august 2020 collection of the month - escape to the tropics

Floral/leaf prints are always very popular, but it is precisely for this reason that I find them to be a bit of a tricky subject. It sometimes feels like most popular flower and leaf shapes have been done to death in the pattern design world, so it can be difficult to create designs that feel original and are true to your style. It is for this reason that I aim to steer clear of anything too detailed or literal when creating floral or leaf patterns - my style tends towards simplified, graphic motifs with an ambiguous quality to them.

Looking ahead to SS21 trends, this month I decided to try my hand at graphic, oversize floral and leaf patterns with a limited colour palette, focusing on detailed, repetitive line work which always works well with my flat, graphic style.

pattern collection escape to the tropics inspiration

I was lucky enough to visit Costa Rica last year, and was able to dig up some of the photographs of the unique tropical flowers and leaves I took in the rainforests there as inspiration. This was helpful in giving the collection a more original feel, rather than defaulting to common/popular flower and leaf shapes. I find that being able to use my own photography as inspiration rather than sourcing it generally leads to stronger designs - wonder if other designers feel the same?

The cool, sophisticated colour palette and versatile motifs create for a flexible print collection that would work in a wide range of applications, including fashion, interior accessories and even stationery. What do you think, where do you see these prints?

pattern collection escape to the tropics snapshot

If you are interested in purchasing any prints or would like to commission something in a similar style, please contact me at hello@studio-element.co.uk

posted on 2020 / 08 / 24

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