Getting Started:
The foundation of all successful design is the “why?”, “who?”, and “what?”.
- Why is this design necessary? Is there a need or demand for this type of product? Is it on-trend?
- Who does this design appeal to? You need to have a target market in mind.
- Who are your potential competitors?
- What makes this design unique or interesting? Are any other companies offering a similar design? Make sure your design is authentic- no one likes a knockoff.
Research:
Once you solidify your design concepts, the next step is to research your target market.
- Since you now understand what your target market is, you need to look into all the popular brands that exist in that target market that are relevant to your designs.
- What is your price point? Is it justifiable in comparison to potential competitors?
- What is your color palette?
- Have you gathered potential fabrication?
- What season are you planning to produce your products for?
It’s Go Time:
The product development process is right around the corner! Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- You will need to provide a sketch or line drawing of all the designs you wish to develop. This helps the patternmaker understand your vision. If you are not an artist- fear not- inspiration pictures and a detailed bullet point list of garment features will suffice.
- In order to develop a base pattern for a new design, the sample size needs to be determined. If you do not know where to begin, try looking up size charts of brands similar to yours. I would advise trying to be in the median range of all the brands researched.
- If a size chart is provided, the development of the base pattern, as well as the graded patterns, is much easier.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Set goals and time frames.
- Create mood boards.
- Pinterest, Canva, and Adobe Illustrator are helpful tools when creating a mood board.
- Determine how and why you connect to your inspirations.
- What is appealing about your concepts?
- Always remember to design with intention within necessary constrains.
ARE YOU FEELING INSPIRED BUT SCATTERED?
- Look through all of the inspiration you have been gathering
- Narrow your concepts down to 30-40 pieces of inspiration
- Are these ideas cohesive?
- Remove any concepts that disrupt the flow.
- Narrow your ideas down until your designs meet all the desired needs of the collection.