Finding Success in the Surface Design Industry with Heather Dutton
In my last post I shared with you the news that I'm putting the blog on hiatus to focus on my art and new projects. But I couldn't say goodbye without giving you farewell gift - a follow-up interview with the always amazing, Heather Dutton. Two years ago, when I was just starting out, I interviewed Heather for the blog post "How to Break into the Surface Design Industry". To this day that interview stands as one of my most popular posts and every time I promote it on social media the blog gets tons of hits. Well today I'm sharing an update to that post. In this interview Heather talks about changes she's seen in the industry over the last few years. She discusses the challenges of standing out in an ever growing field and how you can succeed. I know you will love this interview.Goodbye for now, my friends. Thank you for a fun ride!
Hi Heather! It has been a few years since we last talked. How are you doing? What have you been up to?
Hi Jen!! It’s hard to believe that two years have flown by since the last time we connected! Where does the time go? Ha!
Things have been going pretty good in my creative world since our last chat. I’ve been working hard to expand the licensing end of my business and had a huge pinch-me moment when Urban Outfitters selected a few of my designs for their bedding and pet bed collection! They’ve been on my partnership dream list for a long time so it was a monumental moment for me and my business! I've also developed a handful of other fun partnerships that I’m pretty excited about and am looking forward to seeing those products when they are released.
It might sound silly but one of the biggest accomplishments that I’ve had recently was re-designing and updating my website. It was on my to-do list for nearly two years and I kept bumping it to the bottom of the list because it felt like such a daunting task. I’m beyond excited that I've finally finished it and I can’t wait to start sharing it with other companies I’d like to work with!
Heather's artwork on products.
Wow, congrats! Have you made any changes to the way you work?
A few years back I got an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil as a birthday present (I must have been a VERY good girl that year, ha!) But seriously, I had no idea how incredible it was going to be or how much the tools would change my workflow. It took me a while to find an app that felt natural. To find one that would allow me to just focus on creating instead of spending all my energy trying to figure out how to use the app. As soon as I discovered Adobe Draw my whole world changed!
Even though I’ve used a Wacom tablet and stylus on my desktop computer for years there’s just something about drawing on my iPad that feels more organic. I feel like I"m drawing in my sketchbook, not on a screen. I love it!
I create almost all of my finished prints in Adobe Illustrator so it’s an added bonus that Adobe Draw creates vector art. Now I can sketch and design anywhere and with the simple tap of a button my art is magically sent to my desktop. It’s definitely my favorite design tool now and it sparked a whole new burst of creativity for me.
Heather designing on the ipad
Have you noticed any changes in the surface pattern design industry? Any big new trends?
One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed over the last few years is the growing number of new surface designers entering the industry! It feels like the industry is having a huge growth spirt right now.
I’ve also noticed an organic shift in the style and theme of popular prints. There’s definitely been a rise in prints with an empowering message (go girls!) and a looser hand-drawn feel. The biggest trends that I’ve been spotting lately are tigers, leopards, rainbows, blush/goldenrod color palettes and a huge growth in printed wallpapers.
There has been a lot of talk about how popular pattern design is, and concerns that the field is saturated. What do you think about this?
It’s pretty remarkable how much the industry has grown over the last few years and how popular surface design has become. From a personal standpoint I love that creative jobs are becoming more mainstream and less obscure. The world can always use more art and creative energy.
As I see it, while growth has saturated the field a bit, every designer has a unique vision and approach. There may be more designers in the market now but the work that any one designer creates is unique regardless of how many other designers are out there. I try not to think of growth in the field as competition, otherwise I might get freaked out. I try to focus more on doing what I love and trying to connect with companies that fit my own personal design aesthetic.
Many people are finding that it's harder to get their work noticed on social media, and they struggle to promote their work. Any advice?
I wish I had a magical nugget of advice to share! Self-promotion has always been one of the trickiest bits of running your own business. There are a lot more tools available now compared to when I first started out (which was long before Facebook, Instagram, etc) and in the last few years those tools have changed quite a bit. Now their pesky algorithms are making it harder. I go through waves of loving and hating social media, but in the end it’s still a great tool. Just like any other part of your business you have to invest time in self-promotion in order for it to pay off. It’s important to post regularly, to engage your followers (beyond just clicking a heart) and to be genuine.
Any other advice for folks trying to break into the field
Doing what you love and being able to create all day really is a dream come true but running a successful creative business is work. As the owner you have to wear a lot of hats. You’re the CEO, CFO, Designer, Accountant, Marketing Manager, and design assistant all rolled into one (unless of course you’ve hired a team of people to help). As much as we all love designing, it’s important to focus attention on all aspects of your business in order to keep it going. Getting your business up and running is hard, but luckily there are so many incredible resources out there to help.
Skillshare is filled with incredible classes covering topics such as design, running a shop, marketing, and utilizing LinkedIn for your business. A handful of established designers are also offering brilliant courses directly through their own websites. They are sharing great info on things like creating cohesive collections, working with POD sites, licensing your work, and social media. The best advice that I can share is to soak up every nugget of info that you can, stay true to your own style, and most importantly have fun! That shows in your work!
Can you tell us a few fun things about you that we may not already know?
• I’ve been obsessed with alligators since I was a teenager and I have little gators all over my studio. This includes a gator head stapler remover, a flocked alligator bobble head, and a little gator stuffed animal that has a pull string to make him vibrate. My obsession actually inspired my first business logo (a fun gator swinging on a rope). I recently updated my branding logo but the gator still makes an appearance on my new website.
• I have an unnatural aversion to the color purple (sorry purple lovers out there).
• If I could eat pizza every day I’d be a VERY happy girl!
• Despite my insane love and passion for pattern I hardly ever wear any prints or patterns on my clothes. It’s a weird phenomenon. Ha!