The Fundamentals of Printed Textile Design

by Alex Russell

Overview

In this essential introduction to contemporary printed textile design, designer and educator Alex Russell explores creative and commercial studio practice, including:

- developing sophisticated skills with image and colour
- how to make effective use of context in your work
- strategies for a career in design

You'll learn how history and technology shape print design, plus how to balance innovation with industry requirements, including fashion, home interiors, giftware and stationery. There's practical advice on developing a professional portfolio, and how good communication skills can get your work noticed.

This updated edition includes expanded sections on digital design and social media, and their impact on portfolio development, manufacturing, and promotion, as well as advice on establishing an ethical, sustainable practice for the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350116306
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	09/23/2021
Series:	Fundamentals
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	135 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Alex Russell is a designer, graphic artist and creative coder, making pattern, print and generative art. He has built an international client list over 25 years of designing printed textiles, wallpaper, fashion graphics and all other sorts of surface pattern. He also has nearly 20 years of lecturing experience, including running BA and MA textiles programmes. You can find him at: alexrussell.com and @alexrusselldesign.
Alex Russell is a designer and graphic artist, creating beautiful, innovative pattern designs and artworks for an extensive range of uses including interiors, home, fashion, lifestyle and giftware. He has built an international client list over more than 25 years of professional experience; his work is featured widely in books and magazines about pattern and print. His studio is based in Manchester, UK.

Table of Contents

1. An Overview of Printed Textile Design
History
The Digital Revolution
Environmental and Ethical Issues
Professional Contexts

2. The Creative Design Process
The Brief
Research, Development and Final Designs
Colour
Design Composition

3. Technology, Tools and Professional Practice
Printing Technologies and Design
Design Tools, Space and Process
Professional Practice

4. Designing for the World
Design and Industry
Design and Global Issues
Design and Communication

5. Design Style and Content
Design Categories
Colourways and Co-Ordinates
Balancing Tradition and Innovation

6. Working as a Designer
Building Collections
Building Portfolios
Building a Career

Bibliography
Glossary
Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

This general introduction for students interested in the printed textile design industry focuses on skills necessary for today's print designer with special emphasis on the importance of understanding context, considering outside influences, and communicating ideas. Russell (Manchester Metropolitan Univ., UK) emphasizes the design brief, with its component parts of research, development, color (colorways and coordinates), final design repeat, the design's use, and manufacturing technology. Mention is made of design categories before the book turns to how traditional designs and visual culture can inspire design work both in and out of one's personal style. Russell places strong emphasis on career information, including the importance of the professional portfolio and differences between employment and freelance work. The book addresses ethics, environmental concerns, and social issues present in thefashion and textile industry today, both in the text itself and in a special end section. End-of-chapter questions and sidebar information provide discussion points and author's tips. This book is part of a design series and would be appropriate for fabric/textile, fashion, and interior design programs. Since the author is British and the publisher Swiss, some minor language differences are evident.

Summing up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, two-year technical program students, faculty, and general readers.

L.L Kriner, Berea College

Choice

''The book is a welcome addition to the library of any student or designer hoping to break into or further their career in printed textiles ... It is great to see a book that finally covers the whole process from concept or commission through to production and sale ... The Fundamentals of Printed Textile Design will be the go-to guide for the next generation of printed textile designers.''

Matthew Taylor, University of Huddersfield, UK

Matthew Taylor