April 23, 2013 Textile Design Contest: Geek Chic

Paging all design wannabees — this is your moment!  Amateurs only, please!

Spoonflower and Robert Kaufman Fabrics are hosting another design contest this year and the rewards include designing a whole collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.  Last year’s winner was a mom working in Columbus, Ohio and look at her now, people!  Andie Hanna at : http://www.andiehanna.com/.

According to an online interview with Evie Ashworth at Robert Kaufman Fabrics (courtesy of Spoonflower’s website here : blog.spoonflower.com/2012/06/design-director-robert-kaufman-fabrics.html), they are looking for something different than their normal collections, so it doesn’t hurt to review their design line and then try to stand out!  In a biography of a starlet who later became famous, Loretta Young was at an early gig as one of a group of teenage girls, but she knew that if she wanted to stand out she had to do something different than the other girls.  It worked for her and it can work for you, too!  Note: the company values professionalism, which means put on your quality manners and treat them like the valued partner they are.

Geek Chic:  What is it all about? 

“Age of the Geek, baby,” says the star of the tv show Leverage.  For a while now we’ve seen movie stars wearing thick black-rimmed glasses with stylishly geeky hair and preppy touches like argyle on their accessories, but what makes some things cool and others well, geeky?  Remember it’s still a style and that means keep it simple and it will always fit in.  But there is so much in the geek repertoire to choose from: Retro Geek?  Think how avant garde telephones and tv antennas were when first invented.  Space Geek?  Will there ever be anything cooler than a line of geeks standing in mission control or boarding rockets?  (let’s all remember astronauts are accomplished mathematicians, people.)  Realistic Geek?  From pocket protectors and slide rules to 3-D rendering software and digital stylus, look for authentic inspiration.  Stereotype Geek?  India calling or is it Seattle–either way, there is something that makes each stand out.  Programmer Geek?  Data comes in bytes, chips are are made of circuits, and user-interface is the key.  Media Geek?  Think of the stylized images in film and tv today when they want to portray a cool geek — she’s got the toys and a personal sense of style.  So much to choose from, so think beyond the glasses!

Whatever you design, remember its end use: quilting.  Which means you need to design with small and big prints, similar colors, and overall coordination.  And don’t worry if you miss the deadline, you can submit artwork to Robert Kaufman any time at :http://www.robertkaufman.com/artwork/

Good Luck!