Today I'm excited to introduce you to surface pattern designer, Sofia Englund. She's a thoughtful designer who has seen her pattern work grow and develop over the past year thanks to the practice of critiquing her own work. Read below to hear why she thinks a self critique is so important and tips for doing it in a way that benefits your art. Enjoy!

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

The road to surface pattern design has been long and winding. I’ve always been creative, and have dabbled in many areas: writing, acting, photography, film making. I majored in media and film production while attending university in Brisbane, Australia, and studied screenwriting for a couple of years after that.

Then I spent a few years backpacking, living in London, working many different jobs and moving around a lot. Eventually, my partner and I bought a house in Sweden and I started my own business as a translator and copywriter. And then one day, just over a year ago, I noticed a Surface Pattern Design course by Bonnie Christine on Creative Live.

I was intrigued and thought it would be fun to learn Illustrator and to make my own patterns. I became completely obsessed with patterns that day and went googling to learn more. I signed up for Make it in Design and did modules 1-3, Winter School and Summer School last year. I’ve also taken some excellent classes with Design Garden and have watched tons of online classes and tutorials. Now I’m working on building my portfolio.

How would you describe your signature style?

I feel like I’m a bit too new to this to have a style yet, but I definitely have style preferences and a certain taste. I’ve tried to be open to trying new things and experimenting. And I try to challenge myself as much as possible to learn new tools and processes. I’ve often felt like I’ve overcomplicated things before, as if it had to take a certain amount of time and effort to be a good pattern – which isn’t true of course – so I’m trying to work on that.

One thing that’s helped me get to this point in my development is to analyze and critique both my own and other people’s work. Every time I finish something I try to reflect on it and figure out what I did and didn’t like about the process and the result, what I could do differently next time and what would improve it. I ask myself similar questions when I look at patterns I like; I try to figure out what makes them so good and analyze the layout, colors, motifs, details, etc.

By the way, everyone should read Lauren Lowen’s excellent blog posts about “style soup” and “style vs. flavor”.

Can you tell us what you've learned by critiquing your own work?

I’m learning so much every day, but I think critiquing my work helps me avoid making the same mistakes over and over (though I might be wrong of course haha). I try to identify my weaknesses so that I can be more deliberate in my learning.

For instance, color is something that has been really difficult for me – and it can really make or break a design! So I’ve been conscientiously learning about color and I’m trying to practice it as much as possible. When I look back at my old work, some of it is really embarrassing. I was so pleased with my Cloudberry design a year ago, and I got really trigger happy with the Recolor artwork tool and shared six different versions on Instagram and asked which one people liked the best.

I cringe when I look at that post now: really random colors, no contrast, hardly any neutrals, etc. But I saw somewhere that someone said “if you aren’t embarrassed by your old work, you’re doing something wrong”, so I guess it’s a good thing! It’s all about learning and developing and I might go back and recolor it one day :)

How would you recommend people go about critiquing their work?

I would say it’s about learning to critique your work against a set of standards. Start learning more about graphic design and color theory, and how the rules of graphic design apply to pattern design. Get a couple of books and watch some graphic design classes and lectures – there are tons of great ones out there by some of the best designers in the world (Skillshare, Creative Live, YouTube etc.).

Think about how what you’re learning applies to pattern design. Then it can be as simple as developing checklists to keep handy: is the color palette well balanced, is there enough contrast, are there any unintentional lines, is there enough flow, etc.?

I always feel like I need more checklists! It’s so easy to forget a part as there are so many elements to balance when you’re putting together a pattern, but lists are very helpful.

Any tips for critiquing your work in a way that is helpful vs. just making you feel bad about yourself?

Art and design is always going to be subjective to some extent, but critiquing your work should go beyond personal taste. Taste might reveal itself in what colors you choose and what style you’re drawn to, but there are lots of non-subjective standards you can use to measure a design by.

I guess it all comes back to educating yourself and learning the rules of the craft. For example, I’ve studied film and screenwriting for many years, so when I watch a film or a tv series I can tell you exactly why I think it’s good (or bad), what could improve it, etc. I know the rules of dramaturgy by heart. With design, I’m still learning. But imagine if I tried to analyze and critique a piece of music, something I know nothing about. I wouldn’t have a clue where to begin. Or even worse, imagine if I tried to compose a piece of music – that would be terrible for anyone who would have to listen to it.

It’s not about looking at a design and just saying “oh, that’s shit” – that’s more like criticism and not critique (and you’re probably being way too hard on yourself!). There’s a big difference between being hard on yourself and using the rules of design to measure the quality of your work. If it’s actually crap, there must be a reason for it. Why isn’t it good? Are there any unintentional lines, are you using enough neutrals in the color palette, does it flow, are the proportions right, etc.? It’s about using the rules of design and your checklists to figure out what’s not working, and then applying those rules to improve the work.

Saying all of this, you don’t want to get stuck in “analysis paralysis” – do the best you can with what you know at this point in time and then move on :)

What are some challenges you’ve faced so far in your career?

In surface pattern design, I would say the biggest challenge so far has been self-confidence and being a total beginner. It’s never easy being new and not very good at something, when your taste is so much better than your knowledge and capabilities. I’m still struggling with this, but I would never let it stop me and I’ll just carry on creating and sharing my stuff. It is what it is and I am where I am right now – there are no shortcuts.

What advice can you give others who are following a similar path?

I would say to immerse yourself in it completely and try to absorb as much knowledge as possible. I believe in learning and drawing from as many different sources as possible. Study art, photography, film, graphic design, illustration, children’s picture books (no need for a degree, just self-study). Don’t just follow the obvious path – be curious, have fun and explore as much as possible. Practice as much as you possibly can, learn to critique your own work and edit, edit, edit. But don’t compare yourself to others – remember that quote: “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

I also think it’s really important to have some kind of creative support network. I’m very lucky to have my partner, Roger at bugeyefly, as we’re both doing surface pattern design and can help each other with feedback and creative pep talks. We also have the Make it in Design Facebook groups, which are invaluable for help and support.

Can you tell us a few fun things about you that we wouldn’t already know?

This is the most difficult question! :) Ok, you probably don’t know that I was obsessed with Pippi Longstocking when I was a kid – I read the books over and over, and I used to dress up like her and sing the theme song from the tv series all the time. I also love animals more than anything and I’ve had a habit of adopting and rescuing various pets my whole life: rats, birds, dogs, cats. I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years (technically a pescatarian, since I eat fish like twice a year), and I’ve been a Divemaster in Borneo – which is where I met Roger 11 years ago!

Want to see more of Sofia’s work?

You can find her on Instagram and Pinterest. You can also connect with her via her website.

Critiquing your work with Sofia Englund