Hello lovely readers! Previously I shared an interview with surface pattern designer, Bärbel Dressler. In the interview she shared with us what it has been like starting a design career from scratch.

Today we continue our conversation, as Bärbel tells us about the Swedish Pattern Society. This is a group that she started, over a year ago, to help support Swedish pattern designers and build community among artists in her country. I think you will be impressed by how the society has grown and how active its members are. And I suspect that this interview will inspire similar societies to pop-up around the world. One can only hope! Enjoy!

Hi Barbel! First things first...what is the Swedish Pattern Society?

Swedish Pattern Society is a hub for brands who wants to easily find new and fresh pattern collaboration opportunities and connect with Swedish designers. But first and foremost it’s a community where Swedish designers help and support each other. It enables us to have colleagues despite being freelancers and often working alone.

Why did you start the society?

It all started with an Instagram post a little more than a year ago. Or actually, it started long before that, with a longing for having colleagues again.When you’re an employee working in an office (no matter how uninspiring your job is) there's something special about having colleagues and the sense of belonging to a group. Don’t get me wrong, I love this working from home and spending much of my day alone. It’s necessary for what I do. I need the silence and possibility to completely focus on my work without external distractions. But after a few years of living like a hermit, I started to miss daily interactions with people.

I wished for conversations over coffee about stupid things like the weather, or more important things like job related issues. And so I started fantasizing about an office where I could go and work together with other pattern designers, like a shared workspace where you rent a desk.

The downside of a solution like that is that it comes with a cost and commitment. Those were obstacles for me at that point. But the more I thought about this idea the more sure I became that I wasn’t the only one with this wish.And so an idea formed in my mind, an idea that would gather pattern designers together. I dreamed of us meeting-up somewhere, like a café. I imagined us working alongside each other without any commitment or cost except for a cup of coffee and the bus ticket there.

Eventually I had to try it out because I really believed in it. Plus, I had asked around and a lot of the designers I talked to were very positive about it. So in January 2018 I made that Instagram post, calling out to any pattern designer who would like to meet up for a 'work-along' as I called it.

What was the response like to your IG post?

The response was very positive. I got a lot of comments from people who liked the idea, both in Sweden and from other parts of the world. To administrate and arrange a first meet-up I started a Facebook group called ”Swedish pattern designers and illustrators work-along”. Smashing name, huh?

We had a poll for finding a date when most of us could meet-up. At this point I think we were at about 10 people. The first work along was on February 15, 2018, at Gretas, a hotel bistro in Stockholm. We didn’t get much work done, but had a blast. Some of us stayed from 9am in the morning until late in the afternoon chatting about things big and small. And we immediately felt at home with each other.

How has it gone so far? Can you tell us a bit about your members?

After that first ”work along” we’ve had several more meet-ups. We've also gathered members to visit trade shows and recently arranged a workshop led by Hanna Wendelbo on designing patterns for wallpaper. She is one of our members and also Swedens queen of patterns. If you have a wallpaper in your home it is very likely by her!

Members have really embraced the group and it is obvious there was a big need for this type of community in Sweden. Having a group that can discuss matters related specifically to the Swedish pattern design market adds a lot of value. I’m a member of a handful of other pattern design groups on Facebook, but they are all in English and mostly address issues related to the US market. So this group has been gold for us Swedish designers as it offers both support and a place to get much needed answers and help.

Over the last year the group has grown to about 140 members and new designers are joining every week. To be a part of the group you have to be either from Sweden, or living in Sweden and aspiring to creating designs for the Swedish market. Those criteria are to secure the group and insure it will stay relevant to its members and purpose.

The group varies, from newbies just starting their business to well established designers with long careers behind them. Everyone has something to bring to the table, whether it be prior pattern design experience or other strengths. We want to keep it welcoming and inclusive and though some would regard us as competitors we don’t see it that way. In fact it's quite the opposite. The group has developed into this force with a mission to improve the circumstances for pattern designers here in Sweden, from pricing and contracts to exposure internationally. As this is something we wanted to reflect in the group name we've changed it from ”Swedish pattern designers and Illustrators work along” to Swedish Pattern Society. It sort of has the ring of a quality stamp to it.

Several months after establishing the group we set-up an Instagram account and received over 3000 followers in only 4 months! It made me slightly envious since that's more followers than my own business account has, ha ha.

How are people engaging in the group?

It’s funny because as the founder, and one of two group administrators, I don’t do a lot of posts trying to make people engage. I don’t have to. The group has grown organically and so has the forum for discussion. At first I think people were a bit careful and cautious to post questions, not sure of what was appropriate to ask. But now the group is filled with questions.

You can ask a question or start a discussion about anything regarding pattern design, illustration and running a design business. If you feel that you don’t want to share your knowledge or business secrets you just don’t comment. But mostly people are very generous and help each out. The mentality has always been that we will be stronger as a group. The only secrets often kept are related to specific business contacts. However people have found ways to work together in those areas too, sharing tips about where to look, making bulk orders, co-printing and pushing prices together.

We’re not the typically pattern design group that posts design prompts or challenges, but that may be something we’ll start doing for inspiration and to create themed content for our Instagram feed. There is daily activity in the group more or less. There could be more of course. But I think people are quite busy with their design work, As it should be. It’s not a feed that makes you feel overwhelmed trying to keep up, which is something I really love about it.

Do you have advice for other designers who are looking to establish a community similar to yours?

My advice is to start small, the way I did. If you already know other pattern designers in your city or region, direct message them and ask if they would like to meet-up. I can guarantee you that they will want to.

People are mostly just too shy to take the initiative themselves, but would love to talk to likeminded artists. And if you feel bold, do a post on Instagram or in other Facebook groups where you know people from your city hang out too. Create and invite people to a Facebook group where you can connect and make plans together.

It may be a one time thing or turn into something that happens frequently. Either way it’s a fun experiment. You may have to be the one managing things at first, but after awhile you should be able to find someone to be a co-administrator.

I’d say definitely give it a try. It is so rewarding and doesn't have to be a big commitment, just a cup of coffee and networking.

What are your plans for the future?

Oh, we have big plans! Some are just in the idea stage while others have been put in motion. For example we just launched a common website. As the group grows one of its goals is to help members connect with companies. To accomplish this we knew we need to have a place where we could explain who we are, what we offer and why we do what we do to the rest of the world.

Another thing I’m excited about is that a few of us have plans to sit together and work a few days a week. Anne-Chris, one of our members and co-administrator of the group has just signed a contract to rent a place for her design business. It’s going to be a shop and warehouse for her fabrics and an office for us. You could say it will pose as the Swedish Pattern Society home base.

This pattern society of ours has gone way beyond any visions I initially had for it. It has turned into so much more than I could have ever hoped or wished for. And I know it has come to mean a lot to the members. It offers them support and gives many of them strength to take the leap and start a business. For me personally it has brought friendship, and now also, colleagues.